Deep & Slow (for bass)

March is such a tease. The weather is so nice and the clothing so scant (college town) it has you convinced it is almost summer already. You start having silly notions about taking your shirt off outside (impromptu gun show) and digging to the bottom of your pack for that top-water frog you tied last year, but haven't seen in six months. Then you put you hand in the water and come crashing back to reality. It ain’t summer yet! Not even close. The water is cooooooold, boy! Wooooweee! The bass are living in it…and they’re cold blooded. So, they are moving a bit slow. Their food is lethargic, as well, so keep your leaders long, your casts out toward deep water and let the fly sink. Your retrieve should be painfully slow…test the limits of you’re A.D.D. It may also be a good idea to keep your flies small and dark for the early season bass. I have good luckcrawling a #6 Black Leech Backstabber this time of year. The hook point on this fly rides point up, so you can get away with fishing it slow on the bottom without fear of hanging it up on rocks and roots…