Hellgrammite imitations produce great smallmouth bass fishing.

By TERRY WILSON Photos by ROXANNE WILSON

Smallmouth bass will feed opportunistically on whatever the river provides, but in pale evening light, the swift water of a riffle offers a dietary staple – hellgrammites.

This larval stage of the Dobsonfly is a mean-looking critter with heavy mandibles capable of pinching an angler’s finger. They have a testy disposition to match, which causes them to use those powerful pincers at the slightest provocation.

Hellgrammites are most commonly found among the large gravel and chunk rock in swifter sections of streams, where they take refuge from the sunlight and feed mainly on other nymphs. They are most active at dusk and on into the night, a fact that must not be overlooked when fishing hellgrammite patterns.

Their three-year life cy - cle enables growth to reach almost 4 inches in waters containing an abundance of nymphs and larva on which to feed. In healthy streams, there is a wide range of sizes of this mean-spirited, ugly bug, from tiny wigglers to gigantic old-timers.

Those most available to the smallmouth population are between 1 and 3 inches in length, and imitations should replicate that range of sizes.

Ugly And Overlooked

Even knowledgeable anglers often fail to recognize the importance of hellgrammites, because they seldom see adult Dobsonflies along the stream, and their rock-turning forays fail to uncover true representations of the numbers that are available. This may be because the fastest section of the river is the hardest place to obtain samples. We shouldn’t assume their numbers are low and fail to imitate these brownish-black nymphs, so highly prized by the smallmouth bass population.

Flyfishing catalogs display an array of hellgrammite patterns, but few capture the flattened body, a realistic simulation of the menacing mandibles, or the flexible body of the live version.

The late George Grant, a fly-tying legend, used aluminum nails on either side of the hook shank to create a flat foundation for his weighted nymphs. We substituted 50 pound test monofilament for Grant’s nails and borrowed the mandible material (black rubber 3/8-inch O-ring) used by the late Texas tier Michael Verduin, then added a jointed body to fashion our own hellgrammite imitation. The pattern has consistently given us good evening smallmouth action.

High Sticking

“High-sticking” can be successful and involves landing the fly close enough to the caster’s position to allow the angler to hold the line off the water by utilizing the rod’s length to follow the drift, which causes direct line-contact with the fly. The result is a drag-free drift that enables the angler to target specific seams or breaks in the current. That tactic also transmits fish contact immediately to the angler, thus reducing missed strikes.

Long leaders are necessary for high-sticking, and sometimes it’s helpful to extend the length of the leader if the fish-holding water is deep. Floating line with at least a 9-foot leader facilitates the high-sticking presentation, whereas leaders on a sinking line should be short (3½ to 6 feet) to prevent the fly from rising toward the surface.

Presentation depends, to a large extent, upon current speed. If the riffle being fished is slow enough to allow slack line recovery, casting up and across ensures the longest drag-free drift.

Intermittent fly action can be imparted even with a sinking line by lifting and then dropping the rod tip; strip the line only to remove slack. This lift, drop and strip retrieve is equally valuable in swift currents that require a down-and-across cast because it can be employed either at intervals during the presentation or at the end of the dead drift. Especially if casting downstream, it is advantageous to find casting positions that involve as little wading as possible. Any silt, sand or gravel that is dislodged will be washed downstream through potentially productive water. If a dead drift is preferred, a reach cast (pointing the rod tip upstream as the fly is landing) will extend the length of the drift.

THE ROCK-BANGING TACTIC

Another successful presentation involves pocket water that is swift enough to harbor hellgrammites. Casting down and across allows the fly to tumble among the rocks. Then, then stripping brings the fly into contact with the rocks. This creates a clicking sound that causes nearby bass to investigate.

This “rock-banging” tactic is particularly successful when the water is so turbid that smallmouths are having difficulty locating their meal by sight. Barbell eyes, cone heads, and bead heads will do a good job of clicking against submerged rocks to attract bass.

Using a hellgrammite pattern offers great smallmouth fishing, but it’s important to remember the nature of this ugly bug. It shuns the light, waits until near darkness to become active, and prefers the fast, well-oxygenated portions of the stream. Success with hellgrammite imitations is best near dusk, in and near riffles.