The Bass Nut: A Smallmouth-Specific Circus Peanut

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Russ Maddin’s uber-versatile Circus Peanut carries immense appeal for smallmouth bass anglers, whose quarry can prefer a variety of presentations depending on conditions. Consequently, a huge selection of modern smallmouth flies are simply (and often admittedly) derivatives of the original Peanut pattern that are armed with thoughtful modifications and updated materials. The Bass Nut is one such example, and like its inspiration, it's an extremely modifiable yet relatively simple pattern that can be tweaked to promote success in a wide variety of conditions. It’s a bulkier fly than the original and is packed with proven bass triggers, attributes shared by most modern bass flies–especially those geared towards big fish. 

Bass Nut Fly Tying Recipe

Tail and rear section:

• Size 2 Ahrex NS122 Light Stinger Hook
• 2 marabou plumes in contrasting colors 
• 1 rubber leg on each side, cut to length of marabou
• 1 or 2 strands of flash on each side, cut slightly longer than the tail
• Spiral wrapped Natural Shade Tapered Brush
• 1 rubber leg on each side
• Palmered schlappen cap

Middle section:

• 17-20mm shank
• Spiral wrapped Natural Shade Tapered Brush
• Palmered schlappen cap

Front section:

• Size 1 Ahrex TP610
• 15-17mm connector shank
• Eyes – dumbbell or bead chain
• Spiral wrapped Natural Shade Tapered Brush
• 2 rubber legs on each side
• 1 strand of flash cut to half-way back on the middle section
• Palmered schlappen cap
• Palmered Natural Shade Tapered Brush behind, around, and in front of eyes
• Trimmed to desired specs

Bass Nut Classification

Streamers can generally be classified by their intended actions. Swim flies unsurprisingly seek to replicate the swimming motion of baitfish, lamprey, or suspended worms. They are often built with large, dense, pushy heads and narrow, sparse rear ends. This hydrodynamically sound design prompts the tail to kick side-to-side in a “swimming” movement.

Jig flies are built differently, intended to rise and fall in the water column. It is well established that smallmouth bass are suckers for this seductive “jigging” action at times, but especially when water temperatures are low. Front-loaded weight is incorporated to drop flies nose first toward the bottom on a slack line and dart upward when stripped. Lead, brass, and tungsten are commonly employed in various forms to achieve this function. 

The Bass Nut’s characteristics make it a bit of a hybrid between the two. Its bulky head, tapered body, two (sometimes three) articulated hinge points, and sparsely tied rear section translate to excellent swim-like movement. Its head, however, features medium lead eyes under a brush head that pulls the fly down at a deliberate but not frantic pace. The result is a fly that rides in the middle-third of the water column, popping up and down and fluttering over structure like submerged wood, ledges, and boulders. 

Hooks and Shanks for the Bass Nut

Like many of its smallmouth-centric cohorts, the Bass Nut features a bulky silhouette via the use of long-fibered chenilles and brushes. Just Add H2O’s Natural Shade Tapered Brushes have emerged as excellent options for body material for their ability to shed water and build a fly with broad shoulders and a narrow rear end. Originally developed for Game Changer flies, they can be incorporated into a wide variety of streamer patterns that seek a tapered profile. The Bass Nut utilizes a single tapered brush that is incorporated into all three sections of the fly. These establish, without the need for trimming, an effective amount of taper, and they are manufactured in double and triple color schemes to offer built-in color contrast. The Bass Nut’s “shank-hook-shank” configuration is a distinct departure from the traditional two-hook, monofilament connection of the original Circus Peanut, but it provides the fly with excellent movement in very little current and enhanced durability. The length of the middle shank can range between 12 and 25 millimeters with 17-millimeter versions being the norm. 

Rear Section of the Bass Nut

The rear section should include as little material as possible in order to promote freedom of movement. Sparsely dressed, light wire rear hooks move better than heavy gauge models, and the Bass Nut uses a size 2 Ahrex NS122 or TP605 for this exact purpose. The Bass Nut’s marabou tail is kept relatively short and thinner than those typically found on the Circus Peanut, and spiral wraps of the tapered brush (no more than five wraps) with a modest schlappen collar both adhere to the minimalist theme of the rear section. Rubber legs at the rear section’s collar can be omitted or even simply ripped off on the water if an angler wishes to further enhance the tail’s kick. 

The incorporation of color contrast is a key element of fly design for many species, and the Bass Nut’s construction provides ample opportunities. Tying in a two-tone tail is standard procedure. When the fly rises and falls, the tail kicks vertically and the colors almost create a “blinking” effect that’s highly effective in off-color water. Olive-over-ginger has produced well for me in clear water, while white-over-orange does well in stained conditions. A single rubber leg on each side of the tail is added to help balance the fly and introduce a third color to the mix. One or two strands of flash can also be added if desired, extending slightly beyond the tail. 

Middle Section of the Bass Nut

The original Circus Peanut had no middle section. The Bass Nut does, and it uses the additional real estate to increase the bulky profile of the fly and incorporate additional color contrast. The middle segment should be tied a bit denser than the rear segment, with tighter spiral wraps and a couple of additional wraps of schlappen. It's often wise to select a feather of a different color here to add contrast. Even if the colors are similar, a mottled effect tends to produce at a higher rate than a monochromatic fly. Pink, orange, and yellow are great choices for the middle schlappen feather, adding splashes of color or “hotspots” to flies with otherwise muted tones. No rubber legs are added to the middle section as they can catch on the rear portion and inhibit the fly’s movement.

Front Section of the Bass Nut

The front section is tied on a size 1 Ahrex TP610 with a second 15 to 17mm shank (linked to the middle section) lashed onto it. Adding a little super glue and leaving the eye of the connector shank intact make the connection bomb-proof. It is at this point that medium dumbbell eyes are fastened to the underside of the hook a short space behind the eye and secured with a series of figure eight and cross wraps. 

The same tapered brush is then tied in at the back of the hook and wrapped forward in tighter spirals than the middle section. The fibers of the tapered brush are much longer here than in the previous portions, and tiers should use a wire brush to free trapped fibers as they wrap forward. Two rubber legs in different colors and a third palmered schlappen cap are then added to complete the shoulders of the fly, which should be considerably wider than the back end. A single strand of flash may be incorporated here on either side of the fly, extending to the rear of the middle shank.

Head of the Bass Nut

The construction of the head plays a major role in the fly’s action. The Bass Nut is designed to drop head-first on a slack line. To achieve this, tiers should use only as much material as necessary to create the head’s profile, and it should be trimmed significantly. Longer fibers in the head will slow the fly’s rate of descent and make it tougher to cast. The remaining length of tapered brush is secured right behind the eyes and wrapped twice behind, twice over, and twice in front of the eyes before being tied off right behind the hook eye. Trimming should begin on the underside, establishing an adequate hook gap with cuts parallel to the shank. Subsequent 45-degree cuts relative to the eye are then made to produce a slim head that gains bulk as it approaches the shoulders of the fly. 

Fishing the Bass Nut

The Bass Nut fishes well on both intermediate and floating lines with 6-foot leaders of 16- to 20-pound fluorocarbon. Ahrex Fastach Clips are excellent options for quick fly changes and to promote a high degree of movement, similar to a loop knot. A series of erratic strips and pauses makes the fly dart up and down, tail kicking all the way. Unlike most mid-column flies, the Bass Nut relies on gravity (not axial current) to achieve much of its action. This means it excels when retrieved in any direction, especially downstream, where unweighted or lightly weighted flies struggle to swim. Indeed, a direct downstream retrieve along a submerged log is one particularly deadly application of the fly. This versatility is exceptionally useful for wade anglers who must maximize every inch of the limited water they can access in a given day. 

A Do-It-All Fly

The Bass Nut is nothing more than a Circus Peanut in modern dress, and like the original pattern, it simply catches fish. It can be easily fished at a variety of depths and probe structure where smallmouth bass tend to hunker down. It moves exceedingly well, drops when necessary, and remains castable on a 7-weight rod. In addition to smallmouth bass, it has bagged largemouth bass, steelhead, coaster brook trout, brown trout, lake trout, northern pike, and freshwater drum in waters throughout Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario. It’s a great example of how a few thoughtful alterations made to an incredibly successful pattern can produce a fly that's perfectly tailored to an angler’s fishery.

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Matt Redmond is a guide, writer, and fly tier from Cleveland, Ohio. He owns and operates Northeast Ohio Angling LLC and has over a decade of experience fishing throughout the Great Lakes and their connecting waters for a variety of warm- and coldwater species.

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