of mighty and minuscule

Hi Folks, Ran a fly client in a canoe yesterday afternoon for smallmouth bass. Really has warmed up this week.  Hot and humid all week it looks like.  Not great trout fishing weather, but sure mighty fine for tugging on smallmouth.  The surface temperature of the lake we fished was 74 degrees.  Very little wind to speak of.  It seems to me that when the surface temperature eclipses 70 degrees and the air is heavy, the top water bite really takes off.  We cast a #6 chartreuse rubber legged popper and never changed flies.  We fish of all size classes eat the fly.  We hooked a legitimate 20" plus smallmouth off a rock ledge with some weeds that was a monster!  Lost it on the second jump.  The interesting part was that the bass sucked in the fly like a small fish.  You had no clue how big it was until it came out of the water and then it was game on.  I bark at guests all the time about treating every fish the same in how you hook and play them.  Builds good habits.  Also, very important to put maximum pressure on a big fish.  Meaning find the taper of the your fly rod and bend it.  So, we did catch a lot of other bass in varying size ranges.  Interestingly enough, the small fish crushed the popper and the big boys and girls were subtle takes.  Funny hooking 20" fish to 5" fish.  good sign for the lake as you know it is helathy with all age and size classes.  Off to chase smallmouth again this afternoon.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy