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Smallmouth Modern Fly Fishing Methods, Tactics, and Techniques

Smallmouth bass swim in more streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs than any other gamefish, and exceptional, world-class fishing opportunities for them are found across the country, from the John Day River in Oregon to the Great Lakes, to Maine’s Penobscot. While numerous books have been written on smallmouth, this is the first book to cover the cutting-edge techniques and fly patterns being used by some of the country’s top fly fishing guides. Though most of these flies and techniques have been developed and refined in the rivers and lakes of the Midwest (a hotbed of smallmouth fly fishing) anglers can adapt them for their waters.

  • Cutting edge fly patterns for smallmouth, including full color plates and recipes, as well as new techniques for fishing these patterns
  • A “tips” section from various guides, both old school and new, including Luke Kavajecz, Kyle Zempel, Austin Adduci, Kip Vieth, and Bart Landwehr
  • Covers smallmouth bass essentials including biology, behavior, and where to find trophy bass
  • Interviews with Mike Schultz, Lefty Kreh, Chuck Kraft, and Larry Dahlberg

 

Lefty Kreh Testimonial-

My favorite of all freshwater river spaces is the smallmouth bass. It was the first fish I caught on fly in the late 1940s and was hooked better than the bass. It has been an endless search for almost 70 years traveling wherever I can find them. The authors of this book know the game and produced for me the best surface action I can remember with smallmouths. They love fly-fishing for smallmouths as I do and are experts at the technical game. They are fun in the boat and willingly share all their knowledge, making enjoyable every day on the river. No one could complain about the quality of the smallmouths they locate for you. I promise, read this book you should become a better smallmouth bass fisherman.

 

Lefty Kreh

 

-Tom Davis, longtime contributor to many outdoor publications including Gray’s Sporting Journal, Field & Stream, Sporting Classics, and the flyfishing e-zine Hatch.

My only hard-and-fast rule when I fish smallmouth with the authors of this book is that I have to wait until 11:00 a.m. before cracking my first Tecate. (Of course, if I land a decent bass before then, all bets are off.) I’ve fished with these guys for years and if they’re not the best in the business I don’t know who is. They wear their expertise lightly, though-a blessing in this age when too much information is the new normal. They’re also funny as hell, which makes a day in their boats unfailingly enjoyable even when the fishing’s tough. So in addition to learning a ton about tackle, tactics, and techniques for catching one of the finest gamefish on the planet you can expect to be entertained reading this book, too. I’ll just offer one piece of friendly advice: That stuff about the flying ant hatch is a bunch of hooey. You’re as likely to see a unicorn at the Kentucky Derby.

 

Tom Davis

 
Kevin Mcbride 29-04-2021 19:11

Best book on the topic for sure!


Owen Williams 23-09-2020 11:44

I am loving the detailed tactics, funny anecdotes, gorgeous photography, and great writing in this amazing book. I highly recommend it for smallmouth fly anglers like me hoping to take their game to the next level. While it is written by a syndicate of very experienced guides in the upper Midwest, these techniques translate well to our fisheries here in the mid-Atlantic.

One thing that struck me is that the writers are still regularly surprised by our favorite North American gamefish even after all their cumulative years on the water. The bronzeback certainly works hard to keep us humble.


Michael Roghman 08-02-2019 02:43

Thank you guys for this fantastic book on smallmouth! By far the best work done to date on the topic.


5 stars based on 3 reviews