Sunfish by Fly

[poutpro]

Does anyone in here fish sunfish with an ultralight fly rod? I have gotten interested in starting to fly fish and watched a guy fishing sunfish with one last summer. Does anyone else do this too? I think it would work good when they are feeding on insects on top of the water, but i dont know. Any information would be great.

[Corey Bechtold]

Flyfishing for Bluegills and Crappies can be a lot of fun and a lot of times it can be more productive than any other methods. Using a flyrod to search for early season fish is a great tactic. I like to use Wollybuggers in emerging weedbeds early in the season. The hackle of the bugger keeps the fly weedfree and these Panfish like to ambush these flies as they slowly creep past them. Bass also seem to like these too so don't be suprised if you happen to hook into something bigger. Some other good flies to try are bead head Hares Ear nymphs of Prince nymphs. I like to stay with flies that stay just below the surface. If you see a hatch later in the season then dry flies can be an excellent choice. Panfish on a flyrod is always a blast.

Good Luck,

Corey Bechtold

[Matt Breuer]

Absolute blast!! When those 'gills start running sideways on a flyrod it's the best!

[fishingmike0770]

Love watchin those pannies hit a popper too! Sometimes you even can hook up into a bass which is a major fight on a fly rod!

[Quickstrike]

i agree, when it comes to cold shallow water, nothing beats a light flyrod for big sunnies and crappies!

[poutpro]

Where do I get a good beginning rod at? What do I look for in a set up?

[Mark Christianson]

Its been a few years since I pulled out the fly rod, but man, I love those little poppers for sunnies.

An absolute riot!

[Corey Bechtold]

My first flyrod was a Scientific Anglers combo I bought from Galayns. It came with a very nice 5/6/ wt rod, descent reel, backing, flyline, leader, flybox and video. There are some other good packages out there (Berkley, Cortland). Cabelas had some good starter kits in their catalog. Fly fishing is a specialized sport like Muskie fishing so be expected to see some high prices. I personally think that spending good money on the rod and line is more important than a pricey reel. The reel's main purpose is to hold the line and rarely do you need to rely on the reels drag. I think a 5 or 6 wt rod at least 8' long is a good start for panfish. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Good Luck,

Corey Bechtold

[nytelyter]

for pannies i actually use my regular 6lb test rod and tie a tear drop shaped casting bobber onit then add about 10 ft of 2 lb test toit then tie my fly to it i have had so many flies eaten up this way those sunnies just destroy them the bobber gives you the abuility to get it out there and just have to stop the line out to make the fly carry all the way out takes a bit of practice but dont cost near as much i have made many an angler mad this way cause they will cast right into where i have just hooked up on one and before they can get a bite i toss it out back to the same spot and wham another one and their bobber is still sitting there hehehehehehhe it is great to see the wake come up behind the fly

[engadine52]

Hi poutpro

see my response to you on the "fly fishing" board.

Pan fish are a "guarnnnteed" way to get hooked on fly fishing.

[poutpro]

I got a combo kit today at Sportsman's Warehouse. I think it was called a Scientific Angler. It came with rod, reel, line, backing, leader, and some instructions. I talked to a guy that was shopping there, and he was nice enough to give me some help. He showed me tippet and some flies. It seems like people that are into the sport really like to help people out that are trying to get in. That is really great. Thanks everyone for all the help you have given me.

[csprau]

Sunfish on a lightweight fly rod is Great fun. I never get bored with it. I just wish I could find some lakes with 8"+ sunfish.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy your new rod and don't be shy about asking any questions!

-critter

[poutpro]

what types of flies work best for sunnies?

[koWALLEYEski]

I like the poppers best. Nothing beats fly fishing for early season sunnies/crapps

[poutpro]

what type of rod and reel set up do you have kowalleyeskie? What test is it? How long did you put your tippet? What kind of line do you use?

[koWALLEYEski]

Well I do have a couple set ups. Depends on the day I guess. If it is windy, or I need to cast a long distance, or tangle with some bigger fish Ill most likely use my 9ft, 5wt rod with a weight forward floating line. I use a Sage 9ft, 3wt when the wind isnt too bad. With dry flies ill go with a 9 ft tappered leader and add 18" of 6X tippet. Anymore questions?

[csprau]

I like poppers of various sizes, royal wullfs, and a chenille bodied "Bee" (it has slow sink rate).

[Please read forum policy]

[poutpro]

You should let me give one of those rigs of yours a try koWALLEYski. I think they are a little higher quality than my setup.

[CRAPPIEBAIT]

My current "goto" is a black popper with bright yellow eyes.

I've been doing real good the last 6 days with that set-up,with a 9' sage.

Check out "The Fly Angler" inside THORNE BROS in Fridley.It is the best place for anyone who is interested in fly fishing.They'll set you up with all the good stuff.

[koWALLEYEski]

Anytime youd like. I might be giving them away because I dont make it out much anymore.

[deeky]

My vote is for the clouser. Over lunch (30-40 minutes) a black/chartruse got me 5 crappies and 3 nice gills. The gills were literally one right after another. The water was pretty dirty compared to other lakes in the area, but it must have been quite a bit warmer. The fish were in 2-3 feet of water while in other lakes they are no where near shallow yet.

First fish on the 3 weight, first on my own fly, deffinitely the fastest fishing I've had in quite a while. Big problem though - didn't want to go back to work. I can still smell the fish on my hands and man oh man, better than any cologne.