58 SERIOUSFUN@JFFC MAY 2018
Tactics and Techniques:
As I have mentioned, you will be casting a lot so make sure to pack your casting arm. While accuracy is not too critical for the bass, being able to cast a decent line in windy conditions will definitely give you an edge. With the fish congregating around weed beds, most fish are caught casting towards or parallel to them from the bank or floating craft. When wading towards a weed bed, always first cover the water between the bank and the weed bed before wading into the water. You will be surprised how many fish will be sitting in the water, especially in the summer. Once you feel you have covered this water, gradually wade in further, making progressively long casts towards and past the weed bed you are targeting.
In general the bass are not very fussed with presentations and they regularly hammer the fly as it lands or on the drop. When using a boat to access the various areas, I would highly recommend beaching the boat and wade fishing, or using smaller floating craft to access all the nooks and crannies in the weeds. If you find any sort of isolated feature, weedbeds (however small) fences or trees in the water, always give a couple of casts to the structure. If the bass are there you will know within the first five casts. Also, move often and don’t get bogged down when you find a school. Fish in a particular school all seem to be similarly sized, so if you find you are constantly getting tiny bass, move on and try to locate a school of bigger fish. If you’ve had enough of the rats and mice, put on a larger fly and target the deeper drop-offs adjacent to the structure where you were catching the smaller fish. For the bigger fish, I would suggest slowing down your retrieve somewhat and fishing the fly slightly deeper. Early morning, last light and even into the night is when the bigger fish seem to move up into the shallows and the schools of small bass go quiet. At these times I would attach a bigger fly that pushes more water or a bigger popper that makes a good surface disturbance. I have caught some decent bass at 9 in the evening on poppers, so don’t be scared to fish into the dark.