What is your go-to fly for bass? The first one you tie on... the one you have the most confidence with?

Thanks!

Clouser minnow. Dark green over white.

Clouser, olive over white with gold flash.

Deceiver, solid chartreuse 1/0

olive wooly booger

Goober Bug.

Boogle bugs and dahlberg divers

I have got more hits from Bass on a yellow Llano bug than any other fly I have in my boxes but have caught larger bass on a yellow over white Clouser.

Thanks for your input gents. I've found a bit of a honey hole, and caught some super healthy bass on my UL spinning reel with a weightless wacky rigged senko. I'd like to leave the spinning rod in the Jeep and catch these bass on the fly.
I've caught bass, bluegill, crappie, cichlids, and catfish in my spot.
Thanks again guys.

Enjoy your honeyhole, ideal place to experiment.

For what it is worth:
Largemouth (white/tan clouser)
Smallmouth (Clouser crayfish)

Beadhead or no?

I fish a Clouser more often than anything else, chartreuse and white.

But for a place I've never fished before, or if I'm helping someone new such as at a Reel Recovery event, then it is some version of an olive Woolly Bugger. Olive Woolly Buggers work everywhere!

Thanks Rex. I will certainly try the olive woolly bugger. Ive got a beadhead version, hopefully that'll pull the bass out. I was also gifted an assortment of ~36 flies as a Veteran's Day deal, so I think I am set on anything non-clouser, haha!

Yes, beadhead generally. I also like gummy minnows but they are a bit too expensive to lose so I use them sparingly.

What's the difference between a gummy minnow and a small plastic shad swimbait used with conventional tackle?

The difference depends on who you ask. More traditionalist fly fishers are liable to tell you that there is no difference and neither are flies. However, you'll find a lot of bass fishing folks around here and most of us aren't proud.

The gummy minnow is pretty much the plastic worm of the fly fishing world. But gummy's are made different. They use a flat sheet of sticky plastic that is folded around the hook. The hook does not come out easily. Regular plastic baits are solid plastic that the hook is fed through and the plastic can be easily replaced on the water. Making a gummy minnow is not a simple process and it is not something done easily on the water.

Regular plastic baits in the small sizes can be cast with a fly rod and will catch fish, but there are two major drawbacks. First, plastic baits are heavy! Only the real small sizes are lite enough to cast with most the mid wt fly rods.

The other concern is that it is not easy to cast plastic baits without "slinging them off" on the backcast. Most plastic baits tear easily and that is not good for fly casting. One trick to get around that issue is to super glue the plastic to the hook. (But, at what point do you just grab the spinning gear instead???)

Personally, I think gummy minnows look extremely �fishy�, but I've never tried them. They're just too expensive to buy and too much of a pain in the neck to tie my own. I have fished some plastics, but I didn't find then to be better than some of the more traditional style flies.

Bottom line, don't be afraid to experiment. You might find something you like that works. However, one thing to watch is that some special regulations areas may not allow plastic baits.

Have fun!

Well thanks again Rex. I appreciate the time and effort put into a post like that!

I'll likely never try them due to cost as well. I should be getting a vise this holiday season, so no excuse not to tie up some clousers and get after these bass.

I want to tie on the biggest ugliest thing I can find. At least six inches lot of bunny and pushes a lot of water. If I'm targeting big bass have nothing under an 8 wt don't want fatigue from hurling big flys all day. I want to throw as big of fly as I'm capable. But what do I know about catching big bass lol funny thing is several of my biggest bass on the fly were on tiny presentation to gills and crappie on 3-4 wt rods. But if I'm actually looking for them I'm throwing very large flys.