Panfish flys?

[GaryO]

My daughter and I are new to flyfishing and we would like to practice at a local golf course pond here in the St. Louis area. It is said to contain bluegill, crappie and small bass. Which size and type of flies should we fish with to start? Thanks...

[new2thefly]

Any small fly will be eaten. Try beetles, ants, or small hoppers. All work for me. Golf Course ponds are a great place to begin fly fishing, good choice!

[Colston Newton]

The best bluegill fly I've ever used is a wet black gnat #12.

[ohiotuber]

Yellow woolly worms in a size 12.
Terrestrials...ants, beetles & hoppers are flies you can't go wrong with.
Good luck!
Mike
ps: Take pics & post a report. We LOVE to hear when our advice works.

[appalachian angler]

little foam spiders with rubber legs drive those gills crazy! They will attack them with much zeal! Those little "Betts" poppers you can buy at wally world work great too...just strip twitch them, pause, and repeat! The bass and bluegills often hit them on the pause or even as they plop down on the water upon delivering the cast. On a summer evening, the action can become very exciting!!!

best,

aa

[crappiecrazy]

I really like poppers and droppers. The gurgle pop is one of my favorite poppers.



http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/s...popper+dropper

[Bluegill222]

The only thing I could add to the above lists would be peacock bodied nymphs (princes, zug bugs, etc.) Something about the peacock herl drives panfish nuts, and I've caught surprisingly large bass and cats on them, too.

[William Fitzgerald]

Any dad starting out flyfishing with his daughter needs a supply of bluegill flies. Send me a PM with address and Ill send some rubber spiders. These cant be beat -- seeing the gill strike is much more fun than fishing with a wet fly. You didnt mention her age. The hooks will be barbless and she should wear a hat and eye protection. BILL

[GaryO]

First off, I would like to thank all you folks for your solid advice. Next, a special shout out to you who offered to send me flies; very generous!

One more question: where is a good place to get a rod and reel combo for my daughter, Jessie? Her and I took a casting class yesterday at Bas Pro Shop ( Jess kicked all us guys' fannys) and they recomended a 5 or 6 weight 9' rod for her. Money being tight right now, I have to get more bang for my buck and at the same time not hold her back with marginal equiptment. What say you?

[CaseyP]

about fly fishing for bluegills: if you use a biggish fly, you'll have a much easier time releasing the fish. bluegill mouths are small and it's hard to get small hooks out if they swallow deeply. this assumes you're not keeping them to eat.

about a rod/reel combo: first, try the "wanted" section of this bulletin board. second, check out sponsors on this forum as well as L.L.Bean and Cabela's.

a guide once told me about a client whose own gear had been stolen showing up for a trip armed with a blister-pack put out by a company known for its fly lines. the pack had rod, reel, backing, line, and leader, and the gear in that pack turned out to be first rate! moral of the story: there is a lot of very decent equipment out there for not so much money because the firms that make them want you back when you're ready for the next step.