Sunny Day Strategy

[Wetswinger]

With these bright, warm days my usual local lake has turned off to successful trout fishing. So after a couple hours of futility I've been headed over to the weed line to fish for the abundant bluegill and large mouth bass. It's a lot of fun and I'd like to learn a little more.
All I've been using is an intermediate line with a beadhead leech using countdown techniques. I'm seeking opinions for Bass..

My questions : does topwater techniques work very well on a hot, clear day? Are there better patterns for fishing deep than leeches.? Is it worthwhile to use weed guards?

Thanks for your help as I'm a total novice to bass fishing...

 

[Stonedfish]

On bright sunny days, consider tossing your topwaters into the shaded sides of cover where you can find it like docks, boats, trees etc.
I like to let the splashdown rings settle before I begin stripping, sometimes even waiting a minute or so. Those strategies have worked well for me in the past.
SF

 

[Wetswinger]

On bright sunny days, consider tossing your topwaters into the shaded sides of cover where you can find it like docks, boats, trees etc.
I like to let the splashdown rings settle before I begin stripping, sometimes even waiting a minute or so. Those strategies have worked well for me in the past.
SF

I have the materials to tie gurglers. Would they be a reasonable choice.?

 

[Stonedfish]

I have the materials to tie gurglers. Would they be a reasonable choice.?

Those would work as would poppers, etc.
SF

 

[Squatchin]

Popper or gurgler in the shaded areas. Use a stout leader, if you aren't getting hung up occasionally you aren't in the right spot.

 

[skyriver]

Totally agree with SF and Squatchin. And after you do strip/pop, wait again. Wait until it's uncomfortable. They like to take their time.

The bonus of fishing top water or even sinking techniques along a weed line or pads or docks?- Casting practice! Lake fishing for trout doesn't require much accuracy unless you're trying for sippers. When you're tossing a popper or gurgler and want to get it right at the edge of something it really helps you get better with your accuracy. I see people really struggle to know where their fly is even going to land.
Just a couple outings and you'll be hitting targets. That 18" hole in the pads 40 feet away? You gotta try it right?

My experience is that 10 lb Maxima or 0x tippet is usually strong enough to pull from (or pull up) most lily species. Having said that, I have lost some poppers to weirdly strong pads. If the pads are heavy and mature I usually go 12 lb Maxima.

Good luck!

 

[Phil K]

That 18" hole in the pads 40 feet away? You gotta try it right?

Just curious; what happens if you hook something in that 18" opening? What if it's actually big?

 

[Wetswinger]

Just curious; what happens if you hook something in that 18" opening? What if it's actually big?

It's a battle.....I've caught 2 decent large mouths, while targeting bluegill, and they both went head first into the weeds. With steady pressure they both came up carrying a weed patch on their nose. Couldn't believe my 6# test didn't brake..exciting..

 

[skyriver]

Just curious; what happens if you hook something in that 18" opening? What if it's actually big?

Haha! Well, that's why I usually use the 8wt when popping. It's crazy how heavy a 13" bass + lily pads can be. Makes for some tough work. That's also where the 12lb Max helps.
I usually try to keep my rod high to keep the fish as high in the water as I can. I'm in my Commander at a couple of my local bass spots so tough to really keep their heads very high, but gotta try. And then strip and pull like hell.
When I'm in the boat it's definitely easier to keep their heads up.

And it's always wise to try and get as close as you can to those holes if you can. Bass in the pads are actually quite spooky. It's like those awesome tail-outs or weird V runs on steelhead rivers. I'll worry about landing after I hook it.

 

[Wetswinger]

CDA3FF7D-EE28-438D-B704-AC1D15E03572.jpeg

pnwflyfishing.com

 

[skyriver]

CDA3FF7D-EE28-438D-B704-AC1D15E03572.jpeg

pnwflyfishing.com

That's a bucket mouth!

 

[Billy]

Lot of good advice....

I catch a lot of topwater fish throwing when a lot of people don't. Including hot sunny days. Especially smallmouth. I think one of the most important keys to finding big bass is covering water.

 

[Coach Potter]

I don't have a ton of experience fishing for LM with flies, but I have quite a bit of bass fishing experience. Lots of good advice given. The thing you have to keep in mind with bass, that is very different from trout, is that you can make a bass bite even when he's not hungry or actively feeding. In the bass fishing world, they call that a reaction bite.

When they are actively feeding or in the ""mood" to bite, subtlety is the most effective. When they aren't in the mood, sometimes the most obnoxious thing is the only thing that will get you bit. It's counterintuitive for sure but it does work. Sometimes the long pause and lots of time to look is the right move. Other times, fast moving with less time to decide will trigger a reaction bite.

Bass love to feed on prey that's floundering on the surface...almost any time of the year outside of the dead of winter. My best topwater days have often mid- July in the heat of the day. Small Mouth, in particular, will come from 12-15' (depending on clarity) of water to attach a popper...sometimes a steadily moving retrieve is exactly what they want.

 

[Squatchin]

I use 16# fluorocarbon. I have had some large bass come in with 5 lbs worth of weeds with it, and rarely do I loose a fly with that. In fact I can't remember last time I did. Thats just me and where I like to fish though so experiment and find what works best for you.

Also, as water levels start to go down later in the summer, I actually will lengthen my leader to nearly double what I use in May and June. Before I was amazed by how many fish I would spook out of their homes with fly line on the water. Seeing that huge wake leaving the area where your cast landed is deflating.

 

[Billy]

I use 16# fluorocarbon. I have had some large bass come in with 5 lbs worth of weeds with it, and rarely do I loose a fly with that. In fact I can't remember last time I did. Thats just me and where I like to fish though so experiment and find what works best for you.

Also, as water levels start to go down later in the summer, I actually will lengthen my leader to nearly double what I use in May and June. Before I was amazed by how many fish I would spook out of their homes with fly line on the water. Seeing that huge wake leaving the area where your cast landed is deflating.

I use 15 pound Maxima which is like 75 pound fluoro

 

[N. Metz]

On bright sunny days, consider tossing your topwaters into the shaded sides of cover where you can find it like docks, boats, trees etc.
I like to let the splashdown rings settle before I begin stripping, sometimes even waiting a minute or so. Those strategies have worked well for me in the past.
SF

Bingo. On hot clear days they'll be stacked up in the shade.

 

[Marc Fryt]

Some of the lakes that I fish for bass have rocky drop-offs down to around 15-20ft and that stay mostly free of weeds. One crossover tactic from stillwater trout fishing that I also found effective for bass on bright, clear days is using a full sinking line (type III, V, or VII) with a large Booby Fly tied on to a short, stout leader. That rig can get near the bottom without snagging. Just cast out and run that rig parallel to the drop-off where many bass cruise around until the light levels drop.

You can also cast the rig perpendicular to the drop-off and retrieve it back to the shallows, kind of like imitating prey escaping back to a protected area.

 

[clarkman]

I use 15 pound Maxima which is like 75 pound fluoro

In both diameter and breaking strength.