In this blog entry, Nolan highlights 5 important tips for targeting Smallmouth on the fly during the summer months. Recently, Nolan has been catching some huge fish and we wanted to find out what his secret was.
#1 Concentrate on River Fishing In the Summer
I find that I do the majority of my summer smallmouth fishing in rivers and creeks, where these fish head to, to avoid warmer stiller waters.
#2 Look for the Muddy Water:
Muddy water is key for big fish. Although clear to slightly stained water can produce numbers, fooling big fishing in dark water is much easier.
#3 Don’t strip too fast!
Slow down your presentation, fish want an easy meal. Slowly twitching a black streamer or leech is deadly..You will be surprised what you might run into.
#4 Target Structure
Fish structure or runoff (deep pools) especially when the water temp is on the rise. Smallies tend to stay in the colder water and feed in the deeper runoffs.
#5 Big Flies Don’t Mean Big Fish…
Big flies do NOT always mean big fish, small realistic patterns (crawfish, leeches, stoneflies, small bait fish) tend to get a bit more often.
Side Note- when fish aren’t taking streamers, try NYMPHING. Big stonefly patterns can do the trick, especially in muddy water. Orange bead heads on a black stone will move fish
For more great content from Nolan make sure to check him out on Instagram @dahlberg.digital!
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