When I’m exploring a new smallmouth stream, I usually rely on three flies: a favorite topwater pattern, a streamer, and a realistic subsurface fly for those times when the fish get picky.
For surface fishing, I prefer my Smallmouth Popper—a version of the Gurgler that I’ve tied for many years. Although I make it in several colors, my favorite combines an olive squirrel-tail wing with Krystal Flash, a body of gold cactus chenille, a throat of red hackle fibers for a bleeding-baitfish look, and white sheet foam.
The fly holds up well through multiple fish, and its colors imitate many of the baitfish found in the Adirondacks. I usually fish it while working upstream in the morning. When smallmouths are active and chasing bait, it can draw fish from a surprising distance. It also helps me quickly learn whether a new stream holds good numbers of bass—and what kind of mood they’re in.
Later in the morning, usually around the midpoint of the outing, I begin fishing my way back downstream. That is when the choice comes down to two flies.
If the smallmouths are still chasing but have stopped hitting the surface as the sun climbs higher, I switch to my Trilobal Minnow. There are often bass that swirled at or missed the popper earlier, and by remembering those locations, I can pick up another fish or two on the return trip.
The Trilobal Minnow has been my go-to smallmouth streamer since I created it. It has plenty of flash, and I’ve often watched several bass chase it during the same retrieve before one finally commits.
Of course, smallmouths aren’t always aggressive. Water temperature, bright sunlight, and the heat of an August day can change their mood considerably. Under those conditions, getting a bite can be a challenge.
That is when I turn to my Crawdaddy. It features realistic materials, including a Swiss-straw shell and large claws, and I fish it in two different ways.
The first is similar to finesse streamer fishing for trout: I cast upstream along the bank and allow the fly to drop into the deeper channels. I also fish it beneath an indicator, letting it drift naturally into likely holding areas. Either method can produce fish when the smallmouths are reluctant to chase.
Those are the three flies I trust when exploring a new smallmouth stream. Together, they allow me to cover the surface, search for active fish below it, and slow down when the bass become selective. I have confidence that one of them will produce when many other flies will not.
Tying videos for all three patterns—the Smallmouth Popper, Trilobal Minnow, and Crawdaddy—are available on the Rob Streeter Outdoors YouTube channel.