LM Bass Candy – The Orange and Yellow Spook Diver

It’s time to be on the water getting after the largemouth bass.

The last couple of weeks Maggie and I have found bass hanging along the edges of shallow water weedbeds and along banks where trees and tree limbs have fallen into the water, especially in coves which are protected from winds. Bass feed heavily during the approach of a cold front , then shut down when the front actually arrives. The rule of  thumb at our house is, “when the barometer is falling, head for the lake and start casting surface and diving lures towards shallow-water cover.” Oh yeah, one more thing ….  Hang on to your rod….tight!
 

One of the flies that has produced well for us is the Orange and Yellow Spook Diver. It is easy to tie, casts well and produces strikes. We cast “the Spook” parallel to and as close as we can to the shallow-water cover and retrieve it with quick, short jerks of the line to make the fly dive a short distance and then pop back to the surface. It sits there for several seconds (the old standard is to let it sit motionless until the disturbance it made in the water is gone) and then jerk the line again to repeat the performance. Continue that retrieve along the edge of the cover.  

 

The Orange and Yellow Spook Diver

Hook: Mustad 9674 size 4-2
Thread: Black 3/0 monocord, waxed
Tail: Yellow and orange marabou fibers, gold Krystal Flash:
Collar: Yellow, orange and red deer hair
Eyes: 7 mm doll eyes  

Howdy, Glad To See You Again!

It’s been a while since my last post and I apologize for that. A lot has happened while I was away, but now things have settled down and returned to normal, and I’m finally able to get back to talking with you about fly fishing.

Spring came to southeast Nebraska late this year and brought with it several days of heavy rains which replenished reservoirs, lakes and ponds that had been shrunken and crippled by last year’s drought. Thanks to those storms, we have plenty of water and it’s time to go fishing.

Have you tried using a black woolly leech to catch largemouth bass in the spring?

The black woolly leech is not a new pattern by any means, but for some reason many fly fishermen after bass overlook it in favor of more “flashy” patterns. The woolly leech is the best imitation of a small fish I’ve found. It can be fished in a variety of ways and is at its best when moving slowly through the water with short jerks and pauses.

I like to fish this pattern in turbid water when bass are working shallow weed beds trying to locate small fish near the bank. Wade out into the water and cast parallel along the outside (deep water) edge of the weedbed and retrieve the fly just a few inches from that edge. Vary the depth and speed of the retrieve and make the fly imitate the erratic movements of a small fish darting in and out of the weeds.

The black woolly leech is weighted so it will sink to the depth you want to work and the materials it is made with provide plenty of attractive action as it is retrieved through the water.

 

Weighted Black Woolly Leech

Thread: Black waxed 3/0 monocord
Hook: Mustad 9672, size 4-8
Tail: Black marabou
Body: Black chenille
Hackle: Black rooster saddle
Eyes: Small bead chain
Weight: Additional weight may be added to front portion of fly with lead wire
Head: Black waxed monochord
Weedguard: 20# monofilament line