Brian fishes smallmouth with Jeff Trigg of Ozark Sweetwater Guides.
Check out Jeff’s site: www.ozarksweetwater.com

The deer hair master, Pat Cohen, ties a Fat Head Deceiver.
Visit Pat’s website at http://rusuperfly.com/

Well, another trip up to Grayling in Northern Michigan is in the books. This trip will definitely be one to remember because I couldn’t have asked for better fishing. Although, there was a really big one that got away, but I’ll explain that in a bit.

We stayed at a nice place right on the Au Sable River, which supplied nice wade fishing. I went out right away and caught a handful of brookies. The largest being about 9 inches long. Which is not too bad in this stream. What was great about this stretch, was that my son was enticed enough to ask me to take him fly fishing for the first time. He had used a Zebco type setup in the past, when he was around 7, but hasn’t fished in a couple of years. He is now 12. To my surprise, he came out and asked me to teach him how to fly fish. So I tied on a bright foam Chernobyl dry fly and taught him how to dry fly fish. He was moving down the stream and casting really well. We were able to land him a little brookie and he loved it! This was a fabulous part of the trip and another experience that made this trip memorable.

One day, I met up with Brian Kozminski of True North Trout, for an evening float. Brian’s truck was in the shop because of a collision with a deer, so one of Brian’s other guides, Randy Monchilov, brought his Adipose drift boat for us to use. All three of us went out and had a nice evening of fishing, catching many brookies and browns. I have to say, the Adipose boat is a dream to float in. It has great stability and I like the low side walls. One other item to mention, is that Brian had the Temple Fork Outfitters Axiom II fly rod with him, so I was able to cast this and get the feel for the rod. I loved it! I like the backbone this rod has. If you are familiar with TFO rods, it was like a BVK but with more backbone.
Brian and Randy are nice guys and know their stuff. If you are looking for a guide up in Northern Michigan or you want to use some TFO fly rods or float in an Adipose boat, contact True North Trout. They will no doubt get you into some fish!

In between fishing, I made some other stops into some fly shops, like Gates Au Sable Lodge & Fly Shop, Ron’s Fly Shop, and even drove over to Traverse City and visited The Northern Angler.

I went out on a couple of other special fly fishing excursions, with my good friend, Chris Lessway. First, we spent an entire day and evening fishing for smallmouth bass. We floated in Chris’s older, but still quite capable, Hyde drift boat. I shared time on the sticks, so Chris could fish as well. I want to thank Chris for putting up with my rowing. Even though I’m getting better in this area, I am still learning to keep the boat in the fishing zone. It takes time.

We were catching fish right off the bat using my Thunder Mutt streamer. As we fished throughout the day, we learned that the smallies were a little finicky on that day. They were always hitting on the pause. It helped that we were able to see them most of the time. So I would pause it for even longer and wait until they hit, to try and set the hook. We switched up and went through many flies, trying to find a fly they might like better. But in the end, it was the Thunder Mutt which I had in a Chartreuse/Olive and a white streamer that worked the best.

However, things changed when the evening came. Since the sun was going down, we decided to start throwing poppers. Besides morning, this is the best time to do this. We were also on a different stretch of river. The pause didn’t change in this regard either. I was getting most of my fish by doing a pop, a twitch, and then letting it sit. Then BAM!

So this brings me to the fish I mentioned in the beginning. I did a pop, twitch, and then let it sit. I saw this smallie coming up from the side and munch down on the popper. I set the hook and it felt like a nice fish, but I didn’t realize how nice. Then it started pulling line out and then it took its first jump and Chris and I at the same time, said, “Holy Crap!” This thing was a monster. I have never seen a smallie this big. It proceded to take 4 more jumps and I continued to fight it and give it line when needed. After the 5th jump, it pulled a bit and the line came loose. The thing you never want to happen, happened. The biggest smallie I had ever seen, broke the line and was gone. It was gut wrenching. Chris and I talked about that fish the rest of the week and I stil think about it. What a fish…

Then Chris said, “We will get another one.” So we continued on downstream and I continued to throw a Rainy’s popper that I had tied. Chris was right, we did get another good one. Granted, it was not near as big as the one we lost, but it was a really nice fish! This time, I was able to land it after a great fight.

Chris netted it for me and it was in the boat. This is the smallie that is pictured. I was extremely happy to get that fish. Needless to say, it was a fantastic day of smallie fishing.

The final time I went out with Chris, was a quick morning float, we did early one morning. This time we were after some trout. It was an overcast morning with slight sprinkles of rain at first, but that tapered off to be just a cloudy morning. We tried some streamers at first, but with no luck, we switched back to dry flies. Terrestrials seemed to be what was on the menu, so I stuck with that, catching some brookies and a nice little brown trout. As we made out way downstream, I kept casting to various spots, and then it happened. My personal best, brown trout, sipped in my dry fly and doubled my 7 weight rod over. Of course, after losing that monster smallmouth, Chris and I were on the edge of our seats, as I tried working this brown trout to the boat. Chris was calling out logs that the fish was trying to run under and I would guide it away from. Finally, I worked him to the side of the boat while Chris had the net ready and I was able to guide him in. The largest brown I had ever hooked, was landed!


Chris Lessway guides for the North Branch Outing Club, located in a small area called Lovells, right outside Grayling, Michigan. The NBOC provides lodging, a guide service, and a fly shop right on the Au Sable River. Chris is the head guide there. So, if you are looking for a terrific guide, give Chris a call at the North Branch Outing Club.

So this ended an awesome trip up to Northern Michigan. I want to apologize for not having the time to meet up with Jeff Marsh of High on the Fly and Michael Williams of Green Bus Designs. I had to cancel, but will definitely meet up with these two the next time for some fly fishing action!

Thank you for reading FrankenFly!

From Piscator Flies:
“The Murdich Minnow was designed by Bill Murdich who also developed the Murdich Wrigger. Both are great fly patterns for warm water species like smallmouth and largemouth bass. The fly was originally tied for fishing in saltwater for Striped Bass but has crossed over into warm and cold water fishing. Use an appropriate hook for the target species and color the fly so that you mimic that target’s food items.”

Materials list:

Hook: Gamakatsu DV314
Thread: White 6/0 (140 d)
Tail: Bucktail
Flash: Pearl & Silver Flashabou
Collar: Ice Dubbing UV pearl
Body: Pearl Estaz
Hackle: UV Pearl Polar Chenille
Eyes: 7.0mm Living Eyes Wind

Jay Zimmerman has released a new book called The Best Bass Flies.

Jay actually contacted me about content for this book and I was hoping mention of the Bucket Mouth League would have made it into the book, but it doesn’t appear that it did.

Anyway, I know Jay is into Largemouth Bass fishing as much as I am and I think it’s awesome that he wrote a book on it. He did a great job on his last book, The Best Carp Flies, so I expect this one to be even better.

Here is what Jay had to say about this book.
“Crazy amount of time and work and attention to the smallest detail came down to holding my breath and opening the box from the publisher…. This book nearly broke me. I am very satisfied with the outcome and hope anyone who ends up with a copy in their possession finds it entertaining, informative…or it at least spurs some new creative endeavor either at the vise or at the keyboard. Enjoy.”

Here is the description:
“Bass fishing (largemouth, primarily) is growing in popularity around the country; it is growing really fast in western states such as Colorado, Idaho, and Nebraska due to the accessibility (public water nearby), crowding of trout streams, and new cadre of anglers that prefer alternatives to trout. Jay Zimmerman features 18 cutting-edge patterns from around the country for largemouth and smallmouth bass, explains how to fish them, and has detailed tying steps. Because of how widespread bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted) are, this book should appeal to anglers around the country.”

So definitely check out Jay’s new book, I think you will thoroughly enjoy it, especially if you are into bass fishing on the fly.

From Tim:
“This video features a legend of fly tying, Mr. Joe Messinger. I had the honor of recording Joe tie one of his father’s patterns, the Irresistible. In Part 1, Joe ties the fly and we talk a little about the qualities that make the fish find it…Irresistible! Check back for Part 2, in which I interview Joe and we learn lots more.”

From Tim:
“This video features a legend of fly tying, Mr. Joe Messinger. In Part 2, Joe talks about his early fly tying influences, plus some of his father’s notable patterns.”

Kyle Zempel from Black Earth Angling Company visited Tight Lines Fly Fishing Company in Wisconsin and tied the Wisco Cisco. Check it out!

Fishing the Slow Jig Clouser is the video below.

From Gunnar:
“The Slow Jig Clouser is simply that – a light weight, BULKhead over Lead Eyes, jigging streamer designed for Wade Fishing and Floating Line presentations. Because of the supple weight, the fly slips under quickly and can be animated erratically, while fluttering and dropping slowly on the pause. Can be fished on a 5wt and up, recommend fished with a 7ft leader of 20lb and 12lb split evenly and finished with a non-slip loop knot for extra freedom at the hook eye. AND yes, the hook is designed to ride hook point down – which is my preference – as the light weight nature of the fly is intended to keep it higher in the water column….not dredged or jigged near the bottom.”

From Gunnar:
“In this video, I hike into a Northern Minnesota Smallmouth Stream to showcase a few new ties: the Slow Jig Clouser and Firefly 2.0, while giving you guys 3 simple tips to make your next wade fishing trip more productive, and put more fish in the net. “

Great looking Damsel fly tied here by Mak.

From The Weekly Fly:
“Livingston tier and guide Doug McKnight hails originally from Pensylvania, but now lives in Livingston, MT. He is currently a fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants and also creates beautiful display flies in custom shadow boxes.

If you would like to learn more about Doug’s custom work you can reach him at dougmfish406@gmail.com or by calling him at George Anderson’s Yellowstone Angler at (406) 222-7130.”

Materials list:

Hook: Bass bug hook, or standard saltwater hook.
Thread: Flat waxed nylon white
Tail: 3 or four pairs of wide webby Rooster neck hackle, white, brown, yellow dyed grizzly, crystal flash
Head/Body: Deer belly Hair white; Deer body hair, brown, Black
Legs: 3 or 4 medium round rubber legs yellow
Eyes: Medium doll eyes
Weedguard: 20# hard mono
Additional notes: coat front of popper with a flexible adhesive like clear Silicone, it makes the popper make more noise and “pop” better.

Jake Vanderweyden shows us how to tie a Tripled Up Baitfish. It can be used on a variety of species and it definitely looks like a fish catcher. So check it out!

Erik Svendsen just recently posted this fly tying video showing how to tie this super slick frog pattern. With a little searching I believe that Doug Swisher was the designer of this fly pattern. Erik does a great job of explaining how to tie this pattern and has used it with great success. Enjoy!
-Paul

From Erik:
“For the how simple this pattern is it should be a staple in anyones box for top water action in the summer months.

I’ve fished it a couple bass trips over the last few years, but man does the cutters that Tony Tomsu designed with River road Creations make it stupid easy. There are a couple You Tube videos showing off the awesomeness of River Road Creations frog foam cutters, and on their Website it has a step by stop by Tony and also shows Curtis Fry doing an awesome Tube version of this fly.

For this fly, you will need the foam cutters that can be purchased here: https://www.jsflyfishing.com/river-road-stp-frog-foam-body-cutter

And if you want the pre dotted frog foam, you can purchase it here: https://www.jsflyfishing.com/river-road-frog-foam

The Cutter although expensive for the set, dramatically saves time at the vise and makes a more uniform frog pattern especially when matching up two different colors onto the shank of the hook. Tie some up and fish in your favorite colors of foam and legs. As mentioned I don’t usually put eyes on, but it adds to the realism for the fisherman and I do see how maybe these rattle eyes could be of benefit, but I usually lose them and end up fishing with out. ”

The Recipe:
Hook: #Ahrexhooks TP610 #2
Thread: #Semperfliflytying Floro Waxed thread 8/0
Weed Guard: 30 lb Mono
Foam: 2mm foam in two colors
Legs: 1 Tab of rubber legs
Eyes: Not necessary, but craft store rattle eyes

This is a fly tying video from Flymen Fishing Company and done by Brian Wise. Check it out. Cool frog!
Not to toot my own horn, but if you don’t want to go to the trouble of tying this type of frog, check out my FrankenFrog if you are looking for a frog pattern that will fish extremely well. Click on the FrankenTrout in the upper right.
-Paul

From Flymen Fishing Company:
The target species for the Japeto Frog is bass (smallmouth, largemouth, spotted), but pike, musky, and even snakeheads are targetable with this fly as well.

When fishing the Japeto Frog, cast to lily pads, moss, grass, weeds, or any structure close to the bank. Typically, fishing a frog pattern is noticeably faster than other topwater patterns, but observe and let the fish tell you the speed you should be moving with.

Materials list:
Rear Legs: Fish-Skull Articulated Fish-Spines
Foam Feet: Sili-Legs
Hook: Kona Big Popper Hook, 2/0
Body: Craft Foam
Head: Surface Seducer Double Barrel Popper & Slider Body, large, green chartreuse
Eyes: Surface Seducer Dragon Eyes, Tropic, 6mm
Front Legs: Sili-Legs

You can follow Ken Capsey on Instagram @pike_picker. (https://www.instagram.com/pike_picker/)

In this video, Brian Flechsig and Josh McQueen of Mad River Outfitters fly fish for smallmouth bass in Central Ohio.
More information about our Ohio Fly Fishing Guide Services: https://www.madriveroutfitters.com/s-2-fly-fishing-guide-services.aspx

From Holzinger’s Fly Shop:
“In today’s video I show you and easy way to tie a crayfish pattern. This pattern comes to life when you put it in the water. To prove that, I took the fly and headed to the pool to show you. You will see some underwater footage of the fly in this video. I can’t stress enough to get out and go for smallmouths with your fly rods in the summer time. Your really missing out if you don’t. Thanks for watching all my videos and please head over to our website https://www.holsingersflyshop.com”

Materials list:

Firehole 523 Size 4
5.5mm Slotted Tungsten Bead Copper
Brown 140 Denier Thread
Brown Flex Floss
Micro Pine Squirrel Zonkers
(Natural Pine, Crawdad Orange)
Sili Legs
(Orange, Pumpkin)

Shawn Holsinger has been doing some nice fly tying videos, so here is another one by him. This time a Gurgler Frog, which is pretty sweet.

From Shawn:
“The Gurgler Frog is a bass fly made for catching farm pond Largemouths or river Smallmouth. It’s a fun pattern to tie but does take a little practice to get the legs right but it’s not really as difficult as you may think. Check Walmart or your local craft store for the foam and find a thicker foam than you usually find in the paper sized sheets. Have fun tying this and if you need any of the other materials to tie this fly head over to our shop for all your needs. https://www.holsingersflyshop.com

Materials list:

Firehole 811 Size 6
130 UTC Gel Spun Thread
Flashabou Pearl
Bucktail Chartreuse
Bucktail Olive
Estaz Pearl Sili Legs Olive
Thick Foam

Bob Clouser

Bob Clouser has been re-releasing some of his articles from the past on his blog. Here is a terrific article on fall smallmouth bass!

“Smallmouth bass during the start of the fall season can be found in the same areas they were located all summer but as the water temperatures fall below 50 degrees they look for deeper water. Usually during the month of September cold fronts start moving into the area and can cause a change in movement and feeding activity of the bass. Cold fronts affect Smallmouth and they usually slow down their feeding times.”

Head over to Bob’s blog to read the entire article.

Gig Harbor Fly Shop located in Washington is known primarily as a salmon/steelhead style fly shop. This is why Blake mentions in the beginning he is tying for bass. Of course, we have no problem with that around here! But Blake does a nice job of showing how to tie this pattern, so check it out.

Materials list:
Ahrex Trout Predator TP650 Hook
Lead Eyes
Bucktail
UV Estaz (size 2) or Life Flex (size 2/0)
Crusher Legs

Pat Cohen has just released a new book called Super Bass Flies. The book includes 41 step-by-steps of Pat’s fly patterns. The book is divided into the following sections.

• Topwater mice, frogs, birds, floating minnows, dragonflies, damsel flies, and hoppers
• Mid-column flies, including Spaghetti Cat, Fleeing Bucktail, and Manbearpig
• Bottom-dweller flies, including Shaggin’ Dragon, Mud Puppet, and Sulking Sculpin
• Techniques for fishing each type of fly

Besides his patterns, Pat gives in-depth information on fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass. He has also included many bass fly patterns by other prominent tyers. The design of these are not only provided, but how the tyers recommend fishing these flies as well.

I am honored to have been included in Pat’s book. The three flies from me are the Death Ray, Bluegill Belly Bean, and Thunder Mutt.

Keep in mind, this is not a small book, it is a large, thick book which includes a ton of information. If you are looking for a good resource on fly fishing for bass, I would highly recommend this book. Pat is now offering these on his website and has offered to sign each one if purchased from him. You can also purchase the book on Amazon.

-Paul

I’ve been watching Wild Fly videos for awhile now and they definitely have some cool content. This is a very good video if you are wanting to get into smallmouth bass fly fishing. I use many of these techniques myself and agree with the tips. So check out!
-Paul

You can visit Blue Line Flies at this link: https://www.bluelineflies.com/