Lake Panfish

[Van_Cleaver]

A friend brought his boat out my way to fish my local lake. We were spin fishing cause he wanted to and I didn't want to rock the boat (literally) and also it was pretty windy and chilly. Bite was slow til right before dark when the gills turned on.

When we docked it was completely calm so I took out my fly rod for a few casts. I had tried earlier while waiting for my buddy (unsuccessfully) so was rigged and ready. Second cast got a thump and landed a beautiful 11"perch. Missed two more strikes and the bite died with the light.

It was a bit of a surprise since we had caught a bass, a couple crappie and lots of gills but no perch.
Happy to have caught my first fish on the fly rod this season and have the motivation to do it again.

 

[hunter1]

Sounds great. What fly and line did you use. Tight lines. :-D

 

[JackM]

In my chronic fly fishing days, this time of year, I would head to the lake for bluegill. I wouldn't bother arriving much sooner than one hour before dark. About then, the shallows would teem with 'gills so that just about every cast drew a strike on top if not a hookup.

It is a good way to get your strike-timing skills honed for the upcoming dry fly season. I didn't keep any, but my brother and his wife did and she was good with the filet knife. The meat is paltry, but the most delicious fish I have ever eaten. I think the limit is still 50.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

Yes gills are delicious and they do tend to turn on just before dark. They aren't really coming up yet but will soon. Bluegills I always fillet so if they are under 8" they go back. Also I don't take them once the water warms up. I had a blast last year when the Crappie were in, which will probably be as soon as we get some solid days in the 60's. They need 50 degrees or better to spawn.

To answer the question above: I use a cheap (bought online for 130$) 10' euro rod with a 4 wt. It is extremely light (3 oz.) and the action is prob a little slow for a nymphing rod. An 8.5 with a five wt. would work fine, I'm sure. My best fly so far this year is the electric chicken. Tungsten bead (chart), pink estaz bod, and a sparse chart bucktail with a little krystal flash on a Jig hook. Took it from a crappie jig pattern on you tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCcZvEqQtfk

 

[hunter1]

Thanks Van.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

You got it. You can easily modify just about any crappie pattern using a jig style hook and a bead head.

 

[tomgamber]

I prefer a small foam spider to almost anything else for bluegills.

And as far as eating them. So sweet. A little bigger and flatter than a mcnugget for size but a few of us fried up a hundred or so during a class I took on Lake Pymatuning just after college. Fed everyone for lunch. dip 'em in anything but good on their own.

Took a bunch from below Blue Falls dam a little later and those were even tastier than the lake ones.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

Most gills I eat are doing ice fishing season. I tend to release them once the water warms up. I love catching them top water, but right now they are still deep (around here) for the most part. I had a blast last year with assorted poppers but got away from using the smallest sizes due to the fish inhaling them.

 

[tomgamber]

I never had that problem with a spider. Probably because while the body and hook might be a 12, the legs make the profile a good inch or more wide. They seem to stay right out front.

There were times when the schools were out farther and I would use some form of nymph or pupa (that was chewed from trout season) and drop it a couple feet below an indicator, practically bobber fishing, where that could be a problem occasionally. But with bluegills, I didn't get all worked up about mortality. Turtles and birds gotta eat too.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

In between mowing, seeding, food shopping and a wind driven storm I managed to squeeze in a little fishing. Drove by about 40 cars clustered around the bridge on my local trout stream and was glad to not engage in that circus.

Only a couple guys fishing when I arrived and I talked to one of the regulars who told me it was super slow. He left and tried another spot before I even got my waders on. I fished steadily away from the lot which was good because by the time I left there was a fair crowd.

Bites were super light and I missed several before catching my first gill. I then went with an indicator and eventually a black bugger with a chart. bead head. Most of the hits were so light the indicator wasn't even going under and in the wind it made detection tricky.

I fished a good ways from the lot and had no anglers near me, though it was starting to look ominous. Got a solid take by what I thought was a bass but after a nice tussle landed my personal best crappie14-15'' and looked to be a fat female spawner. Caught a bass of similar size before deciding it would be prudent to head back. Got to my truck right as the rain really came down though it was short lived. Wrap up: we didn't really get much rain, just a lot of wind so I was also able to mow the back yard I finally got raked. Pretty good day all in all.

 

[timmyt2]

Anyone been trying for panfish again? I can go to my local lake again as of Monday,.was thinking of heading over around dinner time with my 4 weight and taking my daughter along

 

[Baron]

I'd sure like to hear more on these topics. Busy learning trout now but prefer to eat panfish over trout. I read that a larger prince is good for Gills. I also have some streamers but was thinking that the cold water panfish may prefer Nymphs.
While somewhat experienced with summer panfish the idea of winter fish and, more importantly, catching them with flies is all new to me. Keep talking panfish......

 

[Fly-Swatter]

Baron wrote:
I read that a larger prince is good for Gills.

Heck, yeah! It's the first (and usually only) nymph I use for panfish.
Swap out the white biot wing with holographic tinsel.

Also, #10 bead chain or light brass dumbbell eye clousers in all flash (ie, angel hair) will work and get it's share of crappies.

 

[timmyt2]

Same here Baron, i have a good panfish lake around the corner now and my daughter who just turned 6 wants to fish so i'm hoping i can make it work! I have no experience other than catching sunnies in rivers while trouting by accident or back in the day in spin tackle.

Good tips on the Princes and small clousers, pretty sure i have both

 

[Fly-Swatter]

timmy2: In a few weeks (assuming it gets warmer) the panfish will be shallow. By shallow, I mean a rod's length from shore. Your daughter can dangle a #12 BH Prince from her rod tip and catch panfish one after the other. I had my son doing this when he was her age. I counted 40 bluegill he caught in one hour!

 

[timmyt2]

Swatter,

I dont know when the heck its gonna warm up but i'd rather this than a 90 degree april!

Is there a certain water temp i should be looking for? What about for the crappies? I believe they are more active in cold water...heard talk of 'ice out crappie' being a good time

 

[Fly-Swatter]

It's going to warm up tomorrow....for a few hours....then cool down. :lol:

I have not gotten technical with the panfishing so I don't know about water temps. I just remember seeing lots of fish shallow every year at Lackawanna Lake starting around late April to early May.

I think spawning is the thing that brings them shallow. So, check into preferred spawning temps for bluegill, crappie, etc. and you should be good. Once they are there, they should be around until October.

One key to success that I likely don't have to tell you about is polarized glasses. My son watched as the fish reacted to how he moved the fly. It's very interesting and educational for a young angler.

 

[Baron]

Fly-Swatter I was at Gouldboro and knocked the perch and gills hard Saturday. Even got a nice Pickerel.

 

[Baron]

Well I guess I need some switched-out tinsel princes. Thanks

How do you figure your tippet and leader? what sizes?

 

[Fly-Swatter]

Cool! Gouldsboro is not far from me.

I fish with my brookie leader: 8', 3x or 4x. It's the least technical fly fishing gets. That's why I take people who are new to ffing to a pod or lake and target panfish: low threshold. Just flip a 10' cast and twitch or drag your fly (surface or subsurface). This is where the sunglasses come is. Look at how the fish react to different presentations. Probably the most consistently effective for me is the slow drag. Do it just like it sounds.