Flies for Bass and Panfish is a book written by Dick Stewart and Farrow Allen. My dog-eared copy has sat on my bookshelf since its printing in 1992. Although most of its pages are dedicated to bass flies, a small section of the book has a selection of classic panfish patterns. One of the first patterns I gleaned off the pages of this book was the Panfish Polecat. The book indicates that the Panfish Polecate was originated by a gentleman by the name of Jerry Riggins, of the Florida Fly Rod Club. The fly was tied for Florida Brim fishing and was a local favorite.
Flies for Bass and Panfish is a great resource for classic warm water fly patterns.
The Panfish Polecat is a bi-color subsurface pattern that I would put in the sinking spider category. My box of sinking spiders contains a few color variations of the Panfish Polecat along with an assortment of Brim Killers and Bully Spiders, as well as some traditional sinking sponge rubber spiders.
The Brim Killer is another sinking spider pattern that you will always find in my fly box!
The Polecat is an excellent pattern for the beginner fly tier as it uses a few easy to source materials. The fly consists of only three materials a marabou tail, a bi-color chenille body, and rubber legs. To achieve the bi-color effect you use two different sized chenilles. The black body is created using small chenille and the yellow underbody is created using a medium chenille. For small flies, I will substitute ultra chenille or Semperfli Suede Chenille for the body and small chenille for the underbody. For a larger (size 6 or bigger) version of this fly substitute medium and large chenille accordingly.
A question often comes up on whether to not to add weight to the fly. I usually tie flies like the Panfish Polecat unweighted, as under most conditions, I find a slow sinking fly more attractive to panfish. This is especially true when fishing it beneath a surface fly. However, there are times when I want to get the fly down quickly, or I wish to fish the pattern at depth. In those conditions, I will give the hook a lead wire underbody before tying the pattern.
I tie and fish this fly in sizes 6-14, with a size 8 used most of the time. I will use the larger size 6 when targeting larger panfish or during those times when there are bass prowling about since they have shown an affinity for this pattern. I prefer the smaller sizes as a dropper on a popper/dropper rig or fishing in the colder water of early or late season when panfish tend to prefer a more modest offering.
The black and yellow body/white leg color combination appears in the book and is probably my favorite. There is something about black and yellow that is irresistible to bluegills and other species of sunfish. However, this is one of those patterns that lends itself to experimentation. You can tie this fly in a wide range of colors, so feel free to switch things up and tie this fly in your favorite bluegill-catching colors!
A fine bluegill caught on a black and yellow Panfish Polecat suspended beneath a popper.
This style of fly is a long-time favorite of mine. Sinking Spiders are versatile patterns that can be fished on their own or suspended beneath a topwater fly like a popper, gurgler, or large foam bug. The popper/dropper method is my preferred method to fish sinking spiders. This approach allows the fly to hang seductively in front of the fish, with those rubber legs tantalizing the fish into taking a bite. Retrieving the popper animates the fly in a way fish cannot resist. When fishing spiders underneath a topwater bug, I fish the topwater fly very slowly, allowing the fly beneath it to hang in the water for several seconds before moving it again.
Give this simple panfish pattern a try. It is easy to tie and is a proven fish catcher. Tie it in its original form but don't be afraid to mix things up a bit. Have fun with it.
The Panfish Polecat in the original black and yellow (with a yellow tail) color scheme.
Pattern Recipe:
Hook: Natural Bend Panfish Hook size 8
Thread: Black Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread
Tail: Yellow or Black Marabou (or color of choice) a hook shank or shorter in length)
Body: Black chenille
Legs: Rubber or Silicon legs
Underbody: Yellow chenille
Optional: If a weighted fly is desired create a lead wire underbody before tying the fly
Tying Instructions:
1. Mount your thread on the and wrap towards the bend of the hook, stopping right above the barb of the hook. If you desire a weighted fly add a lead wire underbody before attaching the thread.
2. Select a small clump of marabou feathers and tie them in as a tail. Don't make the tail too long, or you will end up with a lot of short strikes. I keep the tail a hook gap to a hook gap and a half in length.
3. Tie in two colors of chenille in the appropriate thickness for the size fly your tying. In this case, we are using fine black and medium yellow. I will tie the yellow in first on the hook's underside; then, I tie in the black on the hook's topside.
4. Begin wrapping the fine black chenille around the hook shank, stopping two-thirds of the way up the hook.
5. Secure the chenille with two wraps of the thread, then tie in the rubber or silicon legs - two on each side of the hook.
6. Once the legs are tied in, continue wrapping the chenille forward, being sure to place one wrap between the legs to separate them
7. End the chenille body with a few thread wraps at least an eye length away from the front of the hook, so you don't crowd the eye. Remember, you have two strands of chenille to tie in.
8. With the black chenille secured, bring the yellow chenille forward on the hook's underside. Hold it and place and lash it down with a few thread wraps. Make sure the thread tension does not cause the yellow chenille to creep up the side of the hook. If it does, you can usually coax it back into position, then secure it in place with additional thread wraps.
9. At this point, all that is left to do is build up a small thread head and secure the thread with a whip finish or a few half hitches.
10. I like to coat the thread wraps at the head with a drop of Bone Dry UV resin or head cement to add a little durability to the pattern.
Fly Tyers Note: To stay true to the original, I tied this pattern the way it was described in the book Flies for Bass and Panfish. You may find it easier to tie the fly with the chenille strip on top instead of the bottom. I find this technique is much easier for beginner tyers. To tie the fly in this fashion you will use fine yellow chenille for the body and top it with a strip of medium black chenille. In the end, you get the same effect of a black and yellow fly but the fly tying is easier because you are working on the top side of the hook instead of the bottom.