It has been nearly a year of Covid 19, but fortunately I have a hobby that encourages distance between people. I still get strange looks when fly fishing for bass, and my familiars continue to encourage me to pick up a bait caster (which I do own). September and October went by like a blur, and I never had the back to back sessions with frantic feeding frenzies I was hoping for. I could stretch out the season at least three more weeks, but enough is enough. I did develop though as an angler, and I will go into Bass 2021 with a few more tricks in my book.
Barrel Swivels- not just for spin fishing. A small barrel swivel is a tippet and leader saver, not to mention it keeps your fly in the water longer as you are not twisting up as much. When you throw big patterns, they will always twist.
Water Pushing Patterns- One of my favorite anglers is Nicholas Bauer, and he and his chums fish flies for pike that displace a lot of water. I developed some patterns for bass with the same principle. They are a lot of fun to fish and are a hybrid top water, sub surface pattern.
Carolina Fly Rig- There are many ways to rig a soft plastic, and one of the most well know is the Carolina rig. This incorporates a free sliding weight placed above a barrel swivel to maintain depth and allow the bait more freedom. You can do the same in fly fishing. Paired with a 3ips sinking leader and placed above the aforementioned barrel swivel- you can place one or two tungsten fly tying beads. With a weedless pattern you can drag the bottom or fish a sloping shelf effectively.
Sheep’s Hair- This material is great for streamers, but alone it tangles too much. You have to blend it with other synthetics or bucktail. I really want to get my hands on some Nayat, as I hear it is more coarse, but also provides great length and movement.
A Bass 2020 highlight video will be coming soon! Have a great winter and stay safe!