John's Journal...

BUSTING BASS ON BUGS

Other Types of Baits for Flies

Click to enlargeEditor's Note: Tom Schneider has fished with a fly rod since 1988, and has guided fly-fishermen since 1992. He guides primarily for saltwater stripers, hybrid-striped bass, spotted bass and largemouth bass on Lay Lake. But he also has access to some private ponds and guides some small streams in Alabama.

Question: Do you use any other type of bait for flies?
Answer: Yes, I do. I Texas-rig small plastics. I use the 3-inch, salt-and-pepper colored, Silver Phantom jerkbait. The real secret to fishing this bait is to make sure your hook is inline with the centerline of the bait. Sometimes, I'll fish this small jerkbait with no weight at all, and sometimes I'll use as much as 1/8 Click to enlargeounce. When I'm fishing this bait deep for stripers, I use a line called a Streamer Express. This line has a sink rate of about 5 or 6 inches per second on an 8-weight rod. Using this set up, I can get my bait down 20-feet deep. If you're fishing more than 20-feet deep, the fly rod is not the rod you want to use.

Question: What is the average size saltwater striper you will catch with this rig on Lay Lake? Click to enlarge
Answer: The average size stripers will weigh around 4-pounds each, but I have caught a striper that weighed 29 pounds on a rig like this.

Question: Tell me about the best day of fishing you've ever had on Lay Lake.
Answer: Fall is generally the best time of year to catch a large number of fish at Lay Lake. The best day of fishing I've had is when a buddy of mine from Colorado and myself caught and released about 75 fish in one day. We caught most of these bass on the Bama Slammer, and they were from 6 inches in size to 6 pounds in weight.

Click to enlargeQuestion: What is the biggest largemouth bass you've caught on your fly rod?
Answer: I caught a bass that weighed 7.68 pounds on a Junebug-colored Brush Hog, which is another soft-plastic bait I fish on fly rods.

To learn more about how to catch bass with flies, or to schedule a guided trip with Tom go to www.sunriseanglers.com; call Tom at Sunrise Anglers at (205) 669-2110 or (205) 410-0964; or e-mail Tom at kingfisher@sunriseanglers.com.

TOMORROW: FISHING WITH TOM SCHNEIDER


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Check back each day this week for more about BUSTING BASS ON BUGS ...

Day 1 - Why Tie Your Own
Day 2 - The Hexagenia Limbata Fly
Day 3 - Schneider's Bama Slammer
Day 4 - Other Types of Baits for Flies
Day 5 - Fishing with Tom Schneider


John's Journal

 

 

 

 

Entry 256, Day 4