Re: [VFB] Just another thought!!

[Jimmy D. Moore]

I am still an active "Chunker and Winder", and have fished lots of bass 
tourneys here in Texas, but have never seen anyone use a fly rod for 
bass fishing, (besides myself and Alan Di Somma, from the deck of my 
bass boat).   In bass fishing, a fly rod  is only good when you have 
open water, a shoreline that is easilly accessible, or open pockets to 
cast to.  Many of the bass tourneys are held on lakes lined with reeds, 
cattails, lilly pads, hydrilla, and all matter of vegetation that you 
just can't get a fly into and out of.  

With the advent of the "flippin stick", a very stout bass rod of some 7 
feet in length, with a really stiff tip the C&W guys can stand on the 
deck of their bass boat, pulling right up to the edge of the vegetation, 
etc, and reach over the weeds with their flippin stick and swing their 
lure, (FLIP) their jig & pig, or plastic worm, into various pockets, and 
literally "yank" a big bass out of its lair.   This is extremely hard to 
do with a fly rod because the tip of a average bass'n fly rod is not 
strong enough to snatch a big bass vertically out of a weed bed.  I've 
tried it and continually get my fly, (dry fly,  weighted fly,  clouser, 
whatever),  caught on a weed, or worse, break my rod when trying to 
horse a big bass out of the weeds. The big salt rods, the 10 - 12 wt and 
above,  will work, but its much easier just to use a flippin stick if 
you don't mind stooping so low as to use C&W equipment. ;-)  

For fishing for bass on "edges" on a lake or stream, a fly rod will 
definitely work, i.e. areas at the edge of weedbeds, lay downs, logs, 
etc., especially when the bass are hitting on top.  In most bass in 
tournaments the fish are taken under the surface on a spinnerbait, 
crankbait, worm or other underwater lure.  During the spring and fall, 
bass will hit a top water like a buzzbait, injured minnow, Zara Spook, 
or other topwater bait.   Few are caught on top during the hot summer 
months.  The baits (lures) I just mentioned are useful only when cranked 
back, which puts the action on the lure as it travels through the water 
back to the boat..  It's next to impossible to use spinnerbait, 
crankbait, or a buzzbait with a fly rod, and darn tough to use a big 
plastic worm.  Lastly, I've caught a lot of bass on a fly rod, but in my 
experience, I've caught a helluva lot more on average, with my casting 
rod and chunking and winding.  One type of bass fishing where a fly rod 
may a plus in my thinking is for white bass (Sandies), when they are 
schooling and chasing shad minnows on top.  Then the advantage is being 
able to cast more often and take more fish, but because I get a strike 
on nearly every cast when the sandies are schooling on top, I just stick 
with my casting rod,  for a pound and a half  Sandie will dang near tear 
up a 5 - 6 wt fly rod.

Lastly, fly rods are legal in the small bass tourneys around here in 
Central Texas, but nobody uses them.

My 2 cents worth.  

JIMMY  D