Bluegills.

[osprey]

Does anyone besides me still get a kick out of em? If you have a youngster who shows an interest in fly fishing there is no better way to get them going in the right direction than a pond full of willing bluegills and a few dry flies.

 

[tomgamber]

Love bluegills. My favorite gill pond is also trout lake so I can't get anywhere near it right now.

 

[shakey]

i sometimes prefer bluegills to any other fish.throw sunnies and smallies together and you have a lot of fun,rather than the seriousness of trout fishing.

 

[gfen]

I won't deny it, they're the most fun you can have because they're so very easy.

Matter of fact, I think I need time back at the 'gill pond to practice as I don't seem to be able to set a hook worth a damn anymore.

 

[Fishidiot]

I like 'em too. Since I prefer to fish creeks and rivers rather than ponds/lakes, I usually target red breast sunnies and rock bass as they're more prevalent in streams. I did get a huge bluegill a couple years ago in a creek and wish I got a pic of him as he was probably about 10."

 

[wingshot]

I giggle like a little kid every time a 'gill smacks one of my top water offerings. I started tying and fishing the Bully Spider last spring for sub-surface fishing and if tied right, it decends on a 45 degree angle and for some reason the pan fish can't resist it and slam it pretty hard. I got my PB 'gill on that fly last year and wish I had taken some pictures. It's a fun alternative to to trout fishing especially in the early spring when you might find your the only one fishing the pond.

JA

 

[FlySwatter]

Yes! They're great fun and a fair fight on a 4-5 weight if they're good size. The local state park has a pod with 8-10 inchers along with small bass. I prefer the gills.

I totally agree about gills being a great teaching aid.

I use a various dries (nothing fancy) and small poppers for them. I also like using a #10 BH Prince Nymph, esp. one with the holographic "wings" (I think it's call "The Fly Formerly Known as Prince"). on that fly I get gills, crappie, pickerel, pumpkinseeds, small bass, you name it!

 

[jayL]

Big 'gill fan here. I lash a few strands of white marabou to a hook and toss it in the shallows. When it disappears, set the hook.

 

[ryguyfi]

There's a small pond at Racoon creek state park that I try to go to atleast once a year. If you don't catch 25 gills in 2 hours then something is wrong with you. I also go there to teach new guys how to cast and detect strikes. There's also a private lake I fish every year that has the biggest gills I've ever seen. When one takes a size 6 4xl streamer, you know they're big. I might miss that this year... the event is usually in early July, and the baby is due soon afterwords. Utter disapointment :-(

 

[jcspey]

I love fly fishing for gills. It great way to relax or even introduce someone to flyfishing and have them catch something on a fly rod the first time out. Too many favorite flies, rods and favorite ways to catch 'um on to name, but hey are extreme fun with not much work.

jcspey

 

[bikerfish]

my favorite summer evenings are spent floating around moraine state park in my canoe casting poppers to gills and watching the ospreys. and that time will be here SOON!!

 

[osprey]

I had "THE FEELING" someone was watching me and here i thought it was the government , or one of their agencies , but hey , just because i'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't watching , to quote someone i can't name , Bluegills saved my fishing life , i might have given it up after my accident if it wasn't for my buddy takin me to a bluegill lake "THE QUE" a ton of em on a black ant and i knew i'd do this again. As for a teaching tool , rod control casting ability , fighting and releaseing fish all comes easy to a kid IF they are catching fish , they don't have to be huge or trout for that matter , if you ease a kid into fly fishing by starting with bluegills you'll not go wrong.

 

[osprey]

First fly i ever tied and took it right to a pond and caught a bluegill on top on the first cast , and here i thought the bluegill was the one that was HOOKED!!!

 

[sniperfreak223]

Well, I'll admit that I enjoy fishing for all panfish...but then again I'm the kind of person that will throw a fly to anything that swims (including bullfrogs and snapping turtles...).

In fact, I've actually fished for them over trout when I find them in a trout stream in the summer... I know, that's blasphemy, but when the pressured trout ignore everything you throw at them, tell me you wouldn't cast across the pool and target the bluegills.

 

[wetnet]

I think fishing bluegills is like being in a batting cage. Great for all ages! I love it, no matter how much I like to dedicate myself to some kind of perfection in fly fishing for trout, sometimes it's just fun to catch fish. I have no less or greater appreciation for either species. In fact the bullheads should be biting soon. :-D

 

[sniperfreak223]

my favorite bluegill pond just had a nice hatch of some BWO-type mayflies (don't know exact names, I'm no entomologist), but I can tell you, casting a size 16 BWO parachute to rising bluegill is a hell of a lot more fun way to work on casting accuracy than casting a piece of yarn to a paper plate. plus, you can't argue with 52 fish in just over two and a half hours...

 

[bowmandjk]

There is nothing that fights like a bluegill and for eating they are tops. I saw this post earlier and decided today that i was in the mood for some panfried bluegils so off i went to presque isle and caught a dozen, that means tommorrow fish dinner. I tyed up some lighting bugs and they are awesome for panfish. I found the pattern on tri-county fly fishers its a club in central florida and the lighting bug is Ed Russell creation

 

[groove790]

I took my my little brother fishing at the 'gill pond in Raccoon creek state park a few years ago and and in a couple of hours we had over 30 of them landed. It peaked his interest now I'm trying to hook him a little more. We caught them all on a carpenter ant pattern. They crushed it as soon as it hit the water every time.

 

[tocar]

Count me in. My choice of fly is whatever I have tied on at the moment :lol: They'll eat anything, or at least try to. Last Thurs. while fishing for bass, I had one hit a 1/0 floating minnow, twice. The second time he hooked himself in the gill plate. He measured a whole 3". Heck, the fly was bigger than he was.

I sometimes carry a 3wt rod with me when fishing in the kayak just for panfish. When the bass are moody and the carp are spooky, 'gills will be gracious enough to show me a fun time.

Here's a pumpkinseed from last summer

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peace-tony c.