With rising temperatures around the nation and protections put in place to reduce stress on many of the species we all love, one species here in the PNW has continued to thrive through the heat. Bass on the fly is a must-do activity this summer and will fix your longing urge to throw a fly.
Initially, several things drew me to bass: abundance, their aggressive nature and tying. Here in the PNW, bass are far more common than one may think. From the coastal lakes to the Columbia River and many of its tributaries, bass are abundant.
Even if you don’t live near a revered fly fishing destination, you may still be just minutes away from successful bass fishing. Even major cities like Portland and Seattle have bass fishing opportunities minutes from downtown!
Not only did opportunity play a big role in my fondness for this species, but I also appreciate their aggressive nature. I love the visual aspect of fly fishing, it’s part of what drew me into the sport. Bass undoubtably fill the visual draw to the sport and much more. Streamers and poppers offer the best opportunity to bring success. Both complex flies and simple flies often yield great results, which also make them a fantastic option for fly tiers everywhere.
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The Bunny Leech, one of the first flies I ever tied, continues to wind up in my vice and in my arsenal on the water. A Bunny Leech is an all-purpose fly that works for countless species, but it especially works well for bass. My favorite colors are yellow, olive, white, black, black with red and black with chartreuse (although countless other color combinations will work).
The materials list for a Bunny Leech is short and the tying of it is simple. To start, tie in a zonker rabbit strip that will flow freely off the back. Then, krystal flash is laid on top of the zonker strip. Finally, wrap cross-cut rabbit all the way up the shank of the hook. I then top this pattern off with a Spawn Head for added realism and increased water movement. The fish cannot get enough, and in under an hour you can easily have a loaded or replenished box for your next outing!
Although the heat continues to affect some of the species we love, the bass will be there and will be eager to take a fly!
Josh Phillips
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This Spawn Twitch Shank brings two worlds together. Both fly and conventional anglers turn to these style flies/jigs when needing to reach a different column in the water. The beginings of a jig style articulated fly that fish simply cant say no to! This Spawn Jig Shank was invented and popularized by Spawn Fly Fish!
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Crawfish tied by Pete Rosenau of Spawn Fly Fish utilizing Simi Seal and our Spawn Football Beads. As with any fishery its imporant to not only catch the fish but also catch the fisherman! Bass on the fly is a perfect way to catch the attention of both beginning and experienced anglers and get them onto the water.
Even if you don’t live near a revered fly fishing destination, you may still be just minutes away from successful bass fishing.
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Contributed By
Josh Phillips
My name is Josh Phillips. I’m the President and majority owner of Spawn Fly Fish. Myself, along with my best friends, founded Spawn Fly Fish in the summer of 2017 with a goal of making a difference both on and off the water. We have worked day and night to build this community we call Spawn. This community has helped build the brand we are today. Over the last four years, we have gone from a closet, to my bedroom, to the garage, and now to a full-scale fly shop located in Ilwaco, Washington. We specialize in fly tying where we have created many innovative tying products that are globally distributed. I’m not sure what the next four years will bring, but we are up to the task of working both day and night to continue to build this community and the Spawn brand into a household name.