Black bass on the fly
Black bass is fairly well represented in France. It is a carnivore that frequents many lakes, ponds, rivers and canals in France. It is mainly found in the south of France, where it enjoys fairly warm water temperatures.
More often fished with lures, it is nevertheless possible to search for it with flies, whether streamers or surface flies that imitate large insects and small fish, as well as frogs and rodents of all kinds.
When to surface fish for black bass?
As soon as the water warms up, the black bass will move closer to the edges, especially the surface, to feed on prey hidden in aquatic vegetation, near logjams and submerged tree trunks.
It opens late, due to a spawning period that generally runs from April to June. It is therefore possible to try it on the surface from this post-reproduction period until late autumn, depending on water temperature.
Which fly to use for black bass?
Black bass flies are often tied in deer hair, but also in foam. Fly tyers and black-bass fishing enthusiasts are constantly coming up with inventive and highly original fly patterns. Gurglers, poppers and various small-sized flies are often used in search of this predator.
In France, specialists such as Jacques Bordenave and Vincent Vescovi mount flies similar to the hard lures used in the USA. Their creations are incredible and highly technical to produce. I invite you to admire them on our social networks. You need to master the tying and trimming of hollow deer hairs. It takes experience and a lot of skill to achieve a beautiful finish.
Explosive, thrilling action!
Black bass have two ways of grabbing your surface fly. Either it follows the fly and sucks it in with a characteristic sucking sound. The swirling action is powerful and the fly disappears. Or it can attack violently, sticking out its head or even a good part of its body, creating a huge spray of water!
In all cases, the actions are always magical and provide plenty of sensations and emotions. You have to be careful not to strike too hastily, otherwise you'll knock the fly out of the fish's mouth.
This is followed by characteristic acrobatic jumps where the black bass emerges from the water open-mouthed while shaking its head!