# Nymphing for smallmouth



## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

Anyone here ever try drifting nymphs through a run for smallmouth? That’s pretty much how I fish tubes on spinning gear and I’m considering tying some stonefly/helgramite sort of patterns and suspending them deep under an indicator this coming warm season. I could see it working for those big buffalo fish that always share the same environment too.

Joe Cornwall mentions doing something similar in his book Fly Fishing Warmwater Rivers (written based on his experiences on the Great Miami). Obviously I’m thinking they’d need to be a little bigger than most trout flies just to get a big enough hook gap, maybe like a size 6 or 8 Pat’s Rubber Legs. Maybe a big Copper John or squirmy wormy as a dropper.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

kingofamberley said:


> Anyone here ever try drifting nymphs through a run for smallmouth


 Often--- 
I normally high stick if there's is sufficient depth or fast/broken water to cover my approach.
A big foam hopper or dragon fly make a great indicator when the weather is appropriate for some topwater activity. Dead drifting a craw or hellgramite pattern will almost always produce in the streams I fish but an olive or black wooly bugger is tough to beat.
Good luck and good fishing !


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

I prefer the Hopper/ Crayfish dropper approach. My favorite crayfish is the Clauser crayfish. The pattern Cream ties looks tasty too but mine are too heavy and sink the Hoppers. I haven't got that balance yet. 

My favorite Hoppers are Dave's Hopper and Titanic Hopper. The Titanic Hopper can be popped nicely too. I was driving some bass crazy a couple days last September with short 4 inch strips all the way in. I sometimes use a Triple Threat minnow pattern as a dropper when I am stripping the Hopper. Seems to work better and looks like a minnow chasing something.
Rickerd


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## Sonder (May 9, 2020)

After fishing with Joe for years I can tell you it is effective but it works better with certain criteria. 

1. The presence of mud dwelling or burrowing bugs. 

2. When there is a large amount of submerged timber. 

When there is none of the above but sand, cobble, and large stones or rock it's tougher. Not to say it won't work but the habitat for burrowing bugs is much less.


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## 18inchBrown (May 1, 2016)

I fish for smallmouth all the time drifting a size 10 Prince with a soft hackle collar. I tie a weighted version on a 3x long hook and add splitshot to get it down when I fish it.I also drift a size 6 Barry's carp fly. I have had success with both. I don't use an indicator, I tight line it with my thumb and index fingers on my left hand. I like to feel the strike but I suppose that's a thread of its own.


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## Sonder (May 9, 2020)

18inchBrown said:


> I fish for smallmouth all the time drifting a size 10 Prince with a soft hackle collar. I tie a weighted version on a 3x long hook and add splitshot to get it down when I fish it.I also drift a size 6 Barry's carp fly. I have had success with both. I don't use an indicator, I tight line it with my thumb and index fingers on my left hand. I like to feel the strike but I suppose that's a thread of its own.



i use a bobber from time to time


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

Occasionally when the conditions are right. I usually drop a large nymph under a large dry fly. More often than not they hit the dry. Good way to pick up an occasional carp and works for rock bass and crappie also.

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## Sonder (May 9, 2020)

I agree with all your points folks great techniques.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

I love all of these replies, thanks guys. I am getting very excited to try this. Streamers are the obvious bass flies and I usually impart movement to baitfish and craw imitations while warm water fly fishing but I like the idea of more traditional drifts with smaller flies. I’m a multi species angler and I think this would be a good way to pick up those rough fish who hang out in fast water also (I catch a handful of big buffalo every year bottom bouncing little jigs through fast water so this might do even better). Tight lining sounds good too closer in; I mostly just use a bobber to detect subtle takes at a distance. I can think of some spots that will be fun to try this with my 9.5’ 6 wt Redington Vice. I like the idea of bigger nymphs with soft hackle collars under a big foam dry.


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## 18inchBrown (May 1, 2016)

Sonder , I'm going to stir the pot. Isn't an indicator a bobber? I can tight line a strike from 20 feet. Maybe I'm missing fish but I've been tight lining fish since I used to fish for carp in the Susqy back in 1964.


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## Sonder (May 9, 2020)

yes a bobber is an indicator my friend ....


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

18inchBrown said:


> Sonder , I'm going to stir the pot.Isn't an indicator a bobber? I can tight line a strike from 20 feet. Maybe I'm missing fish but I've been tight lining fish since I used to fish for carp in the Susqy back in 1964.


Of course it is, why does that matter?


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## 18inchBrown (May 1, 2016)

It doesn't matter. Back in the day you became a big boy when you stopped fishing with bobbers. I mean this was >50 years ago. Im just joking. There is nothing new under the sun. What goes around comes around. What was once the tool of a 5 year old is now used by the most sophisticated fly fisherman around the world. I just think of bobbers the way I did when I was 12.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

18inchBrown said:


> It doesn't matter. Back in the day you became a big boy when you stopped fishing with bobbers. I mean this was >50 years ago. Im just joking. There is nothing new under the sun. What goes around comes around. What was once the tool of a 5 year old is now used by the most sophisticated fly fisherman around the world. I just think of bobbers the way I did when I was 12.


Maybe one day I’ll be a big boy just like you, but I like floats on occasion for suspending offerings off the bottom and detecting light takes. Obviously they aren’t appropriate for every occasion but sometimes they are a big help.

Every piece of gear has its time and place and every angler draws an arbitrary line somewhere. Do what you enjoy, it’s not worth limiting yourself IMO.


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## Sonder (May 9, 2020)

Speaking of carp there is a lake called Brookville Lake in Indiana "Southeast" and carp with there dorsal fin out of the water will hunt down and destroy a threadfin shad imitation fly. I was dumbfounded when I saw this, but again after seeing it year after year it was amazing. I'm talking about hooking up routinely with 5-8 pouind class fish.


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## 18inchBrown (May 1, 2016)

King, I'm sensing hurt feelings. I'm sorry about that. I respect your expertise and have learned a lot from following your posts. I'm just an old man from an old time. Flyfishing is something that I did not start until I was 50. When I fished for carp I fished Texas rig style with corn. I tight lined the strike before I set the hook. I used to throw out a handful of corn after I cast out my line and just waited. I caught a 36" carp at age 12 and carried it home to show everybody. A 36" fish carried by a 5ft tall boy, what a sight considering it was 1 1/2 miles away. Oh yeah I threw the fish into a pond and it lived so carp are very hardy. True story.Reading this it seems like a tall tale but I swear this is my story.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

kingofamberley said:


> I catch a handful of big buffalo every year bottom bouncing little


You can have a blast sight fishing buffalo all summer. They can be picky and Occasionally they will frustrate you but drop a small caddis or larva nymph in their face often enough and hold on--- they make some line screaming runs especially when in the shallows. 
Good luck and good fishing !


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

18inchBrown said:


> Sonder , I'm going to stir the pot. Isn't an indicator a bobber? I can tight line a strike from 20 feet. Maybe I'm missing fish but I've been tight lining fish since I used to fish for carp in the Susqy back in 1964.


18InchBrown, I got to stir a bit more. NO an indicator is not a bobber!
Some Indicators use sighter lines changing color with an orange tag and never will float like a bobber. Search Mono Rig, Rio sighter material.

But I will agree a bobber is an indicator. 

Rickerd


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## Sonder (May 9, 2020)

Hmm ok this is something I want to share and the ppl who dont think its fly fishing I dont care ..lol.. here is what I use when I put a bobber on my fly rod, You will see lead split shot ragning from BB, PSS 4, PSS 5, and PSS 7's. The Bobbers I use are ice fishing floats. I bought them by the handfull at the old Grand River Tackle. The only place I put my bobber is all the way up at my perfection loop and roll cast with a scientific angler master series steelhead salmon taper. Now I know this goes against what all of us thought was normal. I match the speed of the water I am fishing with the speed I want my fly to drift. This has worked for me since 1993 from MI smallies/carp/steelhead/salmon to NY smallies/carp/steelhead/salmon. I use an ice fishing float cause its slotted and I dont have to re-rig or anything.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

I enjoy reading fishing books during the colder months and something Tim Holschlag writes about is to put an indicator at the junction of the leader when fishing craw imitations. I tried it and was getting hung up in the rocks every cast but he seems to be quite successful with it. Just something else to practice.











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## Sonder (May 9, 2020)

Yes I loose alot of flies during the season I can't lie 😆.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

Sonder, I still have a few of those indi's and I use them for steelhead on occasion. Caught many fish with them too. But now that I understand the Mono rig, I won't go back to those very often. 
If I want the drift of 50 feet like the pinners, I have larger thill floats and thing-a-ma-bobbers that carry more shot under them. They are perfect to lob cast with Mono and get the longest slow winter drifts for my flies.

Now back to the smallies, I use the Hopper as my dry fly and some days catch more on this than I do the crayfish. Those are the best days, bass on a dry. My bigger fish this year, came on the triple threat minnow either below the hopper, or on a sinktip down near the bottom. I broke off 3 fish this year with the triple threat that were all close to 4 pounders. It kills me that I had this happen to me over a 2 week span early June. I fought all the fish a few minutes and one was about to be netted, and I think the tippet, 6# was rubbed on the rocks and broke. But once I know my knot slipped. Going to be a long Winter if I don't get out for some Steelhead soon! I'm using 8# tippet now and learning a new loop knot.

Rickerd


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## bassclef (Jul 25, 2013)

kingofamberley said:


> I enjoy reading fishing books during the colder months and something Tim Holschlag writes about is to put an indicator at the junction of the leader when fishing craw imitations. I tried it and was getting hung up in the rocks every cast but he seems to be quite successful with it. Just something else to practice.


"The Crayfish Hop"!

I have his books, and a DVD, and love them. I'm going to have to go back through them before Spring, it's been a while. 

Harry Murray also has some good info in his book & DVD about nymphing for smallmouth. I believe you can stream the DVD for free if you have Amazon Prime. Definitely worth a watch.


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## noahdoak (Nov 26, 2019)

I euro nymphed a squirminator (squirmy tied backwards from a bead on a jig hook) in a stream near Logan back in August and did a number on the smallies out there. If you go out to some streams during summer, you can also kill it with any large dry, like a hopper, terrestrial, or a stimulator. It worked wonders for me on a stream near Youngstown back in July. Go out on a sunny morning, start with streamers, and if you start seeing rising fish (they basically disturb the surface the same way a trout would when they rise), tie on the biggest dry fly in your box and dead drift it, dropper optional. Trust me, you won't regret it


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