Advanced Fly Fishing For Springtime Smallmouth Bass 1

There’s a lot to love about smallmouth bass. They’re widely dispersed and available, generally cooperative in eating, and bend the heck out of a fly rod. They don’t realize it, but they’re also great ambassadors of the sport. Whatever Brad Pitt and Tom Skerritt may have done to help grow the sport of fly fishing in the 1990’s, Micropterus dolomieu has certainly exceeded in the years since.

Among fly anglers, smallmouth bass have near universal appeal. Their abundance and eagerness make them an ideal teaching species – providing beginning fly fishers with ample and fun practice in making presentations, setting the hook, and fighting fish. Without question, smallmouth are a gateway drug, delivering experience, confidence, and dopamine that fuel the fly-fishing journey and kick open the doors to trout, steelhead, saltwater, and other fly-fishing pursuits. Meanwhile, their spunk and trophy potential keep the species top-of-mind with advanced fly anglers as well, if not a full-on addiction.

Such is the case with 35-year-old James Hughes, head guide for Ypsilanti, Michigan-based Schultz Outfitters. For Hughes, the bulk of his nearly 200 days a year on the water is occupied in pursuit of smallmouth bass. His season begins as early as February and ends in October when upland bird hunting – and his two English setters – command his attention.

Hughes plies a variety of bass waters throughout the spring season, which is an important asset, as key variables complicate spring fishing – so much so, that many fly anglers write off smallmouth until the complexities of spring weather and the spawn disappear totally. Unbroken time on the water and access to diverse fisheries, however, helps Hughes make the best day-to-day decisions with respect to weather, flows, water temperature, water clarity, and spawning cycles.

River flows and water temperatures are a primary consideration.

“High water gets me excited because it pushes fish into predictable lies. It can put 90% of the river’s fish into maybe 2% of the water,” Hughes says. “As long as the river can handle the load… if it gets blown out that’s a totally different story.” Hughes says chilly water can do the same thing in terms of concentrating bass. “High water… or very cold water… means focusing on slack areas and slower water. Cold and high water together gives an even narrower scope. Either condition calls for slower presentations… always moving, but slowly. I’m looking for areas and angles to fish where I can keep the fly moving at a natural cadence both horizontally and vertically. The idea is to maximize time in the strike zone on any cast. The speed of the fly on the pause is important, too, so fly weight becomes a factor in high water conditions. I’ll choose flies that deliver the most possible control… slow movement in every direction so I can keep the fly moving in the productive slack water while looking as natural as possible. It’s a universal goal in fly fishing… the longer you stay in front of the fish with a fly that looks and acts right and you increase your chances of getting bit.”

The all-important delivery system in high water goes beyond fly selection. “Intermediate lines give us the most control throughout most of the spring season,” Hughes says. “Floating lines are generally reserved for later in the year when water levels and flows are reduced, though they can play in the springtime if there’s lower, clearer, or warmer water.”

Water clarity is another key springtime variable facing bass anglers.

“Anytime I’m in clear water, I’m going to start with neutral fly colors,” Hughes shares. “Mimicking the river-bottom color can be a good starting point, but it’s nice to be able to visually track your fly. It’s easier for clients to detect strikes with a floating line because it’s a built-in strike indicator. But it takes more skill and practice with intermediate and sinking lines because bass so often eat the fly from behind and there’s that split second where it has it between strips, especially when bass are less aggressive in cold water, and then it’s gone. So, having a fly that my clients can see and then not see when a fish eats makes an enormous difference in converting strikes.”

Advanced Fly Fishing For Springtime Smallmouth Bass 2

Hughes often opts for small circus peanut or leech patterns in relatively clear water. “I like swimming flies in clear water. I’ll often start with white, but if something isn’t working don’t beat a dead horse… kick the door down and try something crazy. The fish are in charge.”

For Hughes, preferred water clarity is three-to-five-feet of visibility. “That gives anglers advantages. It’s a bigger strike window and bass are less neurotic than they are when the water is super clear,” he says. “You can fish bigger flies… I like yellow, chartreuse, hot pink… the highlighter palate in those ideal stained-water conditions. When the water gets dirtier, I prefer black, orange, or dark red, or purple,” though Hughes points out that black and purple can be highly effective in low, clear-water conditions, too.

Matching the hatch is an important mindset in most-any fly-fishing situation. Hughes says crayfish patterns are the smallmouth staple, but bug and baitfish patterns vary in different bass waters.

“Some of the rivers we fish drain directly to the Great Lakes, so we see specific baitfish migrations in the lower sections. It could be alewives, emerald shiners or something different that are there one day and gone the next but that bass are really keying in on,” he says. “Between the dams its different, though. It’s more traditional with crayfish, Hellgrammites, and smaller minnows. Key forage is vastly different river to river and float to float, but the universal factor is crayfish.”

Advanced Fly Fishing For Springtime Smallmouth Bass 3

River smallmouth bass spawn when water temperatures reach about 55 degrees. They prefer gravel areas protected from current and usually choose locations with something at their backs like a boulder, thick weed line, stump, or the bank itself. They act very differently before, during, and after the spawn – all of which happen during the springtime – so knowing where the fish are at with respect to the spawn is a key angling consideration.

“We’re still in a strict winter pattern until water temperatures hit about 45 degrees,” Hughes says. “Springtime river pre-spawn bass fishing starts getting good when your fishing day starts at 45 degrees and warms throughout the day. Here in Southern Michigan that’s like right now – mid-to-late April. This is when the fish awaken, start migrating out of their winter pools, and begin setting up for the spawn in the stretches leading in and out of those holes. These are some of the fattest, healthiest bass you’ll catch all year. You want those rising temperatures, but it’s springtime, so things bounce back and forth and you have to adapt. Cooling trends don’t totally shut you down, but you definitely need to adjust.”

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Hughes says a 9’ 8-weight is the tool of choice for delivering diverse flies on intermediate lines to springtime pre-spawn smallmouth bass. “St. Croix’s new EVOS 908-4 is the bread-and-butter in the spring,” he says. “Definitely one of the best sticks out there for what we do. You can push it as hard as you want and still collapse the loop and skip it under cover. The EVOS 907-4 comes into its own anytime we have lower flows and fish floating lines with poppers or smaller streamers. Anyone who’s casted one of these rods understands why EVOS won so many awards when it was introduced last year. The buzz is legit.”

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Spawning starts at around 55 degrees, so this is where access to diverse waters helps Hughes stay on the fat, aggressive pre-spawn fish he wants for his clients. “We choose river stretches day-to-day that offer anglers the best chance for active pre-spawn bass,” Hughes says. “It’s pretty easy to avoid concentrations of actively spawning bass because of the variety of water we have access to. We can chase pre-spawners then move to other rivers or sections and go right into the post-spawn, which is classic smallmouth fishing.”

That “classic” smallmouth fishing begins when water temperatures climb into the 60-degree range. “The fish are skinnier but eager,” Hughes says. “You still get your long, trophy bass but this is numbers time. It’s smallmouth bass being smallmouth bass, which is awesome. It’s pounding the banks with poppers, crayfish patterns, and streamers… sight fishing, too.”

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A lot of fly anglers miss some of the best smallmouth fishing of the year by waiting to pursue them until later in the spring. “Around here I think there are two reasons for that,” Hughes posits. “The smallmouth pre-spawn usually overlaps with the peak of the spring steelhead season, so some folks just don’t think about bass until May. The other part is the constantly changing conditions. Unless you’re on the water every day, it can be hard to make the constant adjustments necessary to crack the code and enjoy consistent success. I think a lot of fly anglers may try it in March or April and if they have a difficult day, they just write it off.”

Don’t write off some of the best smallmouth fishing of the year. Take heed of Hughes’ advice; be aware of and adapt to rapidly changing springtime conditions and you’ll be bagging bragging-size bronzebacks while others are cleaning out the garage and fertilizing their lawns. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Follow James Hughes via Schultz Outfitters on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Book a trip HERE.

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