Tying Flies for Spring Smallmouth
I’ve been stocking up on flies I know I’ll need for smallmouth this spring. The weather might be cold right now, but the hands are hot at the vise!
Filling the box with proven patterns gives me confidence before I ever step into the river. At the same time, it’s the perfect excuse to experiment- tying up patterns I see online but haven’t fished yet, and just have to give a shot.
Here’s what I’ve been tying in preparation for spring smallmouth. I’ve got some staples, along with several that have yet to hit the water.
Spring Smallmouth Fly Tying
Tie flies you trust. Stock your box with proven spring smallmouth staples like Wooly Buggers, Clousers, and crayfish that cover different depths and forage types. Confidence matters- having reliable patterns lets you focus on reading water and making good presentations. But don’t stop there.
Leave room in your box (and at your vise) for experimentation. Try new stuff! Bigger profiles, new materials on classic flies, or patterns you’ve been curious about. Some won’t make the cut. A few might become go-to flies. The goal is simple: be prepared, cover the water column, and stay curious.
Staple Spring Smallmouth Flies
They may not be the flashiest flies out there, but they work. Having a boxful of proven patterns for springtime smallmouth helps you focus on reading the water and fish behavior without second guessing your fly.
I like to have these flies on hand for springtime smallmouth
Wooly Bugger
Duh, right?
Wooly Buggers are my go-to fly in most situations and spring smallmouth is no different. Strip it, drift it, whatever. As long as it’s in the water, I’m confident I have a chance of getting bit.
While I like to tie traditional Buggers in different colors and sizes, I also like using the winter to mess around with different adjustments to the pattern. For example, I like tying:
- Jiggy Buggers
- Wooly Buggers on a jig hook, giving them a different action
- Webby Buggers
- Extra long hackle fibers (like schlappen) gives the fly a softer, more pulsating action that I like on bigger flies.
- Different Materials
- I usually stick with a marabou tail, but will mess around with different stuff for the bodies and hackle fibers. Flashy, multi-colored dubbing bodies can give the fly a cool look and polar chenille can give the fly a “wow” factor. Mess around and see what you like!
Clouser Minnow
Spring is a great time for baitfish patterns and a classic Clouser Minnow is a great minnow imitation. It’s caught fish for many years and will continue to catch em for years to come.
Similar to Buggers, I have a bunch of classic Clousers, but will add to them as I see fit. Experimenting with classic patterns gives you the chance to test out your innovations!
With Clousers, I like to:
- Try Different Materials
- Craft fur or Adachi-style EP fibers give it a Clouser-look with different actions
- Add Hackle Tails
- This technically makes it a “Half-and-Half” (half Clouser, half Deceiver) and is an easy way to add size and bulk to your presentations.
Kreelex
If you want a flashy baitfish pattern, look no further than the Kreelex.
This guy will demand attention. If and when the smallies are in a feisty mood, they will smash a Kreelex like they’re going extinct.
You can certainly tie these in different colors, for me the biggest variation is the weight:
- Dumbbell Eyes
- This is a light fly, so any weight will help it plummet to the the depths. I will tie these heavy so I can get down deep to where some more sluggish fish may be slumbering
- Beadchain Eyes
- I like these for fishing the shallows and/or small rivers and creeks. You still get the jigging action, but you won’t lose nearly as many on the bottom
Clawdad
The Clawdad has become my go-to crayfish pattern over the years. I’ve found it to be deadly fished on a dead-drift. I actually have to constantly remind myself to strip it as slowly as I can, if at all. Generally, I like to throw this thing upstream and let it do its thing.
Variations of this fly usually stem from size, color, and weight. The tails are pre-cut with a cool suede-ish material so there’s no real freedom to change that. But from experience, there’s no real reason to!
Experimental Spring Smallmouth Flies
Using your fly tying skills to whip up proven patterns is essential, but also gives you the opportunity to explore new patterns. Heck, maybe something you concoct will become a new confidence fly!
After I fill up my boxes with my classic confidence flies, I like to try new stuff. Whether it’s inspiration from a fly tying class, book, or something you saw online, experimenting with new patterns and catching fish on them is one of the many joys of fly fishing.
Here are a few patterns that I haven’t fished, but am pumped to try this spring:
Roamer
Jack Villwock’s Roamer is a bigger, bulkier baitfish pattern that just flat out looks cool. It requires a few tricky steps but based on what comes out of the vise, they’re well worth it.
Classic baitfish patterns like the Clouser and even Half-and-Half are slimmer in profile. This fly adds bulk. When aggressive spring smallmouth want a meal instead of a snack, they may chase down a fly like this.
Another cool thing about the Roamer is that it uses materials you likely already have. You can mess around with the color variations to make it your own.
As I’ve just started to tie this fly, I’ve stuck with mostly white baitfish-y looking color schemes. I’ve seen them tied in all sorts of color combos to mimic different forage, but I don’t think you can go wrong with a standard white.
Swingin’ D
Mike Schultz and his crew have become the faces of smallmouth fishing in the last decade. Search YouTube or Instagram for smallmouth fishing and you’ll likely see his name pop up. There’s no doubt he and his buddies have honed it one it takes to consistently catch big smallmouth.
One of his patterns you’ll likely see is his Swingin’ D. There are a ton of variations of it online and I like how he’s lenient on what materials you can use (outside of the foam head). The original recipe does call for a few speciality items, but you can get away with some substitutes so don’t worry about following it precisely.
The Swingin’ D is a large fly. It’s big and mean. Certainly larger than any fly I’ve used for smallmouth. However, you just can’t argue with the results. The fly ranges from 4 to about 7 inches (depending on which recipe you follow), offering a feast for hungry smallmouth.
I’ve tied a couple up in the regular sizes and the “finesse” sizes. I’m very intrigued by the Dahlberg style foam head that gives this fly an erratic diving action. With such an aggressive action and profile, I’m very excited to see how the smallies in my waters react to this thing.
Conclusion
On one side of the vise, I’m tying piles of proven patterns — the flies I know catch spring smallmouth. Wooly Buggers. Clousers. Crayfish. The staples. There’s real confidence in opening your box on that first warm spring day and seeing rows of flies that have already earned their keep. Confidence changes how you fish. You cast better. You fish slower. The flies look better to the fish. You commit to good water.
But the other side of the vise? That’s where it gets fun.
That’s where I experiment. Bigger profiles. New materials. Patterns I’ve seen online but never actually fished. Some of them won’t make the cut. A few might become staples.
Stock your box with what works. Leave room for what might work.
That’s half the fun!