Deadly Dozen

Fishing Panfish & Warm Water
1

I was sitting around this evening and thinking. (Scary, isn’t it?) Around here lately, it’s been hot and I’m starting to get grouchy. Most of the lakes around here are pea soup because of bluegreen algae blooms, and the fish aren’t biting very good anywhere that I know of. However! Here in another month or so, it will start to pick up as the temps begin to drop off a bit and the fish want to bulk up before winter.

Anyhow here’s my point/idea. If you were going to be targeting bluegills and crappie for an evening and had a dozen flies to stick in an Altoids tin in your back pocket in order to catch them whenever… What would that dozen flies look like?

Part II
I’m looking for one person to trade a “deadly dozen” with. Not necessarily 12 different patterns, even. But if you were limited to a dozen total flies on an evening trip to fill a fish basket, these would bit it. Anyone game for a quick little swap? I’d love to get some feedback on how my flies do for someone else, too. That’s always fun! Results, ideas on how to make things better, and ideas on some new flies!

Let’s hear what your “deadly dozen” would look like.

Zac

2

Howdy Zac,
How about this;
I send you a dozen of my Arkansas shiners on a # 8 hook and the minnow at 1 and a 1/2 inches long?
they oughtta be a deadly choice.
I can add a little weight if needed<*))))><
I use Polar Fibres and EP Flash.

3

I’d go with black wooly buggers. ptn’s. foam flies. heck let’s swap. I’ll get a dozen together and send them out by the week end. dan gober

4

Jeffro and Dan, I had only intended on swapping with one person for now, but both of those offers sound excellent. So I’ll trade with both of you! I’ll PM you with my info later.

STILL… Let’s hear what your dozen flies would be. Poppers, nymphs, streamers? What’ll it be?

5

For Bluegills:
-#10 Gurglers
-San Juan Worms
-Sparrows
-Boa Yarn Leeches
-Beadchain eye, rubberlegged GRHE nymph
-Woolly Bugger

Crappies:
-Boa Yarn Leeches
-Crappie Candy
-Woolly Bugger
-Springbrook Wunder
-Clouser Deep Minnows
-Joe Cornwalls Crappie Killer

6

Hi Zac,

With the way I’ve done on bluegills lately, my opinions aren’t worth much, but be that as it may, if only taking 12 flies I would take(not in order of priority):

  1. Jitterbee #10 or #12 black and chartreuse
  2. Cap spider #10 or #12 olive
  3. Gray hackle peacock #8 or #10
  4. Pheasant tail #12
  5. GRHE #10
  6. Olive and orange #10 or #12 (bead head, olive chenille body, orange tail, it’s a no hackle bugger)
  7. Bright color streamer, small (#10 maybe), such as Rick Z’s Goldie
  8. Midge dry, #18 Griffiths gnat
  9. Damsel fly nymph #12
  10. Black bugger #10
  11. Woolly worm #10 yellow

Basically I would go with sinking flies, because that is what I have basically done the best with in the fall.

Regards,

Gandolf

7

Fall? What is this fall you speak of? I only know hot and cold seasons.

8

So the question on the table is what 12 flies would I put into an Altoids can, put it in my back pocket and go Fishing.

#10 Yellow Gurgle Pop 2 ea.
#8 Mylar Minnow 2 ea.
#10Improved Gnat 2 ea.
#10 Improved McGinty 2 ea.
1/120 oz. Cap Spider 2 ea.
#10 Foam Body Hex 2 ea.

That would be my 12 in the can.

Greg

9

Greg, do you happen to have a picture or a link to that foam body hex?

10

This has been kind of a one-fly summer for me, so my altoids box would have two black rubber legged slumpbusters (hereafter “RLS’s”), two natural RLS’s, two chartreuse RLS’s, two crawfish orange RLS’s, and two purple RLS’s one each in size 8 and 10. I’d round out the box with a size 8 black/white popper and a size 12 elk hair caddis in tan just in case the action moves to the surface. That’s been the ticket this summer for everything from trout to bluegills and bass to catfish and all stops in between.

11

Bluegill222,
You obviously have a lot of confidence (and success) in using the RLS! That’s a good enough reason for me to give it a try.

Do you prefer rabbit strips or Pine Squirrel strips? Rabbit would seem like a really big mouthful for a bluegill?

When fishing it, do you swim it or hop it along the bottom??

12

Dave–
Pine squirrel definitely for the #10’s. On the 8’s I’ll either use pine squirrel or the thinnest bunny strips I can cut. Anything bigger (bass, wiper and catfish flies) I use the bunny.

Swim it, hop it, I’ve had days when they take it on the drop and there’s no time for a retrieve of any kind. I just keep playing with different retrieves til something works, then I keep doing whatever that was til it quits working. I’ll usually start out with a twitchy sort of swimming retrieve and go from there.

13

This is easy: For 'Gills:

2 Black Foam Crickets
2 Gobbler Nymphs
2 Black Widows

For Crappie:

2 mini-Clouser Minnows in olive and white
2 Black-Nosed Dace bucktails
2 Crappie Candy flies.

You won’t come home empty with these…

14

The deadliest dozen I can think of is an Altoids tin filled with a dozen size #10-#12 Gurgle Pops in white, yellow or chartreuse. I might have to cheat a little and hang a nymph as a dropper if things got slow. 8T :slight_smile:

15

Here are mine, most of which are largemouth patterns.

#2 Orange and Chartreuse Bead Head Woolly Bugger
#2 Orange and Lime Bead Head Woolly Bugger
#2 Green and Yellow Bead Head Woolly Bugger
#2 White and Red Clouser Deep Minnow
#2 Orange and Chartreuse Clouser Deep Minnow
#2 White and Blue Clouser Deep Minnow
Chartreuse Fly Rod Hula Popper
White and Red Dahlberg Diver
Blue Gummy Minnow
Chartreuse Hank Roberts Hair Worm
Purple Whitlock’s Hare Water Pup
#8 Prince Nymph (as a dropper to the Hula Popper)