Basic Fly Selection for the Little Miami

A warm water river like the Little Miami holds a tremendous variety of life when compared to a cold water stream like your average trout stream. The fish in the Little Miami are much more likely to eat a fly because it looks like something good to eat rather than an exact copy of a specific insect or fish species. I try to carry good generic flies like the parachute adams that might imitate any of a dozen things on the water at any one time. For smallmouth a generic stonefly/hellgrammite pattern cast upstream and across and allowed to tumble back like an insect caught in the current is most times a top producer. Early and late especially, a deer hair bug
fished in the slick at the tail of a pool and around structure can produce some exciting strikes. I like a slightly smaller bug than is normally thrown in ponds for largemouth. And I really like my smaller version, the googly, for non stop action. Here's my recipe for tying the googly-

First you tie in a tail of fox or squirrel and a peice of tinsel.




then you wrap the tinsel forward till it covers about 60% of the hook shank and tie it in.



Next tie in wings from a saddle,I like grizzly but in truth use whatever I have left over from tying dries.



Then you take some deer hair and loop the thread over it twice. As you pull the thread taut you release the hair with your fingers letting it flare and spin around the hook shank.





Repeat tying in bunches of deer hair till you fill up the hook shank completely.








Tye off the thread and trim the deer hair.



epoxy on your eyes and your done.




Also don't be afraid to use some flies usually thought of as just trout flies. A good nymph pattern tied in a variety of sizes will draw a strike from just about anything that swims in the river. A generic nymph placed gently in front of a buffalo or carp can sometimes draw a take from these fish usually only taken on bait.