Flat Daddy Gurgler

July 28, 2024 Panfish On The Fly

The original Flat Daddy is the perfect fly for spooky, shallow-water panfish. It lands lightly on the water and can be cast easily with two and three-weight rods. The fly has a very subtle action on the water, diving slightly when retrieved without creating a lot of disturbance that may spook fish in the shallows. It is the perfect early spring topwater fly pattern. Fast-forward to mid-summer, the fish have left the shallows and are now holding in deeper water. You need to get their attention to bring them to the surface now. Enter the Flat Daddy Gurgler.

The Long Shank Triangle Bug

February 3, 2023 Panfish On The Fly

A Triangle Bug tied on the long shank version of the Triangle Bug Hook. The extra length allows you to dress up the pattern a bit, in this case a little Semperfli Straggle Legs added to cover up the thread wraps securing the tail and body.

At the last two fly tying shows I attended, I had quite a few questions about the unique hook I tie my Triangle Bugs on.

Fly Tying Friday - Floating Dragon Fly Nymphs

September 3, 2021 Panfish On The Fly

During the dog days of summer fish often hold in deeper water. To be successful you need to able to put a fly in front of them. This can be a challenging situation for the fly fisher.

Early in the season, to reach fish holding deep, weighted nymphs and streamers usually get the job done. However, as the season progresses, many of the watersheds I fish become choked with aquatic vegetation. As a result, fishing standard subsurface patterns are an exercise in futility as these flies become hopelessly mired in weeds and muck on every cast. What's needed in this situation is a fly that gets below the surface but stays above the weeds.

Fly Tying Friday -The Micro Gurgler

April 23, 2021 Panfish On The Fly

The Micro Gurgler, is a buggy looking, easy to tie Gurgler style fly that is a panfish killer.

Topwater fishing has been on my mind of late. We have had a smattering of warm spring days here in the northeast but not a long enough string of them to significantly warm the water. We are in the midst of another cold front which tends to shut down fishing for a few days. The warmer weather is right around the corner, and it will bring the return of consistent, quality topwater fishing. Nothing beats a bluegill or any other fish, for that matter, taking flies off the surface.

Fly Tying Friday - Jack Harford's House Fly

February 12, 2021 Panfish On The Fly

Jack Harford’s House Fly is a versatile topwater pattern for panfish and bass!

I have dozens of favorite foam patterns that I tie and fish regularly. One versatile design that rises near the top of that list is Jack Harford’s House Fly. The House Fly is an easy-to-tie pattern that you can modify to imitate a wide range of topwater offerings.