I'm in danger of becoming a bass junkie!

[Skunked]

Until this weekend I had never fished for bass and I had always had the notion that bass were somehow inferior too trout, that they probably don't fight that well because I see the bass pros on TV hauling them out of the water within seconds after the hook set, and the techniques used to catch them probably weren't as fun as trout fishing.

However after making a trip to the john day this weekend I am now a believer in smallmouth:applause:
They fight great, a 10" bass can put a serious bend in a 5wt. And you can catch them on a wide variety of techniques, classic dry fly, swinging streamers, poppers (which by the way are a blast!). Oh and I caught over 50 of em!

Although I would still fish trout given the choice, I will never ever question the "gamefishness" of bass. And to every bass that I ever doubted, please accept my sincere apologies:flowered:

[uhmw]

Got board getting skunked on steelhead in the lower dechuts and turned my attention to slow back water and started hooking fat smallies in the 2-3 pound range on a dreger flashabugger just above rattlsnake rapids. It was a blast. I have also developed a method for hooking larger fish in the willy 1/4 mile from my door step. I love fly fishing for bass.

[woodsy188]

I was accidentally introduced to fly fishing for bass last summer while nymphing on the Crooked River above Prineville Res.

What a fun surprise!

[hook jaw]

I fish for them pretty heavily in the summer on the Willamette and do pretty well. A 5 weight is just about perfect and a 17" fish will give you all you can handle, especially in current. Good times.

[Skunked]

What techniques do you guys use for bass in the willy?

[waterman]

For freshwater fish - the smallmouth bass is arguably the hardest fighting fish for its size (some say its cousin the bluegill is the strongest for its size). The native Shawnee Indians in the midwest had a name for the smallmouth - it translates to "ferocious". If you ever kept a smallmouth in a fish tank, it would amaze you how aggresive these fish are - even more aggresive than a pirahna.

Remember that most pro bass fisherman type use 15 to 20 pound line and baitcasting reels in order to pull the bass into thier boat in 2 seconds - as on the TV shows. 20 pound test for 2 to 5 pound bass! I use this type of gear on 10 to 20 pound salmon and steelhead!

If you ever go to Florida - go try the largemouth on Okochobee - the 10 pound largemouth they have in there will destroy you - even with the same gear you use to catch 20 pound salmon.

[uhmw]

What techniques do you guys use for bass in the willy?
a nice large sparkling wolly bugger in geen and black with a large furr tuft the dreger style with the big eyes. Or any type of big crawdad pattern in orange and brown. The weighted chatrusse and bright sparkling colored wolly buggers also work good. Cast at the rocks and creep it in on the bottem long tipit 9-10 ft and floating line w/ sink tip. I keep a sharp eye on the line any eratic movement and you must strike fast and hard. Others might use a strike indicator. I like to fish it very slowly fish it in 20 ft of water like you would in crain prarie. When a 5 pounder hammers your line you will be satisfied.

[hook jaw]

For the willy:

Weighted wooly buggers work well. I like a little chartreuse in mine (smallmouth love chartreuse). I will generally just cast and strip, but fishing them slowly (and watching your main line leader connection for a twitch or any unusual movement) works too.

HJ

[Skunked]

Thanks for the tips, sounds like big wooly buggers are the way to go. Is fishing better above or below the falls, or does it matter?

[uhmw]

I prefer the 1st river mile below the falls. The down town area is also just as productive.

[Turnerjo13]

I love bass fishing with my fly rod. My favorite fly is a black wooley bugger with an olive tail and a little flash. Just cast out and strip it back. Blue gills are also a lot of fun to catch on a fly rod. I like a size 12 or 14 dry fly that i let get saturated so it when i strip it in in goes just subsurface.