The deer hair head of the purple leech bass bug helps keep it buoyant so it can be fished on and just below the surface. The long strip of rabbit fur moves side to side and the fur pulses on the retrieve.

DEERHAIR BASS BUG FLY PATTERNS. Hook size 6 - $US each

Black Bass, largemouth and Smallmouth Bass love this purple leech bassbug fly pattern because of its movement and shape. It can pass as an injured small bait fish in distress, a leech, eel or aquatic snake when viewed from below. Bass like to lie in wait under natural cover and ambush passing prey. You can normally find bass lairs by looking for heavy swirls of water near fallen trees, ledges, rocks or clumps of vegetation in shady locations. I have found they are most active at dawn and dusk. I do a lot of night fishing and have noted that I get more takes when the moon is out and bright.

On my last trip to America I wanted to have a go at catching some Black Bass. I had started fishing this attractive large pond in the late afternoon with my purple leech bass bug. There had been a lot of beaver activity recently that had created a variety of potential Black Bass lairs. There were a number of felled trees in the water with beaver teeth marks at the base. I made my way along the north bank, fishing wherever the branches parted wide enough for a cast. To avoid snag ups you have to practice and keep practicing your casting accuracy. Once you are proficient you can really enjoy a full days Bass fishing and not have to keep dealing with tangled tackle.

The limitation in such confined situations is the narrow arc which can be covered. Since the fish lie close to the edge I stayed well back and concentrated on retrieving through the margins beside submerged branches and tree roots. I noticed a few Black Bass splashed away as I passed thickly bushed stretches and I nearly reached the end of the pond before contacting one in a small opening. This Black Bass took my purple leech bass bug when it was just one foot from the bank. It was only a small 1lb fish but this thing was hard enough to land. It was a strong fighter and difficult to steer away from all the potential snags. As dusk was falling I was walking back towards the other end of the pond. There was an open area that allowed me to fish parallel to the bank. This is a much more efficient way of covering the bass lies when visibility is reducing. You really need daylight conditions to fish amongst heavy vegetation. I was retrieving my purple leech fly pattern near the surface, avoiding the numerous drowned logs, when my rod was nearly wrenched from my hand. A big black Bass thrashed the water, dived and ran hard for the bank. I managed to turn him and he set off at high speed for the cover of the nearest fallen beaver cut half drowned tree. I could not stop him. Inevitably he became stuck under a large branch. I slackened off and waited. The Black Bass swam free and this enabled me to subdue it with no further problem. It was a nice 6lb specimen which I immediately released.

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