That said, river smallmouth are powerful fish with tough, cartilage-lined mouths that get thicker with age and that require a stiff blow to hook correctly. He tossed a lure while I drug the canoe. Examples include the Upper Mississippi in Minnesota, the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, and the New River in Virginia. The versatile Fluke is the perfect smallmouth bait. Here's a quick look at some rods and reels options for smallmouth bass fishing in 2018. We drifted lazily down the Gasconade River in the Missouri Ozarks. An equally … I often pitch the small baits to visible fish. Costing well less than half of the more expensive rods on the market, the fast action Mangrove is a very powerful stick that will easily drive a hefty bass fly out all day long. A longer rod makes it easier to cast farther with more accuracy. Reeds Cabins and J. Cook Fly Rods are the local fly shops that can outfit you best to fish the Current. Fortunately, there are quite a few pretty good rods for smallmouth nowadays. It casts like a dirty diarrhea diaper too. Just broke my Sage 5 wt VPS rod tip and that danged lifetime warranty keeps going up. Slip Bobber Fishing with Live Minnows. Once the bait settles near the fish, pause for a few seconds and then slightly raise your rod tip. Best Rod for Smallmouth Bass? Thus, most serious smallmouth anglers in search of trophy fish (usually defined as anything over 18 or 20 inches), select a strong seven- or eight-weight rod, the latter of which is my choice for shouldered smalljaws. I readily admit, however, that I have never attained his level of competence. He knew the stream he loved, knew the fish that lived there, and knew how to catch them consistently. His cast with a blue and black jig-n-pig splashed lightly at the upper end of the submerged log. You can use up to a 10, but that is a bit overkill. In fact, I’ve had clients who normally tire fairly easily, but who used one of my properly loaded Mangroves and drove flies out all day with nary a break.I have also been using the 8-wt Mangrove for largemouth bass, pike and even river muskies.
Clemens allowed the jig to sit still for several long seconds. The 2 1/2-inch model in camo — a combination of blue, red and green hues — is deadly on smallmouth bass in rocky cover. This is an important question, since the rod is of critical importance in fly fishing. He's right. And loaded properly with the right line it will handle wind and also allow you to make 45 to 55 foot casts with a minimum of false casting.With the 8-wt Mangrove, I use Scientific Angler’s 10-wt Titan Taper line and its 9-wt Titan Taper line on the 7-wt rod. Bill received the Conservation Educator of the Year Award from the Conservation Federation of Missouri in 2000 and the Conservation Communicator Award in 2008.All pages © 2012 – 2020 BPS Direct, L.L.C. I’ve been asked that question hundreds of times. Bass Fishing: Best Baits for River Smallmouth Bass Bass Fishing: Best Baits for River Smallmouth Bass. By Tim Holschlag on February 18, 2015 in Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing Gear Reviews 0. Last update Oct 30, 2019. His tactics worked magic on Gasconade River smallmouth. The Sammy 85, the 3 1/4-inch model in Tennessee Shad color is my favorite. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of Missouri where he earned a Masters Degree in Outdoor Education.