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 Pumpkinseed James Wood Bucktail

June 4, 2021 Panfish On The Fly

On a recent trip, I decided to tie on a fresh Pumpkinseed JWB and keep an accurate record of its performance. The fly pictured above caught thirty-six bluegills, nine crappies, four bass (ranging from 12 -16 inches), and one small pickerel before being inhaled and promptly bitten off by a second larger one.

Panfish On The Fly on the Fish Untamed Podcast!

February 8, 2021 Panfish On The Fly

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I recently appeared on the Fish Untamed Podcast. I spent an enjoyable hour with Katie chatting about fly fishing for panfish.

Terrestrial Patterns for Panfish

September 22, 2020 Panfish On The Fly

If you have never fished terrestrials for panfish you are missing out on some great topwater fly fishing!

The angler who chases panfish with a fly has a mind-numbing variety of flies to choose from. Traditional dry flies, hair bugs, foam bugs, and poppers will all work if the fish are looking up. As we move into the spring and summer, terrestrial insects become an essential food source on the ponds and small lakes that I fish near home. The shorelines of these bodies of water are buzzing with flying and crawling terrestrial insects and many of them find their way into the water.

The Panfish Polecat

September 13, 2018 Panfish On The Fly

I first crossed paths with this fly after reading my copy of Flies for Bass and Panfish by Dick Stewart and Farrow Allen. It checked all the boxes for me on what makes an effective bluegill fly.