When fishing the deep parts of the river, fly fishing techniques are recommended, but you will have better success if you switch to wet flies than dry flies: wet flies sink.

In the fall, redeye bass will charge after deep-diving lures and jigs. They still prefer water temperatures in the range between 60°F to 70°F/15°C to 18°C and are often found in cool streams and rivers. Redeye bass can reach almost nine pounds and 15 inches long. In the summer, Redeye Bass are more likely to head to deep water in the hot summer months as the water temperature exceeds 70°F, otherwise they are not fond of deeper water or slow moving water.

Preferred River Spots

The Redeye bass spend their time at the headwaters of rivers and streams in the south-eastern United States, namely the Coosa river, Savannah river, Chattahoochee river, Alabama river and the Warrior river systems. These are the same waters that the black bass avoid.

Fly Fishing

You cannot go wrong with fly fishing for Redeye Bass as insects are a big part of their diet. They will still chase down small bait fish like fathead minnows and gizzard shad. The use of spinners and spoons are not essential during most conditions, though they do help out when the Redeye Bass head to deeper water.

Fly Rod

Select either a 3-weight fly rod or a 2-weight fly rod. On the fly rod scale, a 2-weight is an ultra light rod, perfect for Redeye Bass; a 3-weight is also about fishing light, but will work for Smallmouth Bass and smaller northernLargemouth Bass as well. A 4-weight rod is mid-weight rod and definitely overkill for the redeye bass.

A good light weight rod for redeye bass fishing is the St. Croix Legend Elite, which costs somewhere around $400, and can be had for much less on ebay.

Other good light weight fly rods include the R L Winston Boron LLT and the Orvis Trout Bum.

Fly Reel

There are many lightweight fly reels. The question you need to ask is what fish am I going to use it to catch. If you are going to focus on small fish, then why spend the coin on a heavy duty reel.

For small fish like the redeye bass, a Sage 1650 fly reel is a good option at $100, though we feel a Sage 1800 would be a better option with smooth drag for an extra $40.

Redeye bass prefer streams and rivers that drop thirty to forty feet every mile or two kilometres. They can be found in pools and riffles but be careful not to spook them by splashing around. While they enjoy faster moving water, they are not interested in white water conditions as these are too fast.

Flies

Try your hand at leech flies, damselfly flies, dragonfly flies, crayfish flies and popper flies. Don’t oversize them and stick to dry flies and you will do fine.