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Well I didn't have much time to play this weekend, but at 4:00 on Saturday a little window opened so I grabbed my jig rods and the three weight and hit a local spot. After trying three jig combos with only one slight bump. I pulled out the fairy wand and flicked it into the danger zone. As I stipped it in like a popper on the surface I had a gill try for it but fail. Since I was unprepared my fly sunk but I kept stopping it in and all of a sudden it was game on. 22 gill in about 30 casts and I lost 5 on the way in. Got to say it was a blast, but had to run so fish were still biting when I left. All gill were returned to fight again another day. I love 3 Wts. They are so fun!!! Later J
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That sounds like a great time to me!!!
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J, if we model the size of fish to the name, those are not bluegills, those are blu.
But at least you're out there flinging string.
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T'was a fun time, good tune up on reaction timing. I'm not very good, buts it's fun to practice. Later J
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Hey now tuggs is tuggs. Besides on a 3 WT they still feel like more of a fish than planter trout on a leadcore setup. They're no wiper or cat but still a lot of fun. Later J
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Way to get after them on the fly rod. Bluegill are a blast on a light rod and provide some good practice on the hook set.
Some folks think if your a fly fisherman that you only fish for trout, wrong. You can catch any species on a fly rod if you take the time and have the proper flies for the species.[  ]
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Oops I forgot maybe I shouldn't have mentioned different fish on a fly besides trout... Nah it's okay with me if others try them it's all about having some fun when you're out... I'm usually not used to finding 20 plus fish days this time of year, but I usually don't drag out the 3 WT until summer kicks in... I'm not a real purist fly guy, I use what will catch fish as well as I know how and hope to have some fun along the way... Thanks for the well wish... Later J
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Hey I agree with you there for sure. Seems like fish will take a fly better than most other offerings, if you get it in the right spot and tease then a little. Wish i was more of a fly guy but I just use it as a crutch when I can't catch them otherwise. I wish I knew the patterns better so I could become a better fly guy but I don't seem to study into it so I probably won't ever get good at it. But I enjoy dabbling a bit anyway. Later J
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You need to get a hold of some of TD's Hot head patterns. He makes them with hot glue so they are light and as easy to cast as a fly. He made a believer out of me.
His Captain Midnight and Green Meanie are good patterns in a lot of different ponds. I'm sure his fligs would work well on the fairy wand too.[  ]
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Thanks for that tip, I'll have to hit Pat up for a few. I'll need the small ones for these monster fish I'm harassing. I have a few fligs but I know they are too big for these Gil. I may try pulling out my vice and tie a few with the flotation added. That's a good idea. Thanks J
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[#0000FF]Glad you are having fun with the fairy wand. Love bluegills. I'll bet they are a hoot on the 3 weight.
One suggestion for getting more hookups on bluegills with the fly rod: point the tip of the rod at the fish while stripping the line. Watch the line and pay attention to the feel with your fingers while you strip. Any twitch in the line or "tick" you feel in your fingers is the cue to set the hook. But using the rod often allows enough of a delay for the fish to spit out the fly they just sucked in. Instead, give a quick pull backwards on the line. If you feel the resistance of a fish, go ahead and raise the rod to complete the hookset and battle the fish. If there is no fish when you pull back with your stripping hand, just pause a bit and then keep stripping.
A lot of bluegills, perch and crappies do not swoop in and slam your bait or lures. Instead, they swim up close and then just flare their gills and suck it in. It barely registers on a strike indicator when ice fishing and is double hard to detect in open water. Unless you have a juicy piece of worm or other sweetener on your hook...to keep them holding on...the fish will usually spit it right back out.
Hooksets are free. Whenever there is a change in the "Force" you need to treat it like a strike and try to "make a connection".
About the flies. This time of year you should do well with small nymphs and wet patterns. Hare's ears or small peacock patterns are always a good bet. But as the water warms and the bluegills get more active you can fish topwater with good results. Dry fly patterns work well, but I also like small poppers. They float well and are a lot of fun to fish. And they catch more than just bluegills too.
If you are tying your own stuff, You should try some of the smaller sizes of the popper foam I use to make the fligs. Little poppers on size 8 or 10 hooks are not hard to tie and it is easy to shape the foam. You can also use small corks...or anything else that floats.
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Yes, indeed. I started my serious fishing career with a fly rod and poppers for farm pond bluegills - and was not overly surprised when a 4-lb bass sucked in that popper one day.
Now you've got me thinking about Mantua and some poppers this Spring. Now, the 3-wt, or the 5, in case of bass?
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[#0000FF]Yeah, verily. I can testify that Mantua gills are prime on poppers. During the early summer they cruise just under the surface...over the weeds...and will smack almost anything that touches down on the water. Fun to watch them ambush damsel flies.
The downside...if you are hoping for bass...is that those weeds are not friendly to light tippets. Bass tend to dive into the salad and you gotta forcefully extricate them. Almost hopeless if you get a really big bass. But earlier in the year there are lots of good flyrod size bass around the shoreline...in the open space between shore and weeds.
Here are a couple of pics taken at Mantua. In my tube I have had huge swarms of bluegills surround me. I can almost hear them plotting "Okay guys, on three we pull him under."
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Thanks Pat, I appreciate those tips and will try and put them to use...
I was finding the other night that the fish were sitting close enough to the surface that I could see them so I was site casting and I'd strip the fly through there moving fairly quickly and it would turn into a competition between which gill would get to the fly first... Not that I had a great fly or technique, it was simply I got to beat bubba to get to eat... I like those kind of days when I just have to be present and the fish will do all the work...
I'm going to try tying a fly that has some of that floating material you sent to me a couple years back when I was experimenting with the fligs. I can't see why a fish would take a popper, so I'll try tying a fly like a usual bug pattern, but with the floating material in the body so it will stay on top... then the proper twitch seems to really turn the fish on... I'll have to see if I can find my ole vice and thread, it's been too many years since I tied my own... since the eyesight and dexterity has decreased, its been better to just buy my flies... but when it's time for a custom fly I better try it again...
Anyway it's been a lot of fun while I'm waiting for warmer waters to wake the other species.. Keep thinking the ice will be leaving soon, but it just keeps sticking around, even though it's not thick enough to get on it anymore... Thanks again for the input... Jeff
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[#0000FF]If you ever make it down this way...to get the glow put on your cat rods...or whatever...I'll be glad to show you some popper tying techniques.
In the meantime, there are bazillions of Utube videos on making and fishing with poppers. No good reason for them to hit poppers but they will smack even small leaves or other things that settle to the water over their nests. On the positive reasoning side, larger gills eat lots of beetles, hoppers, ants, moths and other bugs.
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Sounds like a lot of fun Jeff! Pretty little fish too. That looks like the perfect size that I used to use when fishing for flathead catfish in Texas years back.
Mike
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Hey Pat,
Don't know why it's so hard for me to head down south to your place to get those rods painted and ready for the season, but maybe with the season getting closer and my priority being raised I'll be able to make it someday... Sure appreciate that offer and I think it will make that night fishing much easier when I'm in the current and can't use the bobbers as easy...
I may have to run my mother-in-law down to the Dr's next month and I can drop by while she is into her appointment... Usually takes about 2 hours for her deal... Just looked up your address and it's really close to her appointment up at the big hospital in Midvale, so I think I'll try that... Let you know when the appointment is coming up... Thanks Pat... Later Jeff
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TD, I can't help it. Have to say it...
Your tube and bluegills...
it's...
...Gills Again Island
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Hey Mike, funny you mention the color of those gills. In the summer when the water gets more murky (guess the carp get more active) anyway the gills are pink. It's crazy how different their coloration is out of that pond... I've found a couple places where the gill hang out, but for the most part, I didn't even know there were gill in that pond for a lot of years... Was fun to find them and learn a little more about how to catch them... there's a couple spots back under the trees where they get really active in the summer and I've always wanted to take the fly rod back there and fish them in the summer, but it's a tough spot to get to and for small gills it doesn't bump to the top of the list so I get it done, but I did nail a big ole LMB there the same day and had one bust me off in the logs, so I ought to go try that area again this year... If only the summers weren't so busy farm wise any way... This is a float in area that's too shallow to get a boat into and about a 3 mile float to get out of, but there are cats along the way too... Are you going to chase the cats this summer? Sign up is underway now, just in case you get time to do it... Hope you can again, be fun to go chase them with you if you do... Well got to run... Later Jeff
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[#0000FF]Okay Professor. Now get back in your Hobie Minnow and go pester MaryAnn.
I hate reruns...even the classics.
Woulda been a much better program if they had Bill Dance or Jimmy Houston as part of the crew. But nary a fishin' pole in sight.
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