I'm planning on taking my first trip to the BW this summer - likely in late May but possibly in July. As anticipation is often as good as the event, I want to spend my winter at the tying bench visualizing all the smallies, 'eye, and northern that will be attacking my flies. I plan to tie a collection of Clousers, muddlers, leaches and woolly buggers. Any other suggestions? And what's the best way to get way down deep. Thanks in advance.

I used a hook point up pattern this past summer - colored eyes with flashabou. Similar to a Clouser only with red flashabou on top and gold as the belly. The pike loved it. Two pike and the fly was destroyed. Also used blue and silver.

Thanks for the tip. I'll tie up a few and let you know how they do this summer.

A few patterns that have worked for me:

dark, crayfish colored Murray's Roadkill type flies for smallies

big, white Deceivers for big bass or pike

variety of bunny flies for pike

foam bodied poppers with splayed feather tail and weedguard

big bunny tailed divers for topwater pike on the rare warm, calm day

a Clouser suspender fly with white wool body and marabou tail on intermediate line