Favorite Bluegill Flies for This Time of Year?

Fishing Warm water Forum
1

Hi All,

Haven’t been able to do any bluegill fishing in quite a while, but hoping to some time soon.

What are your favored bluegill flies for this time of year?

Thanks and regards,

Gandolf

2

I was just out last weekend…wooly worm on a size 8. Of course I used my favorite color, which is yellow with grizzly hackle & red tail. It’s an effective fly for me all year, but really seems to shine in the fall.
Mike

3

I like small poppers of about sz. 10 hook. I also like to use Bead Head Hares Ear, Prince nymphs both in sz. 12-18 and midges in a medium color (like tans, grays light olives) to size 24. Fish after sun-up and last light for the bigger fish or fish shaded protected waters like docks, under trees, lilly pads, root and suspended trees, or floating grasses. Good luck…
Hobo

4

Two weeks ago used all of the above and 14 - 18 pheasant tail nymphs and was successful with all of them.

MacFly

5

Grasshoppers! It’s hopper season.G Warm regards,
Jim

6

all of the above - and don’t forget about the good old popper/dropper, a popper of any sort (yellow or chartreuse are good standbys) with a nymph or wet fly of some sort hanging on a piece of tippet 18"-24" off the hook bend of the popper.

7

What works well around here is a hopper dropper combo. I like the buoyant BC (Barr Craven) Hopper with a beadhead nymph below, like a Theo’s Dangerbaby or Al Campbell’s EZ Nymph.

8

My go to fly this year has been something that I dreamed up myself but it probably not an original.

#10 Heavy Nynph Hook
1/8" Gold Bead Head
Small Marabou Tail Olive or Chartruse(less than half the lenght of the body.
Olive Micro Chenile(San Juan Worm) body wrapped like a Wolly Bugger.
No Hackle

Greg

9

One of my favorites is a Buzz Hackle #8, but I tie it in the Renegade style with the grizzly hackle in front. Toss it out and let it sit for a while then strip it a couple of times like a popper. After that is will slip into the surface film where it still works great.

http://www.fishingwithflies.com/BuzzHackle.html

10

Jitterbees and cap spiders!

11

Hi All,

Well I finally got out, and ended up doing fairly well, by my standards. Used several of the flies suggested.

The ones that did best for me were a peach faom spider, a yellow woolly worm with red tail and grizzly hackle, and fianlly the one that worked best was a #14 pheasant tail with a red thorax.

I think the pheasant tail is one the Rick Z. has recommended.

The takes were extremely soft, and several times I did not know that a bluegill had taken the fly and when I lifted the line for a back cast had a bluegill on. At any rate thanks to all for the advice.

Thanks and regards,

Gandolf

12

Yeah, light bites sound about right for this time of year. My heart swings towards white bass/hybrids in October/November usually. However, there are still a few days I can’t get away, or the local bluegill pond’s persist calling of my name can’t be ignored. On those days, I find as the water gets cooler, the fish like a slower retrieve and a fly that moves a lot as it settles or is very slowly retrieved. For me, that means soft hackles. I like them on about a #12-#14 hook. Hare’s ear, pheasant tail, and peacock seem to work best for me as far as bodies go, with partrige, chuckar, and/or guinea for the hackle. I usually make the hackles a little longer than what you see on the traditional trout patterns, but those will work just fine as well.

13

I had similiar sucess on a nymph the other day. I thew a little floating bug pattern with all kinds of legs shooting off of it with a PT nymph coming off the back. 90% of the fish came off the nymph.