New Murray’s Bass Blue Damselfly Dry Fly Blog- Murray’s Fly Shop
Last summer many of you asked me to develop a very durable and more effective adult dry bass damselfly than the patterns that are available now for smallmouth bass.
By evaluating the various bass feeding stations and the feeding habits of the smallmouth bass in many sections of the rivers, I started experimenting.
Part of my challenge was the realization that smallmouth bass in different parts of the rivers feed differently on natural adult blue damsel dry flies. For example, those bass I found close to the aquatic grassbeds along the banks took the natural damselflies with solid sipping rise forms much like a trout feeding on a mayfly hatch. Those smallmouth bass feeding on adult damselflies buzzing above the
rivers in the large pools exhibit splashing or jumping rise forms.
Thus I needed to tie a new fly which could mimic both of these actions.
After testing a great number of materials and tying styles I finally came up with the Murray’s Bass Blue Damsefly Dry Fly. This fly catches many smallmouth bass in all type of cover.
I catch many bass which are feeding along the aquatic grassbeds on the sides of the river. I do this by wading or floating down the river forty feet out from the grassbeds. I then cast my fly tight against the grass. A slow line hand stripping action which swims the damselfly two inches every five seconds usually does the job.
I catch those bass which are rising and jumping in the large pools by skating my damselfly with two foot bursts every ten seconds across the surface of the river. When I fish this new damselfly dry fly I dress both the leader and fly often with Murray’s Dry Fly Floatant every half hour.