The Fab Five

If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water...
-Loren Eiseley

Carnivore. Predator. Hunter. Smallmouth Bass.

The fish we love to chase, that bronze denizen of lake and stream, is a Meat Eater. Plain and simple. Stone Rollers, Chubs, Bluegill, Crawfish, even their own young, are all on the smallies menu.

My good friend Max Turner loves to catch Smallmouth on top water. In fact, he loves it so much that on a recent trip to Creek X he fished poppers and sliders exclusively while the rest of us were catching big creek smallmouth on streamers. That's dedication. Or insanity. It's a toss up.
( To be fair, one of the bigger smallies was caught on a popper...)

My point is this; while I love a good top water explosion as much as the next guy, a majority of the smallies diet swims, crawls, or slithers under the surface. Here are some tried and true tactics for taking the Bronze Warrior on streamers..

What's in a name?

Streamer is an adjective used to describe many types of flies, from your typical bait fish pattern, like the Deceiver, to any number of creepy crawly imitators that are not nymphs or dry flies. Here we are going to look at my five favorite "streamers" and their presentations.

Shuttlecock:
I'm pretty sure this fly was developed by Jim Stouffer while he was with Plateau Fly Shop in Springfield MO. Regardless, it has become one of my favorites, and one I never leave home with out.

If you've ever fished a fluke on conventional gear, you understand the Smallies fascination with this fly. They want to kill it and eat it. Period.
I fish this fly a ton in the spring and late fall. Anytime the fish are actively chasing baitfish. It seems to work best higher in the water column. If I am fishing it on a sink tip I fish any where from an intermediate to a type 3. If you really want this fly to move like it's rubber cousin, the Fluke, fish it on a floating line and put a BB or AA split shot about 6 inches up the leader. Short, erratic strips followed by excruciatingly long pauses...Hang on!

Mohawk Sculpin
One of Cheechs' patterns, this one has produced some really big smallies for me on skinny water.

I rarely fish this pattern on a sink tip, or in water much deeper than 6 feet. It sinks like a rock and rides hook point up. I target bigger chunk rock bottom areas with some current. Too much current and this fly will spin like a top. I'll drop the fly on a big piece of chunk rock and pull it off, dropping my rod tip to allow for slack and a vertical drop. Once the fly hits the bottom, use short, abrupt strips. It's amazing to me how small of a space a big smallmouth can squeeze into. They'll just materialize out of the rocks and smash your fly..

Chokletts GameChanger
game chang·er- noun- an event, idea or procedure that effects a significant shift in the current manner  of doing or thinking about something. 

Photo Cred to Timothy Towery @flyfishdis

Right. Classically understated for this fly. Blane Choklett is a genius. But we all knew that..

This streamer has quickly become one I will not go anywhere without. Tons of variations from the Finesse GameChanger to the Feather GameChanger, I still prefer the good ol' fashioned body wrap-on 10mm shanks-with-a-B10s version.
The key to this articulated fly is movement. Presented properly the fly will wiggle and dart like a baitfish. In the spring and fall, when smallies are hammering baitfish, I'll fish it on a sinking line ( matched to the water I'm fishing). The rest of the year, and low water, I fish it on a short RIO VersiLeader. Swing it through riffles, go bank to bank, pull it off of wood or strip-strip-pause it in slack water. Regardless, when Mr Bronze hits, hang on. They absolutely smash this fly. 

Slump Buster

A rather ambiguous nom de guerre for sure, but this pattern has saved my bacon on more than one trip. 

John Barr's original slumpbuster was a conehead-deer hair-rabbit strip streamer tied matuka style. About the only thing my slumpbuster has in common is the rabbit strip (and the name). I fished this fly with out a name for several seasons, and then decided that everyone has that one fly that you KNOW will catch fish. Your SlumpBuster. I'm no John Barr for sure, but I think I'll keep the name all the same..

Absolutely no wrong way to fish this fly. Swim it. Crawl it. Punch it in the grass. The key is using lead eyes large enough to let the fly stand on it's nose when it stops. I've had Smallmouth hit this thing with my leader in the rod tip, literally at my feet. Color variations are up to you, but I fish purples, olives, oranges and combo's thereof most of the time.

Smallmouth Bass Streamer (SBS)

I can't seem to trace the origin of this pattern I've seen it tied by InTheRiffle, ToFlyfish and a host of other sites, but it fishes like a damn ninja and really shines when smallies are chasing baitfish. 

The SBS has been in my box for years. I just don't feel right if I don't have several sizes and colors with me.

Fish it strip-strip-pause, swing it through riffles, use the jerk strip to make it move more erratically. This is one I can fish on a sinking or floating line. The laser dub body soaks up a ton of water and moves like fur when it's in motion. I seem to catch more fish on this pattern at the end of a swing than any other baitfish pattern I throw. Tie it in a myriad of color combo's. They all work, eventually...

Well, there you have it. My "Fab-Five". Not a lot of complicated patterns, I'll admit. But they all work. I tend to not tie patterns that take a ton of time, or are what I consider "Fisherman flies". I like utilitarian patterns. Ones I won't cry over if they end up wedged between rocks on the bottom (or more likely a tree behind me!)

We all have our "list". The dream team. This is mine. In the end, I still believe it's how you do it, not what you do it with, that makes the most difference. 

See you out there...