BUSTING BASS ON BUGS
Fishing with Tom Schneider
 Editor'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: If a person books you for a half day of fly-fishing
on Lay Lake, what should they expect to catch on that
day?
Answer: The determining factor on how many and what
type of bass they will catch is when the current starts
running from the dam at the head of Lay Lake. On a bad
day, I'll expect to catch 12 bass. On an average half-day
trip, I'll expect to catch 20 fish. On a good half-day
trip, I have had anglers catch at least 40 fish. Even
on a full day trip, I have had beginners to catch 40
bass.
Question: What type of bass will a fisherman catch?
Answer: If an angler wants to target strictly stripers,
we'll spend all-day catching stripers. But, if he prefers
to catch bass all day, we'll catch primarily spotted
and largemouth bass.
Question: If I wanted to catch saltwater stripers,
spotted bass and largemouth bass in a half day of fishing,
how many of each species can you expect to catch?
Answer: On a good half day of fishing, if you want to
target all three species, I'll expect to catch 12 stripers,
12 largemouths and 12 spotted bass. Most of those fish
will be caught late in the afternoon.
Question: If an angler prefers to target only saltwater
striped bass, what do you suggest he do? 
Answer: The striped bass bite depending on how much
of a current and when that current is coming through
the dam. Therefore, I suggest that a fisherman call
me first to learn when the current is will be running.
Then we'll set up his or her trip based on the flow
of the dam.
Question: How critical is the current to catching spotted
and largemouth bass?
Answer: We fish a drift-boat style like fly-fishermen
do out West. For this reason, having current is critical
to catching any kind of bass on a fly rod. We are fishing
primarily pools and cuts in the bank. When the current
comes on, the bass really turn on. When the current
goes off, catching any bass is extremely difficult.
 Question:
What is your best fly for each species of bass for summer?
Answer: Either the Bama Slammer, which is a shad-pattern
fly, or the soft-plastic jerkbait, are the best two
flies, when the current is running, to catch any of
the species in Lay Lake. If the current isn't running,
I'll throw creature baits like the Baby Brush Hog. In
the upper tailrace, there are a large number of trees
lying in the water, and oftentimes I will find my fish
in those places. I will usually fish under logs, brush
or on open edge banks. The Brush Hog I use is a 3-inch
tiny bait, and the bass bite really well on it.
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.
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