Making it All Worth it.

After sitting at the vise for longer than I'd like to admit, I finally got out to test some of the new creations, and fish some old standbys. Brian, Andy, and I hit the river last Sunday to try our hand at some winter smallmouth. Winter conditions can be a bit tricky with a fly, so we took a spinning rod or two just in case. We ended up getting fish on both flies and tube jigs, everything needed to be super super slow and the takes were extremely subtle. Even though the takes were soft, as soon as they were hooked they still pulled like crazy in 44 degree water. Smallmouth fishing, in any condition is and always will be my favorite!

From the Vise - Smallmouth

Thinking about smallmouth more and more this winter. The crew and I are headed out this Sunday, to try to dredge some up with the 63 degree weather. It seems the more I think about trout fishing in the winter the more I miss flip flops and board shorts fishing for smallies. So below are a few flies I have been messing around with this winter, as well as a few standbys that needed some replenishing. Many of these flies have been in my box for a long while now, but some are newer and very noteworthy. One is Pat Cohen's Jiggy Craw, this fly is awesome for early season jigging and slow crawling on the bottom, lots of movement, and a a great profile. The Roamer, which is an awesome baitfish pattern to toss at some pre spawn fish. The Freeze Dried Sculpin (New) which is going to be an awesome all season bug to crawl low and slow in the deeper water. Lastly, the Orange Belly River Crawler, this one took a hiatus from the box last year, but has always been a staple in my warm water boxes.

Late September Early October

We finally got some water! That really got the fish moving, they are starting to school up for the winter, but that doesn't mean they won't eat a fly. We had some killer days towards the end of the month despite the low and clear water. A few trips had to be postponed from all the rain, but we were ok with that. It meant the fish would be back on the banks and some of the grass was kicked off the bottom. We have a few more trips this month, so we are hoping the weather stays a bit on the warm side.

Featured Fly - El Crawcito Variation

I can not take credit for any of this fly. It was designed buy the guys over at Fly Fish Food. It has become a staple in my fly box this year. I would say it is the best crayfish pattern out there today. I did a couple very minor variations of materials to make it better fish our water, but if it isn't broke, don't fix it. I just love this pattern. Hope you all enjoy!

Materials:Hook: Partridge Universal Predator sz. 1
Eyes: Presentation Eyes - Med - Black
Thread: 6/0 UNI Thread - Olive
Antena: Barred Sili Legs - Nymph - Pumpkin
Flash: Senyos Predator Wrap
Hot Spot: EP Tarantula Brush - Orange
Claws: Barred Rabbit Zonkers - Olive
Eyes:  Mono Eyes - Black
Collar: Palmer Chenille - Med - Brown
Body: Arizona Semi Seal - Olive or Brown
Legs: Barred Sili Legs - Olive or Brown

Step 1: Tie in your lead eyes, leaving a small gap between the hook eye and lead eyes.

Step 2: Angle the hook downward in the vice and make a thread base.

Step 3: Tie in nymph size rubber legs.

Step 4: Tie in a small clump of Senyos Predator wrap.

Step 5: Tie in EP Tarantula Brush, wrap it 3 times. 

Step 6: Tie in a small piece of rabbit zonker on each side of the hook.

Step 7: Bend the mono Eyes and tie in right in front of the rabbit.

Step 8: Make 3 wraps of palmer chenille. 

Step 9: Make a dubbing loop with the semi seal and wrap it forward leaving a small space behind the eyes. 

Step 10: Tie in 8 rubber legs they should be just barely touching the hook point.

Step 11: Make another dubbing loop and finish off the fly.

Step 12: Brush out the dubbing and whip finish. 

Finished Fly

The El Crawcito Variation - a great smallmouth bass fly!