This last week I had the opportunity to experience something like never before with a friend and local guide Adison Rook. Adison has kept this fishery under wraps for the last 6 years as he has been perfecting his approach. I never considered stillwater fishing for bass on the fly something that I would get excited about like I do with the intricacies with trout fishing. After this trip I can say I was wrong and believe every fly angler should experience a freight train of a Spotted Bass on the end of their line.
Adison is a passionate and accomplished stillwater angler here in the valley, on our very own Cascade’s high lakes, and down in Northern California. He has put in years on many of the West’s best stillwater fisheries, and the minute you step in the boat with him it is apparent. For 6 years, Adison has been mastering our spotted bass fishery close to home. This is something completely new to our area, and stillwater fishing as a whole. Even Phil Rowley, the Canadian master of stillwater fishing, is so intrigued he is coming down and getting on the spots with Adison.
Adison and I hit the water early one morning, and the lake was like glass. We shot across the lake to some promising structure, cutting through the morning fog. One of first things I noticed on the quick ride over is how open his boat is for fly anglers working in the front. Line management is a constant struggle, and the design of Adisons boat makes working from the front a breeze. We got all rigged up and Adison covered some basic strategy on how we are approaching these monster fish.
Within the first few minutes I was having the most delicate of eats and absolutely blowing it. There definitely is a learning curve approaching these seemingly gentle giants, but Adison filled me in and I was able to adapt quickly. He assured me there is plenty of structure to fish all day and we continued along. A GPS assisted trolling motor puttered us along and with the use of a satellite, kept us right in line with the structure we were fishing. This alone was an absolute game changer as Adison could track a course and repeat it with ease.
Just as I thought I was about to blow another eat, it happened. I hooked up to what I thought was a tractor on the end of my line. A massive Spotted Bass took my fly and ran deep with it, peeling line off my Sage Spectrum LT. Massive head shakes and unrelenting digging ensued as my arm burned leaving my 9’6″ 6wt Sage Sonic doubled over. Bewildered, I looked over at Adison and he was grinning, knowing exactly what I was experiencing. Once netted, the fattest bass I have ever laid my eyes on was there before me. Spotted Bass seem to grow fatter instead of longer at a certain size, and I am confident that this fish was larger around than an NFL football. My first Spotted Bass was a 5.11 lb brute, which seemed like chump change considering Adison has caught them over 8lbs.
Over the next few hours Adison and I hooked into several other massive bass. Our largest of the day weighted in at 6.8 lbs. We had lunch, and continued enticing Spots and other panfish to eat into the afternoon. We were both whooped and shot back to the launch. On the ride back, I dreamt of the 8+ pounder and now understand Adison’s obsession with chasing these tanks.
Adison is now booking trips for Spotted Bass through the shop. Spring time is your best shot for a trophy fish. If you or someone you know is interested, contact the shop to get in Adison’s books. (541) 342-7005
Adison is a wealth of info for stillwater fishing as a whole. You can find him religiously at the monthly Community Fly Fishing & Tying Nights at Falling Sky, and that is a great time to pick his brain.
At the next Fly Fishing and Tying Night later this month on the 20th, Adison will be generously donating a Spotted Bass trip to be raffled off. You must be there to enter the raffle, this is a great way to meet Adison, check off a new species if you win, and get out with a local stillwater master.
-Simon
