Topwater Smallmouth Action

It was going to be a hot, late summer day with a cold front coming through tomorrow. The Labor Day weekend was over, so it was a perfect setup for a few hours on the water. I pulled into the South Chagrin Reservation around 6:30AM and had the place all to myself. Just how I like it. Lately, I’ve been stringing up two rods, one with a streamer, and the other with a topwater fly. I’ve learned that having two rods helps maximize fish time. This is helpful for someone like me who occasionally has problems with knots due to a tremor in my hands. I’ll start with the streamer but will quickly change to the topwater fly if the day starts slow. Today started slow, so a change was made, and things picked up right away.

One of the pools I work has a few large boulders that are completely submerged. This should provide good structure for smallmouth bass. After swinging and stripping the streamer through the pool with no takes it was time for the topwater slider. I sent the cast down and across and stripped in a little line, to let the fish know something is disturbing the water. I let the slider drift right over the boulders when a smallmouth attacked it. After a nice little fight the smallie found the net, and it was one for the good guys.

Resident smallmouth bass fooled by a topwater slider.

(Click on image for larger view.)

I moved downstream to work the water by an overhanging tree. Three casts later, another smallie hit the slider. This one put up a good fight as well, but in the end, it also found the net.

Another smallie in the net.

keepemwet

What a perfect combination; a 4 wt rod, a topwater fly, and a smallmouth bass.

Go out and fool a fish!

South Chagrin Reservation

I was able to get out for a few hours this morning and decided to fish the stretch of the Chagrin River in the Cleveland Metroparks South Chagrin Reservation. Its been several years since I fished this stretch of water. When I took up fly fishing five years ago I fished here and it was the spot where I hooked my first fish on a fly, so I was looking forward to hitting it again.

In many spots the section of the Chagrin that flows through the South Chagrin Reservation has a small stream look to it. There are tree-lined banks where you can’t make a backcast. Or, if the trees are on the opposite bank, you have to skip a cast low to get a drift. Also, most of the casts don’t have to be more than 20’ to get to the fishable spots.

Starting at daybreak I have learned to be ready for a first cast hookup. Today it happened, as I drifted a wooly bugger through a run and a smallmouth hit it. It doesn’t get any better than that….and it didn’t for about an hour. I was thinking first cast curse. Then after moving upstream a small, feisty rock bass hit the bugger.

 Feisty rock bass hit a wooly bugger

(Click on image for a larger view)

After another 45 minutes I hopped in the car and drove to another location in the reservation. This section of the river is a little more open with a sand bar on one side of the river and a shear wall on the opposite side. There were some downed trees that made good structure to concentrate on. This turned out to be a good spot.

The closer I got my cast to the bank the better it was. Throw the fly short by a couple of feet and there would be no action. Throwing the fly almost bouncing it off the bank would produce a strike. In a short period of time I was able to land a nice resident smallmouth and two rock bass.

Always fun to catch. This resident smallmouth put on an aerial display befoe coming to hand.

Driving home I started thinking about the success I’ve enjoyed this summer. Even though I’m no longer a beginner I still learn something every time out. That’s what makes fly fishing so interesting. Funny how it works out. Learn a little, get a little better.

The following are some of the keys to the success I’ve had. I’m sure these aren’t new to anyone who fishes but I can tell from experience that I did not know these things when I started. That explains why I was skunked most of the time that first year.

• Start early before the sun has a chance to hit the water or late in the day near dusk.
• Work shallow first, deeper pools later.
• Concentrate on faster moving sections of water. There’s more oxygen for the fish.
• Stay in the shade. It seems as though when the sun hits the water in the summer fishing slows down.
• Get the cast as close to structure as possible. A foot or two makes a big difference in hookup rate.
• Cover water. The fish are there. You just have to find them.
• Don’t fall in love with one color, one fly.

Go out and fool a fish!