first 'gill on a dry this year

[wabi]

At the local lake this evening having fun with the bluegill population. It's been cold the past couple nights (right at freezing) so I tied on a "green weenie" and caught a few 'gills. The better ones were hanging close to old submerged dead wood.

The wind died just as the sun was about to set and suddenly 'gills were rising to take something on the surface! I had no idea what they were feasting on, but I quickly tied on a #16 foam ant and cast to a rise.

I was a bit startled when a 'gill hit so hard it cleared the water!



It lasted for 15-20 minutes then it was over, but I managed to catch several in that short span of time. Actually fast enough action that my back was ready for a rest after it was over.

[fire instructor]

Sounds like you had fun! I'm looking forward to getting out and chasing some panfish.

I got out this afternoon and practiced casting.... trouble was, I was "practicing" in a trout stream, with a variety of different flies on the end of my line.... Alas, all I did was "practice" casting, as I never even had a hit... Looked like the stream had been fished pretty hard since opening day (last Saturday).... shoreline brush pretty well stomped down, forked sticks sticking up in strategic locations along the bank, picked up a pocket full of monofilament waste left all over and another pocket full of styrofoam worm cups, so it may be "fished-out" or "spooked" for a few weeks, until more fish move in...

There was a hatch of large (size of a quarter) brown winged insects coming to the surface (I still have to begin learning to identify hatches), but I saw no rises at all. Tried a mix of nymphs, emergers, and dry's, all with no hits. Spent the last 30 minutes that I was there working my way back downstream towrds my jeep working a wollybugger, just to try something different.

Learned a few lessons, though:

1) I still need more practice casting.
2) I have NO IDEA what the optimum leader/tippet length should be for any particular circumstance.
3) I need to practice my leader to tippet knots.
4) I have too much stuff hanging on my lanyard, getting in the way.
5) Streamside trees are not my friends.

But I had fun, as a bad day fishing, STILL beats a good day working!

[angelo1987]

Congrat's man, That's not a bad looking Gill. The Summer is going to great with dry flies early in the morning and late evening

[hillbilly rick]

Nice fish, What is a "green weenie"?

[twobuckchuck]

In my book, nothing more fun that fishing for 'gills with poppers and foam flies. And is thre anything better in the skillet than a mess of panfish?

[wabi]

Originally Posted by hillbilly rick

Nice fish, What is a "green weenie"?

[hillbilly rick]

Thanks Wabi,
Do you tie 'em yourself? Never seen anything like it. 'course, with only a few months with a fly rod there are going to be many I haven't seen.

[wabi]

Originally Posted by hillbilly rick

Thanks Wabi,
Do you tie 'em yourself? Never seen anything like it. 'course, with only a few months with a fly rod there are going to be many I haven't seen.

I tie my own. Usually a darker green, and sometimes vary it by using a maribou tail of a contrasting color (red or yellow). They all seem to be equally effective, though.

Yesterday evening I caught bluegill, crappie, and LM bass on them at the local lake.

Should have taken a pic of one bass.
A 3" bass smacked it like he was starving!
Not much of a fight, but the little guy sure was ferocious with the attack.

edited to add:
I switched to a #16 foam ant as the sun set, and also had good luck with it.
Some nice 'gills, and the largest crappie of the evening.

[hal_sch]

I love catching them on a dry. I like to watch for the "boil" right under the fly and hope that the 'gill will be big enough to take the fly, and if not its still fun to watch the little guy try.