Double Duty Nymphs for Panfish and Bass
Although you can catch big bluegills on the surface. You will often catch more (and bigger) fish with a nymph!
As much as I like the take of a chunky bluegill as it slurps a fly off the surface, I know that if I want to catch serious numbers, I need to fish beneath the surface. There is no question that nymphs and wet flies will catch more and, in my experience, larger fish. Although my favorite way to fish below the surface is with wet flies, I am often found with a nymph of one sort of another tied to the end of my line.
Choices, Choices, Choices
There is an endless variety of nymph patterns to choose from. Bluegills and other panfish are not particularly picky when it comes to nymph patterns. Steal a couple from your trout fly boxes, and you’ll catch plenty of fish. But why not tie up some nymphs to target panfish? As a die-hard nymph fisherman, I carry a staggering number of nymph patterns on me when fishing trout streams near and afar. Although I don’t have nearly as many nymph patterns in my warm water fly boxes, there is still an excellent collection to be had. I carry a variety of different sizes, colors, and designs. My favorite is probably the “long nymph.”
Ward Bean’s Cockaroo is another example of a long nymph that will always have a home in my warm water fly box.
The “Long Nymph”
When I say “long nymph,” I am referring to a nymph pattern tied a 3x long (or longer hook). I prefer nymphs tied in this style for several reasons. I find that longer hooks are easier to extract from the tiny mouths of bluegills and other panfish. These longer nymphs also do a better job imitating one of the bluegill’s main prey items, damselfly and dragonfly nymphs. A long slender nymph does an excellent job mimicking a damselfly nymph while a long chunky nymph imitates the larger dragonfly nymph. These long nymphs also resemble a wide variety of other things on the panfish’s menu as well.
A generic “long nymph” pattern whose roots come from an old-time trout pattern called the Jennings Stonefly Creeper. Although tied in this fashion it resembles Springs Wiggler, a classic steelhead fly, more than the pattern that inspired it!
Many years ago I was introduced to a fly called the Jennings Stonefly Creeper by an elderly friend of mine. He had been fishing the pattern since he was a kid on our trout streams here in New Jersey. The Jennings Creeper is an impressionistic imitation of a stonefly nymph, a common food item for trout. Since being introduced to the fly and learning first hand of its effectiveness, I made sure I always had a few on hand. Eventually, one found its way into a warm water box, and it proved to be a panfish killer. Over time I evolved the pattern into a different fly but it kept a few of the characteristics of the original design. Although the new fly bears little resemblance to its predecessor (the original had the wingcase unsecured at the rear of the fly), its lineage goes back to that classic pattern
A version of the Carey Special that works quite well as an imitation for damselfly nymphs or small baitfish.
The Double Duty Nymph
A long nymph can also pull extra duty as a small streamer. The size and shape match small minnows and baitfish quite well. Retrieved along the bottom, they can even imitate a small crayfish, tadpole, etc. I usually prefer a nymph tied in the round for this type of work, one that lacks defined wing cases, legs, etc. Patterns like Ward Bean’s Cockaroo or the classic Carey Special have been a long-time favorites for this type of work. I tie the Carey Special in a few different colors and use it to imitate everything from damselfly nymphs to baitfish. I will often reach for an olive Carey Special instead of a more imitative pattern when damselfly nymphs are active. I find it a very effective imitation of this insect.
The Pepperoni Yuk Bug. Another pattern “borrowed” from one of my trout boxes for use onwarm water ponds and lakes.
Raiding The Trout Box
Other trout patterns that have made their way into my panfish boxes are flies like the Montana Stonefly Nymph, the Rubber Legs, and my favorite the YUK Bug, specifically the Pepperoni Yuk Bug. The Pepperoni Yuk Bug has accounted for some very hefty bluegills over the years for me. These flies are all tied to imitate stoneflies, just like the Jennings Creeper I mentioned earlier. My panfish waters don’t contain any stoneflies, but these long nymphs do a good job imitating other things that bluegill and other panfish eat!
Not Just For Panfish
These big nymphs are not just for panfish. I have caught scores of bass (especially smallmouth, carp, catfish even pickerel on these nymphs. These flies are small enough to be eaten by larger panfish but big enough to attract the attention of larger predators at times. These big nymphs are some of my favorite patterns for carp. Tied in even larger sizes, they will clean up on river smallmouth bass!
I think it is the color combination of the Pepperoni Yuk Bug that make it so effective on bluegill and other panfish.
Will small nymphs catch you a lot of panfish? Absolutely, but the big bugs work well too. Often they work better when it comes to catching larger fish! Tie some up and give them a try.
A big bluegill will have no problem making a big nymph tied on a long shank hook disappear. In this case nothing remains of a size 6 Pepperoni Yuk Bug except the tips of its legs!
Pattern Recipe:
I received a lot of requests for the pattern recipe for this fly. You will find it below.
The Double Duty Nymph
Recipe:
Thread: Black or brown 70 denier UTC
Hook: 3x long nymph hook (size 10-4)
Weight: 20 wraps .020 lead wire (optional)
Tail: Ringneck Pheasant rump feather fibers
Shellback: Turkey quill
Body: Buggy dubbing in color of choice (olive/brown shown here)
Collar/Legs: Hen body feather in a color to match the dubbing used
Head: Thread coated with Solarez Bone Dry