Bass is the perfect fly-fishing quarry. They have been introduced to many large impoundments and smaller farm dams all around the country, making it one of the most accessible freshwater targets in SA. They often present sight fishing opportunities and can be very attuned to the surface, this is by far the most exciting way of catching them. They can also be very challenging at times, especially when hunting bigger solitary fish.

Where?

As mentioned before, Largemouth Bass are found in large public dams, many of the smaller private farm dams, and some river systems, although they prefer Stillwater and less current.

If you plan on casting flies in bigger public waterways, I suggest you do so from a boat or other craft suitable for big water fishing. A lot of these bigger dams are spot specific when it comes to bass and it can be difficult to access these spots from the bank.

Ponds and farm dams are where the fly rod comes into its own. Generally, around springtime, the bass move into the shallows, and a whole new world of sight fishing opportunities are presented to us fly-rodders. Nothing beats sighting a big hen fish on the shallow banks and flats and then putting an accurate and well-presented cast to the fish and seeing it aggressively charging to hoover your fly.

The late evening and early morning sessions also offer some exciting topwater eats in shallow water, where the pond vegetation creates cover for the bass and a vantage point from which they ambush any unsuspecting surface dwellers.

How?

Bass are an aggressive freshwater predator and for the most part don't need too much convincing to eat, especially in the warmer months. However, like any other species, the older more wiser fish are the ones who present a challenge.

For me, the thrill of bass on fly lies in hunting the big "lunkers" and focusing my efforts on cracking the 10lb trophy mark. I have yet to reach the magic number and have fallen just short on many occasions, but any bass in the 4-pound and up weight class will give you a run for your money and are always fun to catch.

Besides picking the right location to target bigger bass you also have to be calculated in your approach and strategy. Casting and retrieving through schools of smaller aggressive fish hoping for a bigger bite is likely going to deliver undesired results.

First off, upscale your tackle. Your 6-weight fly rod and trusty old wooly bugger just won't cut it, although lots of fun can be had with lighter fishing tackle, you need a heavier setup that can comfortably deliver a bigger fly accurately and at a distance if you want to target bigger bass. Big streamers and poppers are heavier and more wind resistant and therefore an 8-weight or even 9-weight rod and reel combo is needed to fish these patterns effectively.

My two preferred line setups are a weight forward floating line with an aggressive taper to help turn over heavy and bulky fly patterns as well as an intermediate line with 1.5 to 3 inch per second sink rates. The floating setup is what I use to cast big poppers, flippers, and foam frogs as well as sparsely tied clousers and brush flies when sight fishing in shallow water.

My intermediate line setup is preferred for larger lakes where we blind fish likely looking areas for cruising and feeding fish. I like to use unweighted baitfish imitations that mimic the bass natural prey items and my favorite fly pattern of late is an articulated game changer in a variety of colors. The game changer is very similar in shape and swimming action to that of a jerk bait, a very popular conventional bass lure. If you hear a bass angler talking about the "jerk bait" bite being hot right now, strap on a game changer and hold on tight.

The most important thing is to get out there and start catching bass on a fly rod. When the heat of summer puts a halt to our Stillwater trout season you can always rely on these aggressive bucket mouths to be willing to eat a fly, and you always stand a chance to bump into a trophy specimen that will make any fisherman's day.