Smallmouth Bass flies: Hook sizes?

B

Bryan

Smolt
For those of you who fly fish the Columbia River and its tributaries for Smallmouth Bass, what hook size(s) do you use the most for your flies? I know the gear guys are throwing some pretty big stuff and catching some big bass.

I recently read Pat Cohen's Super Flies: The Hows and Whys of Catching Bass on Artificials. The book has 185 fly recipes and 35 SBS for tying bass flies, with a real focus on Smallmouth Bass. Pat's recipes mostly use Size 2 or larger hooks, and many he specifies as 2/0 being the norm. He told me he's using a 6 wt much of the time.

This season, my plan is to log some time pursuing and learning about fly fishing for Smallmouth in the Columbia River and some of its tributaries. As part of that, I want to tie a selection of flies. Is Size 2 to 2/0 the right range of hooks, or for our waters is a smaller size range preferred?

I will be fishing with a 6wt rod. And using a fly line that can help deliver these Bass flies.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Bryan
Portland
 
I tend towards 1-3/0 for Columbia and Willamette. For John Day, I tend to go down to 4 as average size is a bit smaller and I'm after numbers.

You can never go wrong with Gami B10S but I've come to really like Ahrex Trout Predator and TP Lite hooks. I don't fish a ton of topwater, but when I do it's the same hooks.

My most productive fly size is 3-4" baitfish patterns. Seems like a good balance to interest larger ones and smaller ones. The hooks size keeps the really little ones off.
 
I'm just a fly bass novice (moving over from gear), but for the snake most of mine are 2, with some bigger and a some down to 6.
I found a 6wt only works when the wind isn't blowing, (especially launching out of charbonneau). I got an 8 2yrs. ago and it's so much less work with weighted flies and streamers, but the perch don't bend it much. I wouldn't change rods until you have fished a few places though to see for yourself.
 
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention re: rod size. 7 & 8wts only here
 
Thanks guys, helpful info, indeed.

I recently bought a package of the Ahrex hooks for some baitfish tube flies I'm going to play around with. Certainly have heard good things about them.

And yes, I do understand that I'll likely want to migrate to a 7wt or 8wt if I decide to continue pursuing Smallmouth. I had a nice 7wt that I think would have been good for this, but I sold it a few years ago. My largest current rod is a 6 wt. Thomas and Thomas Avantt.

Cheers,

Bryan
 
I started fishing the columbia a little this summer after having moved into the gorge this spring. Gave it a half dozen early mornings and found some great top water fishing any time I found the YOY shad flicking around the shorelines. When I didn't find them, I'd agree with the 3-4 inch baitfish patterns as a good general size.

Oddly, those same larger baitfish flies (gamechangers and clousers) would get very little interest around the shad babies, but a slim topwater would get smashed. I tied a variation of an east coast topwater fly called a Slim Jim. Very easy to cast on a 5 or 6 wt.

I read of guys doing well on sinking lines and heavy flies, but i've yet to figure that out. Haven't really given it the time though. I'd usually get out as the sun came up and be done by 9 or 10.
 
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