I love throwing large, hard or soft bodied frog poppers for big bass. I’ll try to fish them at all times of the day, and under a wide variety of other fishing conditions where many anglers would think they wouldn’t work.

The profile of these frogs makes them easy to cast, unlike deer hair poppers and divers that seem to be incredibly air resistant. They still have the feathers and flash in the back of the fly, and the soft rubber legs kicking along the side of the frog. There is also a high lb test nylon weed guard that helps prevent some weeds.

The newest version of Rainy’s Foam Frogs feature a built-in rattle. When your basic presentation isn’t working, or you are trying to find fish, the built-in rattle is going to help you get them to come to you. Once you have the attention of the fish you can start working your presentation of the fly to entice a strike. If the fish don’t know you’re there, though, you never get the chance to give a lifelike presentation.

Rainy’s Frogs used to be built out of balsa wood. Now, Rainy’s use a soft foam that contains the rattle, and seems to help fish hold onto it long enough for you to set the hook. I think that a fish biting down on the harder balsa wood baits would probably spit it back out quickly, knowing that it is not a real piece of forage. The softer foam baits squish between the lips of the fish, giving you, what I believe to be, extra seconds to set the hook.

You can get them in 3 basic colors. Either natural frog, black, or chartreuse. All 3 colors have their own place and time where they excel. For instance, the black frog is going to be primarily a low light situation, either overcast days, or in the morning and before the sun sets. The chartreuse color is going to work great for smallmouth bass, and in muddy or heavily stained waters. The rest of your fishing can be done with the natural color.

It all comes down to your presentation with Rainy’s Foam Frogs.

One of the best ways to learn more about your favorite sport is by watching a few DVDs. Coupled with reading from your favorite blog (Us, Of Course!) you’ll be well on your way to tackling your local honey holes. Take a look at some of the largemouth bass, and panfish fly fishing DVDs I think you should have in your arsenal.

Panfish and Bass Fly Fishing with Larry Dahlberg

Larry Dahlberg knows catching big fish, especially with a fly rod. This DVD, put together by Scientific Anglers, teaches you what you need to know to target your favorite warmwater species: Panfish & Bass. Larry Dahlberg takes you through the basics of fly fishing for both species, including a wide range of knot tying techniques, when and where to use which types of flies, and quite a few tips to help you on your local waters.

 
Bass: The Movie

What do you get when you put together 7 of the worlds best bass anglers, pairing them together on a boat to see who can catch the most fish? BASS: The Movie. Fly rod pros are teamed up with spin rod pros to see who comes out on top in a fast paced, great production. BASS: The Movie takes place in California, and takes you to the California Delta, and Southern California’s waters where the trophy fish are known to roam.

 
Handcrafting Effective Bass Flies with Lefty Kreh & Mike Huffman

Lefty Kreh is among the top legends, right next to Larry Dalhberg. This DVD, produced by White River Fly Shop, is a step-by-step instructional that teaches you how to tie several highly effect bass patterns, and the techniques used to construct them. It features interviews with each tyer, and helpful tips from the master on fly fishing, Lefty Kreh. The 90 minute DVD will help you approach your fly tying bench with confidence.

 
Fly Fishing for Bass & Panfish’ with Skip and Carol Morris

The lovely couple, Skip and Carol Morris put together the DVD “Fly Fishing For Bass And Panfish” to help you learn everything you need to know about catching both species on your local waters. From the basics on gear, flies, lines, casting, and techniques, to the more advanced tips that you’ll only learn by knowing what to look for when you’re out for the day. If you’re a trout angler looking to catch a few bass, you’ll love this DVD.

 
Hooked On Fly Tying – Deer Hair Bass Bugs

Ask any fly angler how long it took them to learn the art of tying flies, and I can guarantee you that not a single person will tell you “overnight”. This is especially true with larger, more complex deer hair bass bugs. Chris Helm, also known as the “Deer Hair Guru” takes you through the steps you need to learn how to tie two super-effective bugs, the Deer Hair Popper, and Deer Hair Sunfish. The 60 minute long DVD flows smoothly making it excellent for beginner tyers.

When you are ready to start tying your own flies for bass fishing, you are usually going to end up confused about what all it is that you need to get going. There are so many different flies to tie, different materials to use, sizes of hooks that are best under different situations, and the list goes on, and on. To help you get through the buying process, and get started tying your own arsenal of flies, you’ll want to step back from thinking you need thousands of different items and, instead, start looking for a kit that provides you with everything that you need to get going.

Fly Tying Tools Included:
– Fly Tying Vise
– Thread Bodkin
– Bodkin Threader
– Tying Scissors
– Thread Bobbin
– Fly Head Cement
– Flex Seal
– (4) Spools Tying Thread
     - Black
     - Brown
     - Chartreuse
     - Clear
– (4) Packs Mustad 1/0 Hooks
– (1) Pack Weed Guards
– (1) Pack Cork Bodies
– (1) Pack Painted Lead Eyes

Fly Tying Materials Included:
– Deer Body Hair (6) Colors
– Bucktail Hair (3) Colors
– Saddle Hackle (4) Colors
– Flashabou Accent (3) Colors
– Neck Hackle (2) Colors
– Squirrel Hair
– Chartreuse Marabou
– Chenille (2) Colors

As you can see here, there are plenty of materials, and the tools needed to get you started tying your own flies. As a bonus, you also get an instruction DVD from Lefty Kreh, himself, that teaches you how to tie some of the best bass flies of all time: Bendback Streamer, Lefty’s Deceiver, Clouser Minnow, Lefty’s Popping Bug, Hackle Fly / Seaducer, Deer Hair Diver, and a Deer Hair Popper.

Once you are done tying all of the flies included in the DVD, you can start tying your own creations, or flies that you’ve learned about here on BassFlyFishing.net. The kit includes plenty of materials for tying at least one of each of the flies on the DVD, as well as a dozen, or more, of your own personal recipes.

You can pick up the kit for yourself at Bass Pro for only $79.99. Click here to get started tying your own flies!

Remember to leave a comment sharing any fly tying recipes that you’ve concocted, and until next time, Tight lines from BassFlyFishing.net!

Fly fishing for bass doesn’t have to be expensive! If you think you need some high dollar rod that can delicately deliver size 18 nymphs, you should probably take a step back and realize the size of the mouth that you’re throwing flies at. Bass don’t care if you have the most expensive rod on the block! All they care is that you are able to have the technique required to give your flies a lifelike movement. All you should worry about is not throwing your shoulder out from a poorly balanced, or ill fitted fly rod. These 3 fly rod combos are perfect for slinging baby-bird sized flies, all day long. Staying on a budget, and catching your favorite species is easy.

9’6″ 7-weight – Cabella’s Traditional II, Ross FlyStart Fly Rod Combo – $169.99

This is the combo that I used for 3 seasons before I passed it down to my nephew. He’s gotten another 2 seasons of use out of it, and it’s still going strong. The fast-action, high modulus graphite rods are perfect for loading heavy flies, and effortlessly casting weight forward fly lines exactly where you want them. The FlyStart fly reels from Ross have a super-smooth offset drag system that doesn’t twitch and jerk, breaking your leader, like some other, lower priced reels do.

9’6″ 7-weight – Cabella’s Traditional II, Three Forks Fly Rod Combo – $139.99

When my fishing partner wanted me to help him pick out a good rod without breaking his wallet, I told him the Traditional II fast-action was the way to go. He found it paired with a Three Forks fly reel and Cabela’s Prestige Plus weight-forward fly line, and has been using quite a bit. Prestige lines are great for slinging both deer hair bugs, as well as sinking flies and has a super glide technology for smooth casts.

9’0″ 8-weight – Cabella’s Wind River, Three Forks Fly Rod Combo – $109.99

If you’re really wanting to save money, and get out on your local waters, I present to you the Wind River fly rod combo from Cabelas. The IM6 graphite rod is perfect for learning how to cast heavy flies, and the shorter 9’0″ length is more forgiving and comfortable for beginner anglers. At only $109 you’re going to have a hard time finding a combo with this level of quality and craftsmanship.

You don’t just have to take my word for it on these fly rod combos, though. If you take a look at some of the other reviews left by customers that have also purchased them, it will be easy for you to see why they made it onto this list. When you’re ready to pick up a new rod, or get started in bass fly fishing, make sure to come back here and let me know which one you purchased by leaving a comment below. I’d love to hear some of your own stories on how they work in your local waters! Until next time, tight lines!

Over the course of my bass fly fishing adventures, there have been few flies that produce as consistently as the ones I’ve put together here. Each of these flies are incredibly cost effective, and are the ones that I reach for, most often. Take a look and figure out if you can learn some new tricks, or perhaps even pick up some new flies for your box, and your next outing! If you want to add any of these to your collection, you can click on the link (opens in a new window) and purchase them from Orvis.

Topwater Bass Flies

Nothing can cause as many adrenaline pumping, ferocious strikes quite like topwater flies. If you love catching bass on a topwater as much as I do, you’ll love these three flies: Hard body poppers, Bass Bugs, and Dahlberg Divers.

Hard Body Bass Popper – These are among some of my favorite types of topwater flies to use for bass. The subtle action, and popping noise attract strikes from some of the largest fish in the water. I keep at least 1 of every color available in the 1/0 size. Even the smaller fish will hit the 1/0. Depending on the conditions I’m fishing in, I’ll reach for different colors. For muddy waters I love the chartreuse color. In tinted or stained waters I’ll grab the Yellow/Red or Red/White, and in clear waters I always reach for the Frog pattern. When I’m out fishing at night, black is the go-to color.

Rainy’s Foam Frogs – This is another variation of my favorite type of topwater fly to use. Rather than featuring a hard, balsa wood body like the fly above, Rainy’s Foam Frogs are made out of foam. I think this squishy feeling of the fly makes it a lot more irresistible to big fish. When you are having problems setting the hook and pulling the fly back with you, you might want to try the foam frogs in natural, black, and chartreuse. Giving the fish something to chew on may help you get successful when you’re targeting big fish with topwater flies.

Deer Hair Bass Bugs – My next type of topwater bass fly that I never leave home without are deer hair bass bugs. Deer hair is an excellent material to tie bass flies with because of the bulk it creates, and its natural flotation properties. The flat-front bass bugs move a lot of water without causing too much of a commotion, which is perfect during calm, muggy afternoons, and when the fish aren’t in a highly aggressive mood. You can fish these in a pop, pause, or pop, pop, pause technique for some ferocious strikes.

Deer Hair Dahlberg Divers – The Dahlberg diver is a true classic, tied by none other than the big-fish hunter himself, Larry Dahlberg. These mimic a frog perfectly, and dive underneath the water when you strip line, then resurface when they go slack. I’ve caught some of my biggest bass using these divers. One of my favorite colors is the Frog patter, and other baitfish patterns that I have tied myself.(Videos coming soon!) When you cast these flies out, make sure to let them sit until the rings on the water disappear, then start retrieving slowly and methodically, trying to imitate a frog.

Streamer Bass Flies

When the fish won’t hit a topwater, I pull out the next best thing: diving bass flies. These are great for sight casting during the spawn, as well! Let the fly sink to the depth you want it at, and start stripping your line using an enticing technique, and hang on!

Woolly Buggers – I think more fish have probably been caught on a Woolly Bugger than any other type of fly made. I mean any fish. If it swims, it will take a Woolly Bugger. You can throw these near any piece of cover you know bass are hiding, and the soft hair undulates perfectly to entice them into striking hard. Even when the fly is sitting still the hairs will puff, and move, making it an incredibly subtle way to trigger strikes. I change up the colors depending on the light and water conditions. Black for stained water, White, Olive, and Tan for clear, depending on what the fish are feeding on.

Seaducer – This fly is an odd one. I have used flies like these when fishing the saltwater flats, and they hammer trout, snook, redfish, and tarpon, but I never figured that bass would chase it the same way. It is a super-lightweight fly that takes a while to sink, but I think this is where it gets its charm. The slow, undulating sinking properties combined with the soft, supple darting action the fly gets when you strip the line makes for a fly that can turn some bad days into really good days. All types of bass will hit this, largemouth, smallmouth, peacock, and striped are big on it, certain times of the year.

Lefty’s Deceiver – This is one of the flies that I learned how to tie out of the bass fly tying kit and learned to love pretty quickly. You can make just about any type of color pattern you want with this fly. I like to fish it in depths up to 6ft because of its slower sinking rate. Whether the fish are biting on shad, bream, baby bass, or minnows, you can tie a color pattern that matches perfectly, then trim down the excess on a few of them to give you different sizes. A slow, deliberate retrieve is best with these flies.

Munchable Minnow – When the fish want a “meatier” meal, it’s time to throw a Munchable Minnow. This bug features a full body, and streamer tail, kicking off a nice, chunky silhouette under the water, giving the fish something worth using up their energy to chase after. You want to mimic how a baitfish moves with your stripping technique. Allow the fly ample amounts of time to sink down where the fish are, then start stripping it past the cover for some aggressive strikes.

Sinking Bass Flies

When the fish are in a neutral mood, and it’s hard to get them to attack a topwater, or spend the energy required to chase after a diving streamer, it’s time to tie on the sinking flies. With the right technique you can get even some of the most neutral-attitude bass to take the fly.

Clouser Minnow – The Clouser Minnow is as versatile as Lefty’s Deceiver, with one big difference. Clouser Minnows are typically tied with lead eyes to help them sink faster, and dart harder. This makes them great when the baitfish are busting, and you can tell what the bigger fish are looking for in a meal. If they want it on the bottom, or moving quickly, a Clouser Minnow tied in baitfish, crayfish, and other aquatic insect patterns will help you get a bite.

Gulley’s Crawfish – I’ve seen quite a few crawfish imitators, but nothing comes as close as a Gulley’s Crawfish. This weighted fly bounces perfectly across the bottom, and when you fish it tight to cover, you can trick some of the biggest fish that you’ll ever catch with it. If you know the fish in your waters are feeding on crawfish, you need to tie one of these on and spend a few hours throwing it. You’ll be glad that you did! You may want to keep a few extras in your box, in case you get a snag and have to bust it off.

Those are my personal favorite bass flies. If you have some that consistently produce for you, feel free to leave me a comment below and let us know what’s going on!