You know - this warm water thing ain't too bad after all!

[jimmadsen]

Gotta admit - I think I'm getting as comfortable throwing popping bugs and bluegill flies as I was throwing copper johns to browns out in the black hills. And in it's own way, it's just a pretty.

And there's nothing like the "whooooomp!" of a bass inhaling your popper as you chug past the moss and weeds.

At one point I caught 3 bass on 4 casts. Here's one of them - low light makes the pic a little fuzzy, but you get the point.
DSCF0026.jpg

[Eric-WD]

Welcome to the dark side. and the great part is you can still trout fish when you find the time.

[jeffnles1]

Jim,
How long have I been saying warm water is a lot of fun?

There's something just good and relaxing about a warm summer evening, just after sunset in that last 45 minutes or so before dark when the air is still and the daytime bugs and animals are going to sleep and the night time things are starting to stirr around that is just magic. Then, as you said, the whoomp of a bass nailing a popping bug. It doesn't get a whole lot better than that.

Jeff

[NJTroutbum]

It can become as addicting as any other fishing to be had:^) Have fun!

[jimmadsen]

I think the thing that makes it best is that this water is 2 blocks from my house and because it's on a golf course, never gets fished. I'm able to get away and fish for an hour here and there more times than not. Talk about LUCKY! And that makes it easier to get addicted to warm water fishing.

I've been targeting bluegill for the first few weeks, but after catching a few bass of decent size, I'm switching to larger sizes and more aggressive retrieves that seem to trigger strikes from the bigger fish and keeps the bluegill at bay.

I'll try to go back down over my lunch hour today and see if I can't raise a few more fish.

[Bluegill222]

Each fish and each new piece of water has something to teach us about fishing and about ourselves as fisherfolk. To willfully limit our range of experience because of preconceived notions is to willfully limit our ability to grow, to learn, and to experience the fullness of what the aquatic world has to offer us. If you can't fish for the fish you love, buddy, love the fish you have. Welcome to the warmwater world

[Uncle Jesse]

Are you fishing some kind of a wet dropper under your bugs? If not I highly recommend it. Two good size bream at the same time is a lot of fun, two yearling bass isn't all bad either. My fall back for a dropper is call a Bream Killer, chenille body, squirrel tail wing, a couple of rubber legs on each side, small wooly buggers, black gnats, black ants all work.

[jimmadsen]

Hey Bluegill - ain't that the truth! And to make things better, I've seen a couple of huge carp in there and I'm salivating at the thought of hooking up one of those. Although I may need to leave my 7'6" 4wt at home and break out my 8'6" 5/6wt

JESSE - not fishing a dropper yet - I've been fishing parts of the pond where there is a lot of "goop" where I can keep a popper above it, or in the case of bass, drop it right in the middle of it. I had a couple of times where I cast on top of a mat of stuff, gave the popper a few twitches, then had a bass explode from underneath. now THAT was exciting!

Once I get out in my float tube again and have access to more open water I'll definitely try a dropper - I've had a lot of success with woolly buggers there.

[Uncle Jesse]

[QUOTE=jimmadsen;377287]. Although I may need to leave my 7'6" 4wt at home and break out my 8'6" 5/6wt QUOTE]

Why? This is a discussion I have been want to start for a while now. Isn't it more about the strength of the tippet rather than the stiffness and length of the rod? The one fish I have mounted is a Mama LMB that went 6 3/4 lbs. in December, I took her on a 5 1/2 ultralight spinning rod that would touch end to end when new. I also caught a couple of 7 -8 class channel cats on that rod. I have landed a couple of just under 6 LMB and a couple of 7+ grass carp on my 3 wt. Most were returned to the water in good shape.

[quivira kid]

Good times, isn't it?? Try soft hackles a foot or two under an indicator for bluegills this time of year! They get kinda lazy sometimes, and they sure do love some slow-falling soft hackles.