Texas Fishing Forum

Fly Fishing White Bass

Posted By: polishpreacher

Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/01/21 03:23 AM

Hello!!! I am fairly new to getting in to fly fishing, but was wondering if folks hit the white bass runs when they get in to the creeks? I've chased them with lures but this just popped in to my mind. If so, what kinds of flies should I be looking for? Thanks!!!
Posted By: FlyFX

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/01/21 05:40 AM

Clouser, cepert, and most baitfish imitations
Posted By: Bones72

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/01/21 01:30 PM

Check out my ad up in the classifieds. I can get you set up. But like FlyFX said; clouser, cypert minnow, and just about any smallish baitfish imitation. I usually stay below 2 to 3 inches during the run with my flies, think #8 to #4 hooks. If you get the opportunity to hit 'em up in the lakes when the shad are spawning you can go a little bigger. My personal preference in most instances is a grey and white fly but there are times and places I will use pink/white, and or chartreuse/white clousers. Most of the clousers I use are bead chain worked real slow but again on rare occasion I will use a traditional dumbell eye fly. For me outside of the coast the whitebass run is my favorite time to break out the buggy whip,
Posted By: Capt. Mac

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/01/21 04:11 PM

https://vimeo.com/318257842
Posted By: Jim Ford

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/01/21 06:26 PM

Spawning whites are great fly rod fare. I generally prospect with a light spinning rod and a horsehead jig or a crappie jig, covering water til I find a bunch of feeding fish. Then switch to a light fly rod (I use a half weight and a two weight, but generally bring a five weight also, just in case I need to throw heavy flies). I usually throw short (1 1/2” to 2”) streamers tied on #6 to #10 hooks. A sparse pinch of pearl, chartreuse, or firecracker Krystal Flash is all you need, and I always take a few tied with white, olive, or brown marabou for variety. Most are weighted with small beadchain eyes or a snall beadhead, but occasionally you’ll need to get a little deeper with heavier flies.

My way certainly isn’t the only way, but it’s how I enjoy it the most. Those 15” & 16” hens are a hoot on the half weight, and while I generally release what I catch, I like to keep enough whites for a meal or two. If you like catching them on conventional gear, you’ll love catching them on the fly rod. Good luck!
Posted By: LastCastPodcast

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/04/21 07:17 PM

@Jim Ford could you post some picks of the streamers you're tying?

Ditto on everyone's replies. The Cypert minnow is one of my personal favorites, great for local streams and perch too.
Posted By: Jim Ford

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/05/21 03:16 AM

Never been able to post photos. I can take some and text or email them to you. I’ll be out of town until Monday, but if you’ll PM me a cellular # or email address I’ll take some photos next week and send them to you. I don’t have a computer so I’ll have to do it on this POS iPhone.
Posted By: Jim Ford

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/05/21 03:55 AM

ingvar3000, go to the “ultralightflyfishing.com” site. Scroll down to the “Flies, Fly tying, & Entomology” section, and find a thread from 2015 titled “Ultralight Saltwater Flies” by hipshot. Toward the end of the thread you’ll find a photograph of a few of them. Hope that helps.
Posted By: Jim Ford

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/05/21 04:16 AM

Oops! Bad info; my mistake. Go to the “Step by Step Fly Tying Tutorials” section to look for that thread. Sorry about that.
Posted By: LastCastPodcast

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/05/21 03:51 PM

@jim ford, very interesting, thanks! So from this thread, these flies?
[Linked Image]
I'll have to try tying something like that.

I mostly tie very marabou-intensive little flies, trying to get the same size and profile as a gambusia mosquito fish.
[Linked Image]
These ones have some white-tail hairs to keep the marabou in shape. And this year I'm experimenting with the Matt Bennett philosophy of putting rubber legs on streamers.
Posted By: Jim Ford

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/05/21 07:18 PM

Yes sir. I’m not a technical tier; I go for the easy ties that produce. Jazzing them up won’t hurt a thing. Good luck!
Posted By: Mckinneycrappiecatcher

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/17/21 04:22 AM

Clousers and minnow patterns are great. Early season a red shiner imitation is a great way to go and the later in the run as Shad show up a larger profile is good. I always net some minnows in shallows and then match the hatch. A lot of times early season all of the bait is tiny so you need to go small. Just be aware early in the sandbass run when they start to trickle in around early March those fish are not that easy to catch and I recommend a fluorocarbon tippet.
Posted By: ggoytia

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/21/21 05:24 PM

Capt. Mac
Excellent video.
Posted By: Capt. Mac

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 02/25/21 04:51 AM

Originally Posted by ggoytia
Capt. Mac
Excellent video.

Thank you sir!
Posted By: pigpoacher

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/05/21 04:36 AM

New to fly fishing and wanted to see if Is it possible to rig up leaders and tippet from walmart fishing line inventory to fish clousers for white bass.
Have a cabelas prestige 2 and three forks 9' 6wt rod with wf floating line.
Wanted to try the fly rod on a trip to CBSP.
Posted By: J-Moe

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/05/21 11:46 AM

Yes you can tie up your own leaders. I prefer to use 6 lb. fluorocarbon as a tippet for white bass.
Posted By: pigpoacher

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/05/21 01:11 PM

Do you tie direct to the floating fly line or have a higher lb leader in between?
Posted By: LastCastPodcast

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/05/21 04:26 PM

You're going to want some sort of tapering in the leader to get good rollover on your cast. Some people will tie a succession of weights of mono to get that taper, but if you get a store-bought tapered leader it can be pretty cost effective, particularly if you tie on your tippet line with a tippet ring or micro swivel, that way you don't eat up your leader every time you re-tie.

I would go pretty long with your leader and tippet for white bass, since you want the streamer right at the bottom. Or use a sinking line, but I can confidently say I've never caught a fish on a sinking line.
Posted By: J-Moe

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/05/21 07:11 PM

I usually tie 3 sections. A 30 lb., then a 12 or 14 lb. and finally the 6 lb. All fluorocarbon.
Posted By: pigpoacher

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/06/21 12:56 AM

Thanks for all the helpfull information !!
Have some leaders, tippet rings, tippets ordered.
Good to know i can get rigged up with fluorocarbon lines that I have available.
Have a trip planned to colorado bend on Sunday.
Posted By: Treadlightly2

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/06/21 01:42 AM

You're right about the minnows being really small at this time. I didn't take my fly rod to the Nolan Wednesday and really regretted it, all my spin gear was too big I guess, never got a bump. Guy with a fly rod was catching crappie one after another, it was killing me.
Posted By: Treadlightly2

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/06/21 01:50 AM

This combination works, I've seen video of J-Moe catching the occasional hybrid out of very small creeks. Appreciate the advice those tapered lines get expensive.
Posted By: Smurfs

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/06/21 01:51 AM

Originally Posted by Treadlightly2
You're right about the minnows being really small at this time. I didn't take my fly rod to the Nolan Wednesday and really regretted it, all my spin gear was too big I guess, never got a bump. Guy with a fly rod was catching crappie one after another, it was killing me.

white/chartruese clouser, size 6. Tie 2 on and catch doubles, all you need
Posted By: hook-line&sinker

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/16/21 02:14 AM

Posted By: FlyFX

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/16/21 05:46 AM

Good video thanks thumb
Posted By: texasflycaster

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/17/21 02:05 AM

I think sand bass will eat about anything. I love catching them on the lake blitzes. Thinking about how many I can catch at a time ... one fly, two? Pretty easy stuff on Lake Ray Roberts. I will leave the "Soggy Bottom Boys" to the Soggy Bottom Boys ...
Posted By: J-Moe

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/18/21 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by pigpoacher
Thanks for all the helpfull information !!
Have some leaders, tippet rings, tippets ordered.
Good to know i can get rigged up with fluorocarbon lines that I have available.
Have a trip planned to colorado bend on Sunday.



It was great meeting you at Colorado Bend. That was an impressive display of catching whites on the fly for the first time you've fly fished.

I fished the Brazos, the Nolan, the Middle Bosque and South Bosque on Friday and Sunday. It was incredible fishing. I wore them out everywhere I went. Several 17 inch plus stripper in the bunch too. It was an awesome white bass fishing vacation!!!!!
Posted By: pigpoacher

Re: Fly Fishing White Bass - 03/19/21 11:38 AM

Thank you for waving me over to join you at your honey hole. Always wanted to learn how to catch whites on the fly rod.
All the information and leader tweaks made the difference of me not going back to the spinning rod to catch fish.

Those hand tied clousers you gave me worked great !!
Cant wait to get back out there with my new 4wt setup. All your help made all the difference.

Thanks again !!
© 2024 Texas Fishing Forum