Need Help w/bluegill flies what to make

[jason k]

Hi,
I am picking back up fly fishing after 28 years I was 10-12 years old the last time fly fished now I am 40. Go too Flies on here too find the story about me.Anyways I am from west central Iowa. I am going to only be fishing bluegills for now then move into crappie and trout.. I was wondering what would be a good fies are good for bluegills.I know what I was a kid my dad used a hornbrug alot once and awhile a black wooly bugger both a size 12. I am just starting out making flies I do not need to hard for flies to make right now.I plan on making the hornbrug and the black wooly bugger.What other colors should I tie in the wooly bugger? ..I would like too also know what flies work good with bluegills. I will be fish spooky fish in still waters..( Gravel pits and farm ponds.)

Thank you
Jason

 

[fq13]

Welcome! And I really hate it when I go to a forum and some old fart says "Go to the FAQ section, newbie". But here? Over the last few weeks, those of us who are blue gill addicts have started, I think at last count, 4 separate threads on this very topic. I would strongly recommend reading those. No need to search, just look in the general section, the warm water section and the fly tying forum and there they are. But, since I don't want to send you home empty handed, we've been tying mini-clousers, buggers in olive and black, a new fly pattern in pink that IA trouter swears by, a cool old school foam spider (here's the link: "MY FAVORITE BLUEGILL FLY - Fly Angler's OnLine)

And basically discussing all things bluegill. So welcome aboard and don't think this is a trout snob board, far from it. pick a thread and jump in!
PS I'd start with the "Fly vices are a good investment, need help with bluegill flies" thread in general discussion.

 

[argail]

Hi jason k
I like, top water flies, hopper fly - hook #10 (my choice mustad R72), black (experiment with color) foam body, white rubber legs, post or wings - bunch deer hair try

 

[nick k]

The best resource you will find: CLICK HERE

Also check out the Fly Patterns section. Each pattern on the site has detailed step by step tying walkthroughs with images, as well as fishing techniques.

 

[fq13]

Nice link Nick, thanks.

 

[ia_trouter]

Did you find the link for the McGinty? It's actually Yellow and Black, or Chartreus/Black. Material list is pretty simple, and according to Riptide, exact doesn't matter. I have used it exactly once, that was last night and I couldn't keep the fish off it. In 20 minutes or so I caught large gills, small gills, a crappie and LM Bass in a drought smoked new lake where the fish have got to be stressed. I had spent the previous hour getting a sore shoulder and a near skunkin.

If you don't have the materials, PM your addy and I'll mail you one. A lot of other flies catch gills, but the McGinty should be in your arsenal.

 

[kglissmeyer1]

Okay, so while this was invented as a trout fly, it is a bluegill slayer! Give it a try and prove me wrong.

Improved Shop Vac - the original fly was developed by Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, MT. The "improved" part is that I added a peacock herl thorax to the fly. I also use a copper bead and chartreuse wire rather than a gold bead and gold wire as in the original pattern:



Hook: DaiRiki 125 Emerger, size 14-16
Thread: UTC Ultra black
Bead: 3/32 Copper
Abdomen: Yellow-dyed pheasant tail fibers - 6 to 8
Wire Rib: Chartreuse, small
Wing: SAAP Hi Vis white wing post material
Thorax: peacock herl wrapped front and back

Good luck,

Kelly.

 

[delopez]

I always use a small bead head bugger. You can't go wrong with a Woolley bugger.

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[fish4reds]

Foam is deadly for BGs. Here is mine.

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[fq13]

Foam is deadly for BGs. Here is mine.

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Cool looking bug. What's the crinkly stuff on top?

 

[fish4reds]

I get the material from my favorite fly shop, Walmart. It is glitter craft foam. Larger hoppers work well for bass.


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[bigjim5589]

IMO, I doubt there's a fly pattern that Bluegills won't take, as long as the size is appropriate for the size of the fish.

I once caught some real monster Bluegills in FL, those in the 12-13" range on a #4 white marabou streamer, right at dawn. It was light enough to see the water, but I couldn't see the fish. The water was crystal clear (Rainbow River). Once the Sun got up, I went looking for bass, which is what I was after anyway, as the large Gill's seemed to vanish. I caught smaller Gills that day too, on smaller flies.

Most Bluegill's I had caught to that point in my life were 8" or less, and most were in the 5-6" range, which is average for my area.

The point of my story is that they can be selective, as I think those big ones were primarily feeding on smaller fish. Plus, they can be selective about when they'll feed, particularly the bigger ones.

I've used a lot of different patterns over the years, and don't recall any that didn't work. Some will be better than others on any given day, but they don't need to be complicated, intricate or exotic. In time as you get back into tying, you'll likely want to expand your selection, but for now keeping it simple is the best approach. Frankly, most of the time now when I fish for Bluegill's I use a small popper, some type of foam beetle, hopper or cricket, or a simple soft hackle or nymph type fly. The exact pattern is seldom important.

That link that Nick provided will give you plenty of patterns to get you started, as well as what others have suggested.

 

[turbineblade]

Soft hackles -- size #10-14. Virtually any body/hackle variation, though I prefer "pheasant tail soft hackles" and "partridge and yellows" most of the time.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why more people don't fish these -- they absolutely murder sunfish, and work double-duty on trout in the #14 size around here.

 

[flyfishusa]

We did an article a few years back on panfish. I lived in St. Charles, Mo for 17 years and caught plenty of Bluegill on small bass flies (Yellow always worked best for me).

Good luck.

 

[delopez]

Yellow is a hit color in Missouri. I catch everything on yellow...

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[crazy4oldcars]

Pink works good, too.
I like rabbit flies for panfish.

Kirk

 

[jason k]

Thanks for all the info on flies everyone.I know where I do my fishing at a gravel pit that has been shut down snice the 50's a mile long and 1/4 wide with trees all around it nice and relaxing I tell you. Tons of panfish,small mouth bass,large mouth bass and crappie. I am think of also making a woolly buggers to for bluegill so I have heard that works good on bluegills. But what color combo? For now I thought of making black. That brings too another qustion. I did use worms and they always went for the lighter colored end, so why should I make black woolly buggers not a lighter colored one. Like I said this is very new to me and need the help. I am going too be making flies over this comming winter so I am ready for this comming spring and summer with flies.Like I said my father used a size 12 hornburg and a few other but I can not remember at all for the life sake of me what they where. If any of you can link me too a youtube video where I can watch and learn how that would help too..


Thank you
Jason

 

[ia_trouter]

I answered your PM Jason. I can send you vid links, but if you do a forum search you will find a lot of them been provided very recently. For starters, do an advanced search on this forum. Search "bluegills", select "Search topics only" and that will get you started.

 

[fq13]

Even for a duffer like me a wooly bugger is a quick tie so I'd suggest experimenting. Black is a classic, particularly at night. But tie up a few in olive and yellow. Maybe ad white to tail or collar. See what works. The only one who decides on what the right color is are the fish.

 

[mridenour]

If you tie some buggers, tie some in Olive and Olive/Black. I can safely say that is my all-time favorite color for buggers but I am always trying all sorts of crazy combos. Add some rubber legs too!