This spring has been anything but normal. Constant rains have eliminated river forays for smallmouth and white bass. Even ponds can’t be approached in a vehicle. Finally, I loaded my float tube and gear for a drive to a public waterfowl area that has many ponds in addition to large backwater lakes. My favorite pond has stumps and deadfalls that hosts a sizeable population of largemouth bass. Despite the possibility of catching bass on the surface, I chose a 7-wt. outfit with a slow-sinking intermediate line and cast size-4 weedless streamers into the wood tangles. By allowing the fly to settle to the bottom near the submerged branches I was able to impart action by removing slack line and lifting the rod tip about 6 inches, then lowering the rod tip and stripping to remove slack. This “lift, drop, strip” retrieve causes the streamer to mimic a wounded baitfish. My first hookup was a large bass that bulldogged its way into heavy cover, tied knots around a substantial limb that would make a boy scout proud, and broke off. After an extended pout, I rigged up again and fished along the edges of the other woodpiles. Ten bass were eventually brought to hand but nothing that compared to the first big bucketmouth.
Rain, Rain, And More Rain
