Top 5 Flies for Lake Pend Oreille Smallmouth
Most of our rivers in northern Idaho at this time are blown out with no sign of relenting any time soon. The Clark Fork (Idaho side) alone is running at 107,000 cubic feet per second with maybe six inches of clarity. I see this as a flashing red sign with sirens and bold print screaming, “FISH FOR SMALLMOUTH”. Not only is spring the time of year when fisherman catch 20 lb. bags, but it also isn’t uncommon to land 15-20 bass in a couple of hours. I’ll happily fish for smallies while I wait for the rivers to come down.
In order to successfully chase bronze backs, you will need a selection of proven flies. Over the years, I have compiled these top five smallmouth flies for Lake Pend Oreille smallmouth. Not every one of these flies will work every day, but very rarely do I find a day where the bass won’t eat at least one.
Rich’s Ultimate Worm
Everyone who has fished for bass before, largemouth or smallmouth, know that bass eat worms. There is something about that light wiggle and juicy look, a hungry bass cannot turn down. Fish this fly off the bottom, or slowly suspend it over tall weeds, bass will come out of the thickest brush pile to eat it. The hook is a Texas-style worm hook with the point of the hook embedded in the chenille, making this fly virtually weedless. The fly wiggles like a wacky waving inflatable tube man, driving bass mad.
RJ’s Jiggy Worm
If there were ever a fly beauty contest, the Jiggy Worm would take the cake. Is it a crawdad? A baitfish? A worm? No one knows the answer but the bass. Tied similarly to a conventional bass flipping jig, this is a finesse fly fisherman’s dream come true. Bounce it off the bottom or strip it in. It doesn’t matter, they both work. This fly best fishes with floating line in shallow water with a 9 or 10 ft. leader.
Creek Crawler
Certain times of the year, a crawdad pattern can be all you will ever need to slay smallies. Smallmouth key in on crawdads like a chubby kid keys in on chocolate cake. It is a hefty piece of meat most bass can’t pass up. The best method I have found to fish crawdad patterns with a fly rod is to use floating line with a 5-10 ft. slow sinking sink tip. You will need to allow the crawdad to sink to the bottom, then slowly work it along the rocks. If you can keep the craw crawling along the rocks, you’re in good shape.
Hud’s Bushwacker
I have accidentally thrown this fly on top of docks dozens of times, and I still have yet to snag up and face an angry dock owner. Tied on a wide gap worm hook, this fly has a perfect baitfish profile. Also, with the hook riding up, bass are always hooked on the top of the mouth. The Bushwacker comes in several different colors and should be fished on every bass excursion. Truly a textbook fly to fish when bass are anywhere between 2-15 ft. and smashing baitfish.
Clouser
Created by Bob Clouser in 1987, this 31-year-old fly was named “Clouser” by none other than Lefty Kreh himself. If a fly is still relevant in fly fishing 30 years later, it is safe to say it catches fish. This is the fly I tie on first every time I hit LPO to chase bronze backs. More often than not, I have no reason to tie on a different one. I fish this fly aggressively (fast strips) with fast sinking line in 4-20 ft. Chartreuse is my favorite color, but you can tie it in every color under the rainbow, they all work.