Flyfishing and Catching Large Bass in the Ledge Pockets

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Flyfishing and Catching Large Bass in the Ledge Pockets.  Many large bass move into the deep water as the rivers cool.  Earlier we discussed how to catch them in the large deep pools while flyfishing.  Today we’ll look at a different type water that attracts the bass and how to catch them.

Some large smallmouth rivers have limestone ledges that extend all the way across the river forming small natural dams.  They may come within two feet or two inches of the surface of the river and they may be within a hundred to two hundred feet of each other crossing the river.  The water between these ledges can range from three to six feet deep.  Those with water five to six feet deep hold many large bass as the river cools.

This provides some of my favorite and most productive fishing of the year.  First I wade in below the ledge and fish a Murray’s Cream Strymph 4 upstream of the ledge.  By fanning my casts upstream and using a line hand retrieve to swim my Strymph back downstream slightly faster than the current I cover all of the reach from my first location.  Then I wade across the river below the ledge, pausing at 20 feet intervals to repeat this method all the way across the river.  After covering the full width of the river I wade upstream along the side of the river and continue this method all the way upstream to the next ledge.