fly roddin'

[zim]

Anyone else targeting linesides with flies? I just picked up a few new fly rods and was fortunate enough to land a 15" my first time out this year.
I'd appreciate any suggestions for fly patterns that work on MD waters. Anxious for the topwater bite to become consistent this year.

[bigjim5589]

Flies did you say? 

I've been chasing the bass in MD, and occasionally a few other states for over 40 years with flies. There's plenty of patterns that work, but I'm very partial to some older ones, like Deceivers & Seaducers, and of course poppers! 

What part of AACO are you in? I'm in Arnold, near the college. 

[Nickk]

I do some fly fishing but only for trout now.  I used to target smallies by fly quite a bit, I did best with Clouser's Deep Minnows and bead headed wooly buggers.  By linesides do you mean largemouth or stripers?

[bigjim5589]

Nickk, here in MD, there are plenty of places, both freshwater & tidal, you can target both in the same waters & with the same flies. Doesn't always work out that way, but sometimes it does! 

[Reservoir Runner]

 I just picked up a flyrod outfit in the spring at BPS that I intend on using for bass. It is an 8' WF rod with a single action reel and # 8 flyline. I also purchased some Clouser Deep minnow flies and a couple of poppers to fish with. I am gonna try the local reservoirs and the Upper Potomac. 

[bigjim5589]

RR, I've never done much fishing in the reservoirs with flies, but did fish the upper Potomac quite a bit at one time. There's a section near Shepardstown WV that's fairly easily waded, and was a lot of Smallmouths up there. They weren't usually big, but on a decent day is was not hard to catch 100 fish. Sometimes a bigger bass would show up, so it was well worth spending a day up there. Plus, there was some decent size Bluegills & Rock Bass in there as well.

If you're just starting with a fly rod, be careful casting those Clouser's, I know several people who have damaged expensive rods because they hit them with the eyes on those flies. Awesome flies for anything that swims, but they can ruin a rod real quick!

[zim]

Bigjim I'm in the northern part of the county, wife makes me tell people Ferndale cause she was raised a Linthicum snob (technically it's Glen Burnie but don't tell her i said that)

Nickk- linesides=largemouth, not that I'd mind a striper or 2 at the end of the line

RR- I don't know how far North you plan to go but I'll probably be beating the water to a froth between Brunswick and Point of Rocks (look for the cedar strip canoe)

While I was snowed in I tried my hand at a few deer hair bugs and mice, mickey fins and larger streamers that don't resemble anything I've seen. My eyesight isn't what it used to be so the smaller stuff will probably be store bought 'til I can afford a Hubble scope at the bench.

I'm fond of taking liquid lunches at any water I can find which means you may see me fishing drainage ponds during the week. There's a couple of industrial parks near the airport that have stocked ponds so I always have somewhere to stop on the way home from work.

[bigjim5589]

Zim, you & I are the same age! My eye sight isn't what it used to be either! 

My wife is from Glen Burnie, and I grew up in the Severna Park area. I've been living in Arnold for the past 31 years.

As I said, I'm very partial to Deceivers & Seaducers. All white, all black, chartreuse & white for both, plus olive & white, and gray & white Deceivers. These will cover most any baitfish in MD waters. For topwater, sliders & poppers, and I usually stick with white, black or chartreuse, and combinations of these. I like deerhair bugs too, but don't fish them all that often. I do use the Clouser Minnows a lot as well, can't leave home without them! 

I also like the various rabbit strip flies, Smallmouths, LMB & Stripers will eat them as well. Black & olive have been my best producers.

I've been tying for a long time, and I've got a ton of flies in many sizes & colors. I love to experiment! However, over the many years I've fly fished, I have found that white, black or chartreuse works most of the time for anything that swims in MD waters.

If you fish the Patapsco River any, a #2 or #4 Clouser Minnow tied with ostrich herl is a killer on Smallmouths there. I use black a lot there, but other dark colors work too.  I add a few strands of copper, or bronze flashabou in them, and they make a great leech! I've caught several large rainbows in there on them too! 

[GRAYDOG]

                HEY BIG JIM ,
YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT THE CLOUSER MINNOW HITTING RODS. IT WILL ALSO DO A JOB ON THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD AND EARS. I'D TRY A BUNNY STRIP FOR STRIPERS.THE CLOUSER CATCHES MOST ANYTHING. THERE'S A CLOUSER FLY CALLED THE PURPLE DARTER THATS GREAT FOR SMALLMOUTH AND PANFISH. IV'E CAUGHT STRIPERS ON TARPON FLIES ALSO ( BLACK DEATH PATTERN ). TRY SOME BOB POPOVICH'S SALTWATER FLIES ( SURF CANDY ) GOOD LUCK WITH THE LONG ROD. ( ANYBODY CAN CATCH EM ON A BAITCASTER ).

                                   GRAYDOG

[jkernsjr]

hello guys, I live in Baltimore what part of the patatsco river do you fish for smallies

[bigjim5589]

Hey, Graydog, I've been fortunate enough to have never done either! 
Funny you mention Tarpon flies, I used them a lot when I was a kid. They were one of the first types of flies I learned to tie, and some of the first I used for bass. I still tie & use them for bass occasionally, but not as much as other flies. I've used the Black Death pattern and several others, particularly Cockroach's in different colors.

I've actually been thinking about tying some up on some straight shank work Gamakatsu hooks I have. 

jkernsjr, about anywhere in Patapsco State Park, upstream of US Rt 1 you can find Smallmouths. They're not real big in there, but on a lighter weight fly rod (6 or lower) they're a lot of fun. I've heard that they're caught below Rt 1 too, but have never fished that section just below there. I have fished further down river near where I 895 crosses in the tidal section, but never caught Smallmouths that far down. If you visit the park, try the section above I-70, or off of Marriottsville Rd.  Google Maps should show you how to get there if you don't know your way around. 

[GRAYDOG]

             HEY BIGJIM,
         YEAH, THOSE TARPON FLIES ARE FUN TO TIE. SMALLMOUTH ARE SO MUCH FUN TO CATCH ON A 6#. THE SHAD SEASON IS OVER NOW, BUT YOU NEED TO TRY SHAD FISHING ON A LIGHT ROD. I USE A 5/6 WEIGHT. THEY ARE GREAT JUMPERS, A POOR MAN'S TARPON. GOOD LUCK WITH THE SMALLIES AND STRIPERS. NICE TO TALK FLY TALK ON HERE.

                              GRAYDOG

[bigjim5589]

Graydog, Smallies are my favorite freshwater fish! I've caught many of them over the years on a 6 wt, even with bigger sized flies!

I have also caught shad on flies, but not for several years. Each year I plan to go after them, but seems like something always comes up, and they're gone before I get the opportunity. I even developed a couple of shad flies of my own, one of which I happened to find listed on a fly club website one time as "the" fly to use! That was neat! 

When I was younger, and had more time to fish, I spent a lot of time up on the Suskie, fishing from shore & wading. I've fished both sides in the main river, and I fished a lot at Rock Run & the mouth of Deer Creek. For a long time the only fly rod I had was a 6 wt, so that's what I used, and have caught a lot of different species up there on it!

Yeah, I enjoy fly fishing the most of any type tackle, and it doesn't get discussed enough on here! 

[skeeter90]

Grab some poppers and go to a pond. Its so much fun. Just go right before dark.

[zim]

Shad!!
I haven't fished for them since i was knee high to a grasshopper. They're definitely on my list for next years run, just have to decide if I want Patuxent, Patapsco or Susquehanna runs.
New adventures- launched a Kayak this week in a pond on 301. Next trip I try the fly rod from a seated position now that I think its stable enough.