Buddy Sanders
09-14-2007, 10:07 PM
What can you expect from a September tournament at Roosevelt?
Even though it's still pretty hot, the Bass know fall is coming. They will be active and feeding to put on as much weight as they can before 'winter' sets in (I know that we don't really have much of a 'winter' here, but the fish are motivated by genetics, not reason. Shorter days means fall, fall means feed.....).
Most fish will be readily accessible to a fly rod, probably shallower than 12 feet most of the day.
Secondary points, especially those with some cover on them, will hold the majority of the larger fish.
Expect to get topwater fish all day. You can probably catch all the 'slot' sized bass you want by targeting the schooling fish. Just watch for the boils and cast into them. For larger fish, stay on structure and work larger topwater baits around the edge of visible cover. This will be especially effective if you get some cloud cover.
The larger fish at Roosevelt aren't chasing shad. Bluegills, crappie, and crayfish are more efficient meals. The 'big' bass don't get onto the shad until they begin their winter die off.....THEN you can catch BIG bass fishing vertically with jigging spoons. Wish there was a corresponding technique for a fly rod....
You can take two approaches, depending on your fishing style. Either fish fast hitting the obvious points/cover/structure with fast moving flies keeping the boat on the move to cover a lot of water, or pick a good looking piece of structure and work it carefully. Either approach can work, so it's up to you. Obviously, the float tubers and the bank folks will want to take the second option.
The key on Roosevelt is ALWAYS edges and transitions. Look for those areas where brush changes to rock, or the 'type' of rock changes, etc.. If you can find such a transition edge that also correlates to a piece of structure like a point or ridge, you'll likely do very well. Where ever you end up, pay close attention to ANY kind of edge, including shadows.
If you choose to fish to visible cover, concentrate on being ACCURATE with your casts. Bass will 'react' more than they will 'feed', and many times a fly that lands right next to a piece of cover will draw a strike while one that lands a couple of inches away will not. A twenty foot cast that lands right against the target will catch many more bass than a 90 foot one that lands five inches away (actually, 20 foot casts that gets the lure to the right place will catch more fish than 90 foot casts to the same place-you can make many more 20 foot casts in the same amount of time, and get better hooksets and land more fish, etc., etc.,). The maxim for ALL bass fishing is to get as close as you can to the fish without diminishing your catch rate-that changes based on conditions, but even in very clear water, 30 feet is plenty.....
Bass like to strike falling baits, so pay attention to the fly as it settles in the water. When fishing to visible cover, it's not unusual for the majority of strikes to come within the first 1/2 of a second after the fly hits the water. If you are playing with your fly line at this point, you probably won't even know the fish was there.....
As far as flies go, I'd never fish ANY tournament on Roosevelt where the water temp is over 60 degrees without some type of topwater bait available to me. I use a boat, so I keep a rod rigged for topwater that I can pick up as needed. Poppers, sliders, frogs, all of them will work. I like a bait I can work quickly and that 'spits' rather than pops. Use whatever you have confidence in.
For subsurface: DHMs, Clousers, Semi Seals, Wigglefish, crayfish imitations, 'buggers, all can work well at Roosevelt. Remember that most forage is larger in the fall than in the spring, and try to keep your lure size up if you can. A four inch long fly should be considered a 'little one' this time of year.
For those of you who want to fish visible targets, consider weedguards on your flies. It's not just the getting stuck and 'losing' flies that merits this. If you come to a good looking piece of cover, and your fly hangs up on the first cast, just about ANYTHING you do after that will keep you from catching bass from that piece of cover. Better to not get stuck in the first place.
Confidence is a bigger factor than fly selection, so try to fish with a fly that YOU know works for you. The biomass at Roosevelt is unbelievable, there are lots of fish, and they really aren't all that picky.
It's incredibly unlikely, bordering on the unbelievable, that there will be only 'one' fly that will be productive on any bass fishing outing. All the records out there indicate that on any given day there are litterally HUNDREDS of baits that will catch bass on the same lake. One thing is absolutley CERTAIN, however. For you to be able to catch a bass on a fly, that fly needs to be in in the water. The MORE TIME that you have a fly in the water, the more likely you are to get bit.
Just a general overview based on my persoanl experiences, both in tournaments in general and on Roosevelt in particular. I'll happily answer any specific questions that come to mind, as long as you understand that such information and advice may be worth only what you've paid for it....
Wish I could be there, you guys are going to have a blast....
Good Luck!
Buddy
Even though it's still pretty hot, the Bass know fall is coming. They will be active and feeding to put on as much weight as they can before 'winter' sets in (I know that we don't really have much of a 'winter' here, but the fish are motivated by genetics, not reason. Shorter days means fall, fall means feed.....).
Most fish will be readily accessible to a fly rod, probably shallower than 12 feet most of the day.
Secondary points, especially those with some cover on them, will hold the majority of the larger fish.
Expect to get topwater fish all day. You can probably catch all the 'slot' sized bass you want by targeting the schooling fish. Just watch for the boils and cast into them. For larger fish, stay on structure and work larger topwater baits around the edge of visible cover. This will be especially effective if you get some cloud cover.
The larger fish at Roosevelt aren't chasing shad. Bluegills, crappie, and crayfish are more efficient meals. The 'big' bass don't get onto the shad until they begin their winter die off.....THEN you can catch BIG bass fishing vertically with jigging spoons. Wish there was a corresponding technique for a fly rod....
You can take two approaches, depending on your fishing style. Either fish fast hitting the obvious points/cover/structure with fast moving flies keeping the boat on the move to cover a lot of water, or pick a good looking piece of structure and work it carefully. Either approach can work, so it's up to you. Obviously, the float tubers and the bank folks will want to take the second option.
The key on Roosevelt is ALWAYS edges and transitions. Look for those areas where brush changes to rock, or the 'type' of rock changes, etc.. If you can find such a transition edge that also correlates to a piece of structure like a point or ridge, you'll likely do very well. Where ever you end up, pay close attention to ANY kind of edge, including shadows.
If you choose to fish to visible cover, concentrate on being ACCURATE with your casts. Bass will 'react' more than they will 'feed', and many times a fly that lands right next to a piece of cover will draw a strike while one that lands a couple of inches away will not. A twenty foot cast that lands right against the target will catch many more bass than a 90 foot one that lands five inches away (actually, 20 foot casts that gets the lure to the right place will catch more fish than 90 foot casts to the same place-you can make many more 20 foot casts in the same amount of time, and get better hooksets and land more fish, etc., etc.,). The maxim for ALL bass fishing is to get as close as you can to the fish without diminishing your catch rate-that changes based on conditions, but even in very clear water, 30 feet is plenty.....
Bass like to strike falling baits, so pay attention to the fly as it settles in the water. When fishing to visible cover, it's not unusual for the majority of strikes to come within the first 1/2 of a second after the fly hits the water. If you are playing with your fly line at this point, you probably won't even know the fish was there.....
As far as flies go, I'd never fish ANY tournament on Roosevelt where the water temp is over 60 degrees without some type of topwater bait available to me. I use a boat, so I keep a rod rigged for topwater that I can pick up as needed. Poppers, sliders, frogs, all of them will work. I like a bait I can work quickly and that 'spits' rather than pops. Use whatever you have confidence in.
For subsurface: DHMs, Clousers, Semi Seals, Wigglefish, crayfish imitations, 'buggers, all can work well at Roosevelt. Remember that most forage is larger in the fall than in the spring, and try to keep your lure size up if you can. A four inch long fly should be considered a 'little one' this time of year.
For those of you who want to fish visible targets, consider weedguards on your flies. It's not just the getting stuck and 'losing' flies that merits this. If you come to a good looking piece of cover, and your fly hangs up on the first cast, just about ANYTHING you do after that will keep you from catching bass from that piece of cover. Better to not get stuck in the first place.
Confidence is a bigger factor than fly selection, so try to fish with a fly that YOU know works for you. The biomass at Roosevelt is unbelievable, there are lots of fish, and they really aren't all that picky.
It's incredibly unlikely, bordering on the unbelievable, that there will be only 'one' fly that will be productive on any bass fishing outing. All the records out there indicate that on any given day there are litterally HUNDREDS of baits that will catch bass on the same lake. One thing is absolutley CERTAIN, however. For you to be able to catch a bass on a fly, that fly needs to be in in the water. The MORE TIME that you have a fly in the water, the more likely you are to get bit.
Just a general overview based on my persoanl experiences, both in tournaments in general and on Roosevelt in particular. I'll happily answer any specific questions that come to mind, as long as you understand that such information and advice may be worth only what you've paid for it....
Wish I could be there, you guys are going to have a blast....
Good Luck!
Buddy