Finally A Keeper Bluegill

Fishing Warm water Forum
1

I’ve been fishing Fountain Lakes Park for bluegill for about a year now and all I’ve been able to catch are small little fish ranging from 3 to 5 inches and very pale in color. Some days have been pretty good were I have cauht 50 or more fish and other were I’ve been skunked. This morning about 7:30 I made my normal appearnce and with the normal results for the first hour. My plan today was to switch back from the furled leader to a 7.5 foot 5X leader(4.5lb) tapered leader tipped with a yellow #12 Gurgle-Pop and a #12 GRHE dropped about 2.5 feet below.

I was fan casting and moving along the shore getting hits on both flies by the usual suspects until I got to a small overflow pipe were there was a deeper channel cutting it’s way out to the drop off. I cast out to were the deep sections intersected and no sooner did the GP come to rest it got slammed by the biggest Bluegill that I have ever caught on a fly rod. This dark shape put me right onto the reel and started to bend my 7.5 foot 4 wt respectfully and made my reel go ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! I had a good fish finally!!!

After I landed the fish and caught some more respectable fish before the action died so I moved on not finding anything else but more of the usual suspects. I’m pretty sure that this fish weighed about a pound and went somewere about 10 inches. Not a monster bluegill but fantastic compared to the bluegills that I usually catch there.

I owe this morning to everything that I have learned in the WWF, Rick, Joe and everyone. Credit also goes to Bluegill Fly Fishing and Flies. What a great little book. Also learned about here in the WWF.

Thanks everybody,

Greg

2

Nice catch. Congrats! :smiley:

3

sounds like you had lots of fun :smiley:

4

Congrats! Aint it great when it all finally comes together? Now you need to get a lighter flyrod for even more fun. Here’s a recent catch on my 1wt with 5x tippet. They fight like a smallmouth on a 5wt.

Keep after it, and start fishing deeper for the big ones when the water gets warmer. They head down as the temperature climbs.
Joe

5

I was thinking about the 6’6" 2wt that I’m building and what a bull that fish would feel like!

:smiley:

6

That woud have been nice on the 2wt
i currently own a 3wt for my ultralight stuff but was thinking of buying a 0 :shock: lol

7

Fished a private pond, owned by a friend, Memorial Day. Caught 14 bass and this bluegill, I thought was a bass, when hooked.

8

some fine lookin’ gills on this page. I have yet to catch a “bull gill” while Fly Fishing. only a lot of 2-6 inchers but there fun.

9

I have caught them on a 1 wt, a 3 wt and a 5 wt. All of them are fun.

On small ponds you may need to take some of the small gills out to let the other grown larger.
There is only so much food.

Rick

10

Rick,

I’ve been fishing a small lake that doesn’t get much pressure on the blue gills, and while I have been catching some 7 and 8" gillies, most have bee 3 to 5". So, I have begun to take your advise and keep more of the 5 to 7" and let the bigger ones go back. It is nothing for me to catch 50 gills a day, mostly the 3 to 5’s. Do you think I am doing the right thing for the population of this small lake?

I did catch one red ear about 9" this spring… boy what a fight!!! and yes it went back.

And congrats to all ya’ll great catches and pics.

Carl

11

Yes I do. It may take a few eyars but you will thedn begin to see a change in the size.of the gills.

Rick