Smallmouth bass have always been overlooked by trout anglers, but I hope I can convince you to start targeting them if you haven’t already. Smallmouth bass are the hardest fighting fish we have around the mountains of North Carolina. These fish will test your drag, jump, and then tail slap water at you when you release them. They are an aggressive species which makes them a perfect fish to chase using the fly rod. Fly fishing for smallmouth bass can be the most rewarding thing you can do with the long rod from Spring to Fall. Fly fishing for smallmouth is not an easy task, but I couldn’t think of anything more rewarding when that 3 pound smallmouth takes a topwater bug drifting parallel to the bank. When you decided to pick up fly fishing you knew you were at a disadvantage compared to using a spinning rod. Smallmouth can be picky throughout the season that runs from March to November, but we bounce around from three different rivers to put clients in the best water to catch fish. Early Spring which runs from March to the beginning of April is the pre-spawn period. Fish are actively feeding and preparing themselves for the spawn which is a good time to cast crayfish, hellgrammite, and baitfish patterns. If conditions are right we can normally get by using floating line, but if we have good flows I will use sink tips and intermediate lines. This time of year, smallmouth will congregate in the big, deep, slack water so getting flies down into the strike zone can be essential to having a good outing. The majority of smallmouth in our stretches of water will be in just a few holes. When guiding clients in the spring if you catch a smallmouth then chances will be high that there are more fish to be caught in the general area. After the spawn is over the water temperatures start to warm and the fish start chasing baitfish. As water temperature goes up so does the smallmouths metabolism. After spawning these fish need to replenish their calories to obtain the weight they lost during the spawn. In May you start seeing smallmouth coming out of the deeper water and will stage anywhere there is structure, safety, good current and food. It is not uncommon to see smallmouth in just a few feet of water chasing minnows or eating mayflies off the surface. One of the coolest things I get to witness guiding the same rivers year after year is seeing the smallmouth bass in the French Broad sipping mayflies. Normally I always have a few dry flies in the box during this time, but anytime you see a sipping smallmouth they will be eager to take a popping bug. The bass below hit a popper after we stalked it for a few minutes eating mayflies in less than 2 foot of water.
My favorite time to fly fish for smallmouth is the end of June to September. It’s hard to beat catching smallmouth on top water bugs. The dead drifting approach is going to be best when targeting smallmouth bass in the low, clear water throughout summer. Dead drifting these big bugs is very similar to drifting flies to tailwater trout. Long, accurate drifts without drag can entice big smallmouth to come up from the depths to eat. When water temperatures are hottest these big smallmouth aren’t going to be chasing a ton. They want an easy meal without expending a ton of energy. This is why small flies and good presentations dominate. Normally if we get a good cold front to come through that cools the water off then clients can be more aggressive on popping and the twitching of the bugs. Most smallmouth flies are designed with legs, hairs, or fur that provides lifelike movement in the water. Less is more when it comes to retrieving smallmouth flies during the summer time. I love fly fishing with game changer flies. The only disadvantage to this fly is that it’s always swimming fast on the retrieve so if the fish aren’t in the mood to chase then try a fly that hangs and suspends more.
Towards the end of September all the way into November the smallmouth will leave their summer territories and find the deeper water again where they will stay all winter. During this time the leaves are changing colors and most people are occupying the trout streams again. There is nothing better than clear water and smallmouth bass in the fall because fishing is great! Whenever the water temperature drops below 60 degrees the bass will start chasing baitfish again and normally you net a lot of big fish during these months. During this season it’s time to break out the bigger flies and target the biggest smallmouth in the river. Once the bass school up it creates competition for food so you will find more than one fish chasing your streamer back to the boat.
Big smallmouth are usually compared to big brown trout. These fish are selective and are not afraid to eat big flies. Most of the big smallmouth we have caught have come out of areas you wouldn’t think they would be holding in unless you caught one there. When these smallmouth spread out in the summer they could be anywhere. The good news about hiring one of our guides is that we know where these big fish hold year after year so we can place clients in these areas giving them the best chances at catching a trophy smallmouth bass. Sometimes the fish cooperate and sometimes they don’t, but that’s what keeps us coming back.
The Catawba Angler specializes in fly fishing for smallmouth bass. There is nothing better than floating down a beautiful mountain river chasing smallmouth bass on the fly. We offer full day float trips for $400. We provide everything but a valid NC fishing license. If you are looking to target something other than a trout on the fly rod give us a call and we will show you how much fun smallmouth can be.
Thanks for reading!
Matt Evans
Owner/The Catawba Angler
