Click For Enlargment Copyright © 2001 Ian Scott

First, I truly believe that smallmouth bass were created for fly anglers. Second, an opportunity to fish with Mr. James is not something one should ever ignore.

Let's get to reason number one: Smallmouth bass are awesome! I know that a lot of fly anglers who worship trout are going to scoff at this, but that's their problem. They either have never tried flyfishing for smallmouth bass, or their own prejudices are such that they might not know 'awesome' when they feel it.

If you have ever experienced the sight of a smallie snapping at your top water fly, and then begin it's angry and aggressive fight that include tail slapping water dances mixed with diving, driving and darting runs, you would have to agree that pound for pound, a smallmouth bass exceeds a trout both in spiritedness and strength.

Don't have any big top water flies? No problem. Find a nice bit of pocket water, and start nymphing. Yup, that's right - smallmouth bass will take nymphs. Surprisingly, I've heard a few fly anglers laugh at the idea that a bass would make a great quarry while nymphing. Keep laughing - Ian and I caught probably close to 15 fish while nymphing.

The second reason why I jumped at the opportunity is simply that fishing with a fantastic fly angler, an accomplished and creative fly tyer, a great guide, and a very funny man can make for a memorable day. And memorable it was! Although we were primarily fishing for smallmouth bass, I managed to fight a large carp (yes, even carp will take a nymph!) for about 10 minutes before it broke off, and Ian had a pike viciously remove fly and a couple of feet of leader.

The real story though was the bass. We began our fishing downstream of a well populated area on a river in South Western Ontario. I've been sworn to secrecy as to the exact location, but I can tell you that the Thames River is home to the fish we were hunting. For the first hour or so, there was very little action, but as we continued to wade the river, the fishing became pretty hot.

Ian selected and tied onto my leader a fly he has created and appropriately named the "Bass Slammer". After pointing out a flat that he knew held fish, I casted the leggy, foamy, long tailed contraption and begin jerk stripping line. Within seconds, there was a major commotion in the river as a 14" smallie tried to swallow the bass slammer and the fight was on. What a hoot!

After several more fish, in the 12" to 15" range, it was time to move on. For about half an hour, the fishing was very slow, and Ian decided it was nymph time. From his box, he selected another one of his creations, this one without a name, but also very effective. Several drifts into some deep pockets near boulders produced some pretty nasty fightin' fish! Ian spent a great deal of the afternoon razzing me about a behemoth smallmouth, probably in the 20" range, that I had on for about 5 minutes before it managed to spit the fly. That was a heartbreaker. Ian's razzing didn't help much.

Ian, who fishes this area regularly, advised me that we had actually hit a slow day. When he has guided in the area, it apparently is common for some of his clients to catch and release over 30 fish. "It's wonderful to see the look in someone's eye when they've hooked a 19 or 20 inch bass. After 20, it's a real thrill, especially if you've never done any serious smallie flyfishing," Ian said. Of course, there are a lot of small ones too, but they are just as fun. I couldn't stop laughing after landing about 5 or 6 ten to twelve inchers, that had attacked James' 'Bass Slammer', and feeling how even the small ones can be so feisty.

"Sometimes, it's pretty easy to become complacent after catching a bunch of small ones," Ian noted. "Then, all of a sudden, boom! You've got a hit from a big one, and you weren't ready for it." How true. Ian's teasing me about the big one that got away, kept reminding of that bit of wisdom.

If you ever have an opportunity to fish with Ian James, don't pass it up. Not only is he a great guide, he's also a very skilled teacher, as well. I am always learning new things when I have the rare chance to fish with him.

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