Smallmouth bass [Micropterus dolomieu] by Timothy Knepp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A commons image.
Make mine a hellgrammite too, if you don’t mind
[dropcap]I[/dropcap] won’t be fishing for smallies this year, but I called a West Virginia friend, Jack Beardson, who already is. He says the best smallmouth bass [Micropterus dolomieu] fishing in years is underway in western Virginia and his state on nearby waters.
Jack says black hellgrrammites, like the one in the video tied by Diane Blair, are sure-fire along with Chuck Kraft’s version I always use also shown below.
Diane Blair ties Michael Verduin’s Hellgrrammite fly called Mighty Mite. This fly is a great pattern for smallmouth bass or any fish that feeds on hellgrammites.
