A common question I am often asked this time of year is how to reliably catch bluegills before the water warms up and the fish begin their spawning rituals. Many fly fishers chuckle about the notion of panfish being hard to catch on a fly. These anglers likely only fish for bluegills and other sunfish during the ideal conditions that present themselves during late spring and summer. Trying to catch panfish on the fly just after ice can be a bit of a challenge.
Read moreI have been a long time reader of Ward Bean’s website, Warmwater Fly Tyer . I have tied and fished many of the patterns found on the pages of his site. For the warm water fly fisher/tier this is an incredible resource. I highly recommend a visit.
Read moreWhen the fish are holding deeper, you need to get the flies down to them. I do occasionally use sinking and intermediate lines, but as we move closer to warmer weather, I am usually equipped with a floating line in anticipation of the season's first topwater bite. To get flies down under these conditions I will fish a tandem rig with two flies. One fly will be large and heavy to bring the small unweighted wet fly down to the fish.
Read moreLate winter/early spring can be a frustrating time for the panfish fly fodder. Bluegills and other sunfish are starting to make more frequent forays into shallow water, but cooler water temperatures reduce their need for food and keep them sluggish. To consistently catch fish this time of year you need to fish slow, and you need to fish deep. While panfish anglers in the south may be enjoying the first quality topwater fishing of the year, those of us north of the Mason-Dixon line need to look for our fish below the surface.
Read moreNow that we are officially into spring, things are finally starting to get moving as far as warm water fishing goes. I can find fish in the shallows on most days, and fishing soft hackle patterns are still the most effective way to catch them.
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