Ready for the Smallies!
After putting together the
Life Cycle flybox, I decided to put together another focused collection, this time for the Olive Destroyer, the Smallmouth Bass! There are flies in the LC box that catch smallies, so I forced myself with this collection to stick to flies that have been good producers of bass for me.
LEFT SIDE
Top row: 10 Notta Buggers in streamer hook size 10, 5 Rusty brown with copper krystal flash and 5 brown/olive with a touch of orange at the head and pearl flashabou. 7 Olive Skip Nymphs on the same size hook, 2 Woolly Buggers with olive bodies and black hackle on the same hook.
2nd row: 10 size 6 (streamer hook) hackle-head matuka-style sculpins, 5 brown, 5 olive. 4 size 10 synthetic Black nosed Dace.
3rd row: 8 size 10 (streamer hook) Wooly Buggers, 4 black and 4 olive all tied with peacock herl bodies. 11 size 6 (streamer hook) Zonkers, 4 white, 4 dark brown, 3 gold (Golden Shiner).
4th row: 12 size 6 (streamer hook) Clouser Deep minnows. Olive over brown, all white, chartreuse over yellow and black-nose dace pattern.
RIGHT SIDE
Top row: 2 size 2/0 Hot Clown Dahlberg Divers, 4 size 2/0 Burblers.
2nd and 3rd rows: various poppers and sliders in white, frog, bug brown and black with red.
4th row: 2 orange belly/frog back sliders, 4 size 10 (hopper hook) big freaky ants.
5th row: 4 size 4 impressionist stonefly nymphs in dark brown, 4 size 10 (streamer hook) purple estaz Woolly Buggers. (These work well on Largemouth, but this will be my first season trying them in smallie water)
Right about now some people (hi Will!) are wondering, "where are the crawfish?" "Where are the big furry flies?" The notta buggers sub forthe craws and imitate other edible treats. As far as the big furries, I haven't often used them so I'm basically going with what has worked for me. I had to empty and refill this box twice because of all the possible entries, but I finally decided on this collection based on personal experience.
After I test these, I'll refine as the days go on. Some will be replaced, some will increase in number... I expect two years of serious fishing should settle the box's ingredients.
Then, being a fly tier, I'll come up with a super new fly or eight, and in three seasons 3/4 of the box will be all new!
