The Smallmouth Bass (Microterus Dolomieu) is without doubt, one of the most popular freshwater fish in North America. As a “gamefish” the smallmouth is one of the hardest fighting freshwater species and highly sought after by longrodders and conventional fishermen alike. Smallmouth also play a large part in the overall US fishing industry, as several major fishing tournaments are centered in prime smallmouth lakes and rivers.
Brian Shumaker is getting ready for a day of smallmouthbass fishing on the Susquehanna river.
Flytying-legend Bob Clouser who has garnered an extensive knowledge of the smallmouth, developed over a quarter-century of guiding on Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers, is renown as a smallmouth master. Many of Bob’s ideas for fly patterns as well as fishing techniques, developed during those years on the river, have become the standards for fly rodders today. His Clouser minnow is now worldwide, one of the most popular fly patterns ever developed.
On retiring from a full life of guiding, Bob, passed his guide service and river knowledge to a young upcoming guide, and friend of many years, by the name of Brian Shumaker.
Brian and Mo in search of smallmouth bass.
Brian, now a smallmouth guide for over twenty years, has not only continued in his mentor’s footsteps, but has developed his own very effective patterns and techniques for the quarry of his choice. His Susquehanna River Outfitters guide service is one of the most sought-after in the area and every year, eager anglers hope book with him during the legendary “pre-spawn”, when large, aggressive bronzebacks gather in numbers to compete for food, territory, and mating rights.
One pattern, developed by Brian, that has become deadly effective during this period, is his Shimmering Minnow. The fly’s appeal is in its simplicity in tying and seductive movement in the water. A relatively quick tie, requiring a minimal amount of material, it is essentially a guide’s fly, designed to work up and down the water column and in conditions of both high and low water. Combined with the techniques that Brian has developed for fishing the fly, it is one of the most productive flies in his arsenal.
“The Shimmering Minnow is a pattern that I developed in 2012 to catch smallmouth bass. I was looking for something that was quick to tie and that could easily match the bait fish that I would find in the rivers that I fished. I also wanted something that I could fish in the middle water column. I started out using a single hook and it worked well and caught fish, but I still wasn’t satisfied. I started playing around with shanks trying to add articulation to the fly and it worked very well. The Shimmering Minnow was catching a lot of fish and I was happy and so were my clients. Recently I was experimenting by the vise and stumbled upon the flexible silicone head by Pro Sportfisher and I decided to try it on the Shimmering Minnow. It was the last piece that really made the fly look complete.
What is good about the Shimmering Minnow is that you can tie the fly to match the baitfish that are common to the water that the angler is fishing, by coloring the fly using markers. The possibilities are endless, from the different color combinations to the size you can make it by adding shanks. So far, the Shimmering Minnow has caught, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, trout, stripers, speckled trout, redfish, and snook.”
Shimmering Minnow:
Hook: Ahrex PR320 – Predator Stinger #2
Shank: 15 mm Shank
Thread: White
Tail on shank: White Marabou & Halo Flashabou Silver Ice
Tail on hook: White Marabou to cover the wire
Body: Palmer chenille # M Pearl for both shank and hook
Connection: 20 lbs bite wire
Finish: Prisma Colormarkers Gray
Head: Pro Sportfisher Soft Head 4 mm Clear
Eyes: Pro Sportfisher Cool Eyes 4 mm Golden
“I fish the Shimmering Minnow on an intermediate line, the leader is a 4-to-5-foot piece of 12-pound fluorocarbon. I use a medium fast retrieve with three fast strips followed by a pause, the pause is the key as smallmouth will usually hit a fly on the pause. Fish it around rock structure, grass beds, ledges, or anywhere smallmouth hangout.
The Shimmering Minnow to date has caught 15 different species of fish both fresh and saltwater, just color it to match the bait fish that are available.”
Brian was visiting his old friend Steve Silverio and during his latest visit, Ahrex was also there to shoot video and content. You can see the tying sequence of Brian’s Shimmering Minnow above. We call the video-project “Silverfish Studios”, so please follow Ahrex for future flytying-videos from a wide range of very skilled flytyers that visited the “flytying-dungeon” of Steve Silverio.
