This season like many in the past it is the fly I am apt to select a Pennell Wet Fly from my box more than any other wet fly or soft hackle. Granted I have a lot of confidence in the pattern because I have been fishing it so long, but it is mostly because it catches fish.
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Late 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.
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The Brown Owl is an older wet fly pattern that was tied to imitate an adult stonefly that was struggling in the film or had been swept beneath the surface of the water. I loved the look of this old pattern and especially liked what it represented so I set off to tie a few for my river smallmouth and trout fly boxes.
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Having a dedicated tying space with your tools and materials at the ready will allow you to tie flies more often. The key to getting better at anything is repetition. It’s simple the more you tie flies, the better fly tier you will become.
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Tenkara oozes with a minimalism that requires limits, restrictions, and discipline. I like the philosophy of minimalism, but am not so keen about limitations. My fishing ego desires the constant stroking and joy of long and beautiful casts. Addictions are difficult to break. Yet, I found, from a purely pragmatic view, that adopting new equipment, different flies, and innovative techniques can lead to greater results.
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