I have been fishing for bluegill since i was 3 or 4. Only with hook and worm though. I want to try with a fly rod this summer. What are your favorite patterns and their recipies.
Where I am…when the bluegill ARE feeding…you can catch them with anything from a “cupcake” to a “concrete block”. I use hair caddis ( elk and deer) and a “thing” that started out as a black ant…but is so over hackeled it looks like a tiny bear cub. The 'gills eat them like piranha feeding
I fish for gill’s in a local sandy creek with very clear water where the fish can be quite spooky. I have found that color seem’s to be most important under these condition’s when fishing foam hopper pattern’s , which I think is the most fun. When the water heat’s up and the fish go deeper , a few woolly bugger’s in an assortment of color’s is a must.
Ants, spiders, worms, mosquitos all work. Specifically, try Renegades, Griffith’s Gnat, any mosquito or spider patterns, san juan worm, and green weenie. I’ve had them small poppers a lot, too.
I almost forgot another one: Crappie Candy
http://flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/052801fotw.php
Jitterbee
Bully spider
Foam spiders
Briminator
I also tie a dry fly variant with no wings, chartreuse grizzly hackle, use the tips for the tail and flor. Orange antron dubbing. Panfish here seem to like it and its very visible. Elk/deer hair caddis, and the kist goes on and on. They aren’t overly selective most times. Sometimes, you need to match the hatch, bring your trout box
tie them up in any color combination
I catch a ton of fish on an orange bead head leech, size 8. FEB hoppers, Crappie Candy, Professers… At one time or another, they’ll hit anything. My go-to simple wet fly I’ve found is a scud hook size 8 or 10, chenille body, and a turn and a half of partridge. Brown, varigated chenille of any color, chartreuse, and chenille with flash in it work well. Brown is my #1 color.
For top water fun, I like the Stealth Bomber tied on a #10 or #12 barbless hook. Yellow and chartreuse seem to work the best on the ponds around here. The recipie and the tying guide can be found on the flyfishga website. It’s easy to tie, floats well and has a great action. Bigger sizes work great on bass too.
Here’s the patterns that work best on bluegills for me:
-Gurgle Pops (I like yellow or red foam…makes it easy to see)
-boa yarn leeches (yellow or black or orange all work well)
-woolly buggers
-dark-colored SHWAPF’s with your choice of Krystal Flash for the back/wing
-small (size 10 or 12) Clouser Deep Minnow using small beadchain for eyes, craft fur and Krystal Flash
-mohair leeches
Renegades
Griffiths Gnats
Misquito’s
coachman wet fly, weighted or not
Ant’s
course the one pond that I fish in that has them you usually don’t have to change the renegade.
Fatman
Well one lake i like to go for lmb is loaded with ‘pounder’ Gill so i have to use larger hooks to keep them from pestering me…surprise, surprise one day while stripping a green butt skunk in a #4 salmon/steelhead hook back towards the boat from the bank hoping for big bass to keep noticing as they had been that morning…started catching the biggest Gill yet in that lake along with the biggest crappie and even some yellow perch. Wouldn’t have believed those small mouthes could take in the gbs at all but there you go.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Here are a few of mine that don’t seem to fail me. They are very simple ties, nothing fancy. One for top water, one sub-surface.
does anyone use the Goldie Jr.
My favorite bluegill patterns are the McGinty wet fly and the Tellico nymph. Of course you can use small poppers and sponge spiders but I think the wet flies are more effective.
If you fish for trout, you’ve got the flies.
I primarily fish for 'gills in the spring when they’re in very close. I’ll use a size 10 gold-ribbed hare’s ear, a size 10 pink squirrel or a size 14 PT nymph. Stick it about 10" below a pinch on strike indicactor.
Jiggle every once in awhile.
In desperation, I’ll head out in the summer. A beetle or ant pattern under a tree will work, if there are any fish in the shade.
The Pink Squirrel is a famous Wisconsin pattern for trout:
Hook: Caddis or grub hook
Head: Gold Bead
Thread: Pink 8-0
Tail: Rainbow or Pearl Krystal flash - three strands cut short.
Rib: Medium Red Copper Wire
Body: Fox Squirrel body hair
Thorax: Original calls for pink chenille; I use Bright Pink Rabbit dubbing
Killer fly for anything that eats nymphs - trout, whitefish, carp, sucker, chub, 'gills, crappie.
I fish a little clear water creek for bluegill and they seem to like htis little wet fly. I call it a red lantern ( I don’t know why). Chenille body, Soft hackle, and a little tail. Size 10.
http://www.ehow.com/video_2355703_make-trout-fly-fly-fishing.html
One of my favorites is the Crackleback from the late, great Ed Story, owner of Feather-Craft. I tie mine with bodies of Uni-stretch (Ed tied his with turkey quill barbs) in different colors - red, orange and yellow have been very effective, a few strands of peacock herl across the back and brown hackle palmered back-to-front. Works great as a dry fly until you catch a bunch and then it works great as a wet fly. Small gurglers are great, too, and foam beetles with longer rubber legs.
I think a greater test would be to find a fly that 'gills won’t eat; as long as the hook’s not to big, there’s not much out there they won’t take a swipe at.
Regards,
Scott
Steven, I had never heard of a Pink Squirrel. I decided I was going to have to try that fly TODAY. So here it is, from your description. I made them with different collars, here are two of them.
The bottom one I think was my favorite by far.
I made one of those boa yarn leeches today, and good grief it was ugly. Do you have a pic of your leech…maybe it will help me make a better fly next time I attempt one of them. :lol: