[Flyfisher for men]

Another priest took me out this evening to a big pond that belonged to one of the members of a church he'd been in charge of at one time. I tied on a big olive woolly bugger and a nymph on a dropper. Didn't do much for a half hour. Moved to another spot on the pond and started creeping it along a mud bottom when I picked up a couple of stunningly colored 8 inch 'gills near shore, and had a couple of misses near shore when the line tightened, but I mistakenly thought I'd hung up on the bottom.

What I'd stumbled into was a bunch of bull bluegills in full spawning color defending their nests. I motioned my friend over and we spent the next two hours catching and releasing fish that averaged eight inches. The smallest one ran about 6 inches, and we were getting a fish about every other cast.

All of the fish were within 30 ft of shore and the trick to catching them was creeping the flies through the mud and then being able to distinguish between a fish and a snag. When the line tightened up, we'd gently bend the rod with a little tension, feel for a tap or tug to indicate a fish on the other end, and set the hook. We caught twenty apiece that way. Absolutely delightful.


As an added plus, my friend informed me that the pond owner has given all of the members of my religious community permission to fish the pond whenever we'd like. Needless to say, I'll be taking advantage of that offer.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Flyfisher for Men,

Your success demonstrates a very important lesson. Fish are not located in all parts of a lake and the fisher has to be flexible in locating them. Were you catching them on the bugger or the nymph. It sounds to me like you were dragging the flies across their beds and you were getting defensive bites rather than feeding bites.

[xjguy07]

i've found out that small streamers and woolybuggers work great for the big gills, also try useing dry flies from your trout collection. them fish arnt to picky about what they eat.

[Flyfisher for men]

Were you catching them on the bugger or the nymph. It sounds to me like you were dragging the flies across their beds and you were getting defensive bites rather than feeding bites.

The majority were on the bugger--probably because it was the lead invader. I drew the same conclusion as you about the fish playing defense. There were very few strikes where the fish obviously took the fly and ran.

My initial reason for creeping the fly on the bottom was time of year and water temperature considerations. Though it was cool that evening and we had a light rain, the fishing reports on the various lakes and reservoirs in the region list water temperatures in the 80-85 degree range, and few even a little higher. I don't know the exact temperature of that pond, but it would be similar, I'm sure. My thinking was keep it down and slow because the fish would probably be on the sluggish side.

[santo]

Alot of time what I will do is toss the streamer just pass some overgrown shrubs that hang over a pond of deep hole. They like to hang out deep but under the shrubs. Pulling the streamer past the top of the hole but close to shore. They will usuallt come straight out and attack like no mans business.

here are a few that I caught the other day.

santo

DSC00215.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

IMG_1966.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

[cliftz]

Santo, niiiicccceeee. Love them 'gills on the 3 wt. They feel and fight so
big