Drifting and slow-stripping streamers and crayfish patterns produced only four 9 to 10-inch smallmouths and a few green sunfish from a favorite section of a nearby river. As the sun slipped behind the forested ridge I approached a tributary that created a small plunge pool as its rushing water entered the river’s flow. I switched flies to our Wilson’s Jointed Hellgrammite. The first cast sank into the swirling pool and wiggled only a couple of feet before the throb of a strong fish put a bend in my 5 weight. The next action-filled minutes brought three more smallies of 13 to 15 inches to hand. During periods of low light, it is my “go-to” fly in swift water for smallmouth bass.
Time For Smallies And Ugly Bugs
