“Reading a smallmouth river” accurately is the best way to catch large bass consistently. When we teach this in our on the stream schools we find that most anglers can quickly master it if we stress a three step approach.
1) Decide where you suspect the bass will be in the specific part of the stream you are fishing. This could be along a shaded bank, or below a riffle or beside an aquatic grassbed or any other location that will give him plenty of food.
2) Once you determine where you suspect your bass will be holding you need to decide where to catch your fly so it will drift naturally to him. For example, if you are fishing a Shenandoah Blue Popper along a shaded bank you may need to cast it only 3 feet upstream of your suspected hot spot. Whereas if you plan to swim your Murray’s Magnum Creek Chub into a deep pool you may need to cast it 20 feet above him so it will swim naturally along the stream bottom when it reaches your bass.
3) Finally, you must get yourself into the proper location to make this happen. Some of the factors that influence this are the speed of currents before you, the depth of the water and the wariness of the bass.
Once these three steps are mastered you will find you are catching more large bass consistently.
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