Smallmouth Bass Streams Fly Fishing Report - January 14, 2021

Smallmouth Bass Streams Fly Fishing Report - January 14, 2021

At this time of year you will not see many people on the river fishing for bass because it is tough as the bass are not feeding as well as they did in the summer. The water is colder and their metabolism has slowed.  By floating you will be able to get to some of the deeper pockets that the fish are holding in.  

The popularity of the two and three fly tandem rigs for smallmouth bass has been slow. I believe many anglers have trouble with the leader and the flies becoming twisted when casting. 

When using a conventional cast as one would use when casting a popping bug for bass or a small dry fly for trout, a twisted leader is almost assured. This is because the plane of the back cast and the plane of the forward presentation cast can be so close together as they flow parallel to each other they can easily get fouled. 

An easy way to prevent this problem is to tip the rod to the side when making the back cast and using a little extra power. Then when making your presentation cast bring the rod up to vertical and make a smooth forward cast.  Excellent nymphs to use here are the Murray's Olive Road Kill Nymph size 8 and Murray's Heavy Black Hellgrammite size 4.

River Conditions Update for January 14, 2021---The North Fork of the Shenandoah River is clear and fishable. The South Fork of the Shenandoah River is full but fishable especially by floating.

Back to blog