You just might catch your largest smallmouth bass of the year by fishing at night. They feed heavily in the low light levels and they are less wary than they are in the bright time of the day.
For safety and to get good fishing, I fish sections of the river at night that I know well and plan the spots I will enter and especially leave the river to avoid old fences and poison ivy. A small waterproof flashlight is a must.
Strike detection is dependent upon us feeling it so fishing down and across stream at a 45 degree angle is a great help. This angle enables us to instantly feel the strike and we can quickly hook the bass. A good ploy is to quickly recover all of the slack line and put the bass on the reel so you are in complete control of the runs of a big fish.
Good flies are the Murray’s Black Madtom Sculpin Streamer size 4, Murray’s Magnum Bluegill size 4 and Murray’s Chartreuse Chugger size 4. Impart a firm six inch stripping action to these flies every ten seconds to get the basses attention.
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