# Big Darby, Little fish



## johnwilliamson (Jul 14, 2007)

Hey been trying my luck @ Darby Battelle and had absolutely no luck. I haven't even seen a fish over two inches. Going from 8am to 1030 am mostly. Throwing an assortment of Nymphs, foam ants/spiders, and deer hair caddis. Been working the area in the public hunting grounds, which is up river of where most fish, but the naturalist told me it was a good place to fish, just a little harder to get to. Found a few decent pools. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?


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## jholbrook (Sep 26, 2006)

I haven't fished the Darby but if it is like other warm water streams, I'd try throwing big streamers, wooly buggers, poppers and crickets/hoppers. I don't think smallmouth are particularly keyed in on small aquatic insects.

Smallmouth eat crayfish during the summer, so imitations would be worth a shot - a crayfish colored wooly bugger usually did the trick for me.

Hope this helps.

You could try fishing with spinning gear to make sure that there are fish in the area also.

Good luck.


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

i fished the vermilion river so far this summer with nymphs and top water bugs and all i catch is bluegills and smaller bass and shad all day and i have caught a couple big cats on nymphs tho. i have used a black bugger an caught 2 huge gills compared to what size i usually catch. but this is my 1st year flying it.
i agree with the big fish not eating nymphs. seems to me i always see um chasing a minnow breaking the surface. these r huge bass too! but they never bite my stuff.. i just ordered some muddler minnows and bigger wooley buggers and hoppers. i am thinking a big fish wants to eat a good sized fish not a small bug since he is lazy and don't want to eat a million small things just a couple big things.. not all bigger fish do that tho . trout r different i seen them eat small nymphs size 14


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## steelheader007 (Apr 8, 2004)

Not so much what your doing wrong but are you fishing along side of rocks looking for ledge rock? Are you fishing clousers? Are you fishing ledge rock, and large, small rock out croppings and broken water this time of year. just a hint smallies will feed with carp!


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## brhoff (Sep 28, 2006)

Well, I am new to Smallie fishing in a relative sense, I guess...I fish about 15 hours a week.

I have caught Smallies on Hairs Ear Nymphs and the largest have come on size 10 Jim's Lil' Buggers in Brown and Black.

The largest being somewhere between 19-21" and FAT, like a football. Caught that one throwing a size 10 lil' Bugger in balck.

I agree with Steelhead, it is not so much what but where. I find, finding them to be key. 

Lately, on the Clearfork, the Olentangy and the Scioto, I see Smallies jumping to capture white flies on the surface...no not Carp, I can tell the difference.

Now that said, they do also charge to a commotion...I have seen BIG ones chasing the Rock Bass I am reeling in...again, this leads me to conclude, they are not terribly hard to catch...BUT harder to find!


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## johnwilliamson (Jul 14, 2007)

I am pretty new to fly fishing and my previous fishing was pretty much worms. A such I have been stumbling through this trying to learn what I can. I will try the patterns suggested and look more around rock ledges.


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## steelheader007 (Apr 8, 2004)

John W check your PM's


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