Fly advice

Hi y'all,
New to the forum, and new to fly fishing. Got an 8wt rod that I'm starting to get the hang of casting, and I'm hoping to target bass, mostly. I got a small collection of flies, but not having much luck so far. What kind of flys are actually working right now? Seems like wollyboogers and poppers are the most "go-to" for bass, but any input would be greatly appreciated. Fishing mostly low visibility waters, ponds and creeks, usually little to no current.

Any kind of Clousers. And Muddler Minnows of whatever sort.

+1 and

Thanks Capt. Mac! Do they seem to work better with a lot of activity, like fast stripping, or a little gentler action? I'm coming from a spin cast background, and it seemed that each lure worked better with different actions/retrieves, and I'm at a bit of a loss with what to do once I get the fly out. Again, thank you!

Another vote for Clousers, it is a versatile pattern. You can fish it fast or slow. You can fish it like a jig, like a plastic worm, you can fish it fast like a fleeing baitfish, or fish it slow so that it has an up and down action.

Basically, you can fish a Clouser multiple different ways, you'll have to experiment to determine what works best each day.

Have fun!

Howdy Milletime22

Miller,
As for what speed to fish the flies, that's part of the fun. Try slow, then fast, then medium, then....
Or let it drop for X seconds and then retrieve it Y feet and let it drop again.
Everything you would try with a similar actioned conventional bait, try with your fly bait.
The game hasn't changed, just the tools.

Oh, and remember to hold your mouth right.

Kirk

And when I tie some more breambusters I will send you some as well as some of the epoxy ants that I ties, both work great on the sunfish. although an 8wt may be a little overkill

You guys are awesome, thank you!

Don't give up on the poppers. The top water bite ought to start picking up again in the next few weeks.

I've had a lot of good luck with a gummy minnow. They are relatively expensive but seem to work very well on a variety of fish. I have also caught quite a few bass with a yellow muddler.

I'm a fan of Gurglers for top water bass. IMHO....light, easy to cast, lots of splash and easy to get off the water on the back cast

What he said...

I like the rabbit ear in olive,black or white with beadhead

If you fish around vegetation you should get a few rabbit strip flies like leeches or zonkers. Ans craft fur bendbacks are hard to beat over shallow grass.