White Bass / Sand Bass Fly Pattern

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Every Spring, I like to hit the White Bass/Sand Bass Run. I like the term Sandies but I guess we call them White Bass in Arkansas for some reason. One reason the white bass run is such a craze for anglers is the obvious, they are great fighters and willing to smash a bait or crawdad pattern.

I do think that Beaver Lake is an awesome place for catching white bass. There are several great locations around the lake or on local streams. No limit on white bass at Beaver Lake!! The obvious "go-to" pattern is a chartreuse Clouser. The Crazydad is another good pattern. I use the Clouser with sinking line. A 5 wgt. rod will provide for an excellent fight. Although, I did use my 8 wgt. last year and still had a good fight - partially due to the current.

The fly pattern shown above is obviously a Woolly Bugger. I generally tie this with a silver bead head but did not have the proper size. For white bass, I generally stick with a size 8 hook. This is a larger size for black bass but will probably suffice for Sandies.

The body is of silver chenille, chartruese hackle and marabou with a red head - tied with red thread instead of black. I usually build up the red thread behind the bead head for a nice blood or gill effect. I have also caught bream and crappie on this pattern. This is a quick, easy and inexpensive pattern to tie.