[Redside Fly]

Well everyone in August I make the move to Austin Texas. Just making some big changes in my life for at least a little while. Just got back from a trip there. All I can say is what a blast. No there isn't steelhead unfortunately, but I'm gonna come home for Thanksgiving to get that filled for me. Does anyone swing for bass on here? If so any tips and tactics would be greatly appreciated.

- Austin

 

[Rollingblock28]

Well everyone in August I make the move to Austin Texas. Just making some big changes in my life for at least a little while. Just got back from a trip there. All I can say is what a blast. No there isn't steelhead unfortunately, but I'm gonna come home for Thanksgiving to get that filled for me. Does anyone swing for bass on here? If so any tips and tactics would be greatly appreciated.

- Austin

I LOVE swinging for smallies here in Ohio. The fish are plentiful usually, very grabby, and solitude is more common than GL steelheading. I fish a 10’ 7wt with a long (as long as the rod or longer) leader of 8lb mono and an unweighted marabou baitfish streamer. Pinch on a little split shot and mend of you want to get deep. Swing, twitch, strip, skate. Figure em out. Works well in heavily pressured water! A light two hander with a dry line set up could achieve similar, I fish out of a canoe on pretty small water so the big rod isn’t a must.
Nick

 

[DDB]

Also, skating big bushy dry flies triggers some great smallie smash takes. Best done in low light -- dawn and dusk -- over medium flows near deeper holding water. They'll hook themselves on the turn, Don't go light on the tackle if there are bruisers in your waters.

 

[BudCrist]

I live 90 minutes north of you in Whitney. Yes, I absolutely swing for bass. Also channel cats, white bass and sunfish. I fish almost exclusively with 2 hand rods in the tail waters of local dams.


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[Redside Fly]

Thanks guys super appreciative. @BudCrist do swing on the guad at all for trout?

 

[raspberry-patch]

Yep, also Smallmouth

The flies to swing with ....

1. Fun with skaters
2. Muddlers
3. Dahlberg Divers
4. Wholly Worm

... If bass season is not open, I will swing a small sneaky peat for panfish.

Rods, we take to the river

1. Scott Meridan 8wt to strip in, not swing (also used for Pike)
2. Meiser 12'6" 4wt
3. Meiser 15'6" 5wt

I have a river that I can wade, canoe and boat. It has waterfalls, so there are some more excluded sections with no or few power boats.

Caught on this Smallmouth river

1. Smallmouth
2. Pike
3. Pan Fish, perch, rock bass, sunfish
4. Redhorse
5. Migratory American Sea Eel
6. Pickeral

 

[BudCrist]

Thanks guys super appreciative. @BudCrist do swing on the guad at all for trout?

I have not. I am confident it would work great. I just have not got around to it. I do a lot of trout fishing with spey rods. Mostly on trips to Montana.


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[GHalliday]

Bass fishing with a two hander is a blast. I usually swing something olive and white bucktail with some craft fur thrown in. Maybe black and olive with rubber legs and flash. My rod of choice is Onyx 5124. If Im small mouth bass fishing on bigger water (Lower Delaware) Ill use a bigger rod to stay in practice and to reach farther water for bigger swings.

 

[fatbillybob]

I did not know you could swing for bass. I have only singlehand flyrodded for bass like the gear guys with swimbaits/crank baits/spinners etc. When swinging for bass they are not in a steelhead-like run? Are you swinging into typical bass structure?

 

[Redside Fly]

Smallmouth like fast ripple water. Unlike largemouth, smallies will chase really hard for a fly.

 

[GHalliday]

one of my ratty bass/trout flies.

 

[eriefisher]

Smallmouth will happily take a swung fly. We get them all season here. In fact, in the fall steelheading it can be tough to avoid them. They'll take just about anything that moves. They will happily chase it down as well. A long distance grab by a smallmouth can be great. I've seen an 8" fish bend a 15' solstice over. Great stuff.

 

[eriefisher]

View attachment 398481

one of my ratty bass/trout flies.

Is that a Silex you have there G'?

 

[Michael_D_CPA]

Smallmouth will happily take a swung fly. We get them all season here. In fact, in the fall steelheading it can be tough to avoid them. They'll take just about anything that moves. They will happily chase it down as well. A long distance grab by a smallmouth can be great. I've seen an 8" fish bend a 15' solstice over. Great stuff.

20211104_095940.jpg

• Michael_D_CPA
• 28 d ago

From the Grand Hit a very sparse steelhead fly. They can turn their bodies into the current and really give you a pull. Cold water slows them down a bit.

 

[GHalliday]

20211104_095940.jpg

• Michael_D_CPA
• 28 d ago

From the Grand Hit a very sparse steelhead fly. They can turn their bodies into the current and really give you a pull. Cold water slows them down a bit.

Nice one, Michael.

 

[GHalliday]

Is that a Silex you have there G'?

Nope. It's a Leland Sea Run.

 

[stronghammer22]

Smallmouth on the swing are an absolute blast. biggest I got was 22 inches and I thought it was a small steelhead at first!

 

[stronghammer22]

Smallmouth on the swing are an absolute blast. biggest I got was 22 inches and I thought it was a small steelhead at first!

 

[unch]

Smallmouth on the swing are a blast. We get a mix of trout and smallmouth in many of our lake-connected streams and rivers, so the springs and summers are always a mix of good fighting fish. While I've found that they will basically take anything in my trout spey box (streamers, soft hackles, skating flies, nymphs, etc.), I've had really good success targeting drop offs, ledges, and heads of pools with weighted olive, brown, white, or grey streamers. Single hand spey or a light spey rod is a good tool, and you can strip flies through these areas to get aggressive takes.


This fly was my number one producer last year, both with the two hander in moving water, and single hander in lakes and ponds. It's a sculpin-esque gamechanger, with just the stinger at the back.

 

[SpeyUpNorth]

Wow. This is great news. I never thought you could swing for Bass. I have always used an 8wt single hander which is likely overkill for most Bass. I will have to try out my 8wt Switch rod and swing for em now. The 8wt switch is also probably overkill but that is what I have to work with for now.