Fly fishing in the deep pools between limestone ledges on our smallmouth rivers can be beneficial. The ledges can run all the way across the river, frequently 2-3 feet apart with many 5-6ft deep pockets between them. Before these pools become covered with ice, get out and try your luck. Approach the downstream ledge from below and stay below it. Then wading across the river, I fan my casts up and up and across stream. After my fly sinks deeply I strip it back downstream a little faster than the current pushes it. Frequently a 2-ft jigging action prompts a solid strike from a large bass.
Often I move to the shallow side of the river in order to fish all the way to the head of a specific pool. These boxed in pools are ideal cover for the bass at this time of the year and they hold an abundance of food. Over past years these special pools have given me good fishing that I will devote 2-3 hours to fish one which is half the size of football field. Dependable flies for these areas include: Murray’s Olive Strymph size 4, Murray’s Olive Marauder size 6, Murray’s Magnum Hog Sucker size 4, and Murray’s Magnum Bluegill size 4.
Trout Fishing
The rich springs flowing into our trout streams are slightly warmer than the main trout streams making them very appealing to the trout. The large populations of Cress Bugs, Shrimp and Sculpins are a wonderful food source. An excellent tactic for fishing the large streams is to start right at the spring and wade slowly downstream fanning your casts across all of the water downstream. Productive flies: Cress Bug size 14 & 16, Murray’s Shrimp size 14 & 16, Spuddler size 6. Listen to the rest of my podcast>>
On The Stream Fly Fishing Schools
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