Using flies for panfish
Last Post 31 Oct 2012 09:14 AM by BJsullivan. 14 Replies.
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huffmanl43User is Offline New Poster New Poster Send Private Message Posts:20 huffmanl43
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10 May 2012 08:15 PM

    when i go fishing i usually do not have a set fish specie i fish for but i know when the bass fishing is slow 9 out 10 times you can get the panfish to bite. well i had a container of worms with me and having a good ol' time but i was getting tired of putting a worm on every few cast. i wear a fishing vest just like flyfishers (it is a little easier to carry gear when kayaking fishing), in my vest i carry a small travel pack. in this travel pack it has a little bit of everything it is a little easier than digging through the tackle box, which i still carry with me. well in there I keep some wet and dry flies why i do not really know i do not fly fish. anyways i tied a fly on my ultra light rod, the colors were black and white, and i put a very small split shot on the line about 14 inches up from the fly just to get it out there a little ways. as soon as that fly hit the water i have never seen so many panfish come out at once. right away i hooked into a pretty good size bluegill. i get that one in and throw the fly again instantly fish on this time a little sunfish. i did this five or six times until they caught on. so after the tenth cast with nothing i decided to try a couple of flicks where the fly just skims the water well i did three small little flicks out and sure enough the panfish fish came back like an angry swarm of bees. it was so much fun i have never seen anything like that. using flies i found was a good alternative to using worms. i have 4 pound line on my ultra light that is about all you really need as far as i am concered. it was a good time and if you are looking for some good fun give it a try. 

    skewlUser is Offline Veteran Poster Veteran Poster Send Private Message Posts:1006 skewl
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    13 May 2012 03:36 PM
    Wow, that sounds like a great day of fishin, huffman. I like using dry flies for panfish from time to time, 'gills can't resist an Elk Hair Caddis if they're in the mood. Surprisingly I've found that the more traditional trout flies work better than the bluegill poppers on panfish for some reason.
    TroyfishUser is Offline New Poster New Poster Send Private Message Posts:20 Troyfish
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    09 Jun 2012 09:53 PM
    I myself love using those little floating foam spiders 2' behind a small bubble. Nothing has beaten that over the years for me!
    I don't go fishing, I go catching.
    trickworm15User is Offline New Poster New Poster Send Private Message Posts:24 trickworm15
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    14 Jun 2012 07:53 AM
    I love fishing for panfish on my 7 foot fly rod. I use a small streamer. Works great!
    saltydanUser is Offline Advanced Poster Advanced Poster Send Private Message Posts:337 saltydan
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    14 Jun 2012 08:13 AM
    Oh yeah;

    Lots of fun fly fishing for pan fish. I use just about any dry fly. Those gills are bad-*ss when it comes to fighting on a fly.

    Salty Dan

    If at first you don't succeed, maybe you shouldn't try sky diving!
    bass or bass?User is Offline Veteran Poster Veteran Poster Send Private Message Posts:1578 bass or bass?
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    14 Jun 2012 03:44 PM
    I quit using my light weight spinning rod for sunfish and now only use my 5/6 weight fly rod. I use 6 weight floating line. I use any number of different flies to catch sunfish from floating foam spiders/beetles to dry flies and wet flies. I seem to do a little better with wet flies fished about 3 to 4 feet below the surface. Sunfish on a fly rod (or ultra light spinning) is awesome! And I gladly switch to panfish fishing when the bass bite is slow or non active. Many times I'll also bait up and cast out my channel cat rig in another direction while fly fishing for sunfish. The channel cat hook up is an added bonus!
    Phoenix Arizona ~Outdoor-Fishing~N.A.F.C.~B.A.S.S.~BoatU.S.~N.R.A.~A.M.A.~
    gonfishinUser is Offline New Poster New Poster Send Private Message Posts:61 gonfishin
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    16 Jun 2012 05:29 PM
    My brother and a friend drove 10 hours hauling a boat behind them to get to some fishing in the Black Hills of South Dakota. They teased me and told me they would catch 1 for me cause I had to work and could not go with them. After work I went to a nearby pond and caught 50 bluegills in 1 hour using a little Zebco 404 Spin Casting rod and reel with a red and white bobber and a yellow and brown fly. I got home before them and was frying up a mess of blue gills when they finally arrived. They didn't have a single fish, they never even found the entrance to the National Park they were looking for! Just goes to show the best laid plans of mice and men.
    Tight lines always, gonfishin U S Army '69-'71, Sp.5, 91st Med Evacuation Hospital (M.A.S.H) Chu Lai, Vietnam, '70-'71. U S Air Force '73-'89, SSGT. N A F C Life Member Since May, 2008, B A S S Life Member Since '85, M M, York Rite, K T The only ones you have to get even with are the ones that helped you when you were down. Brave Rifles.
    mo65User is Offline Veteran Poster Veteran Poster Send Private Message Posts:1574 mo65
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    17 Jun 2012 05:25 AM
    I use flies for panfish too...but since my flyrod skills are still evolving...I tie a fly on a leader behind a bass popper...gets it out there nicely...with the added bonus of an occasional fish on the front lure.
                                                                                       
    Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if it wasn't for my super smooth carbon drag, my 30 year old Trilene would bust!
    seabassslayerUser is Offline New Poster New Poster Send Private Message Posts:16 seabassslayer
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    06 Aug 2012 06:54 PM
    I love fly fish for panfish. Usually they seem to bite well on flies. I use a fly rod. I put two flies on at one time sometimes so theres a fun chance of a double-header. Since I release all my freshwater fish, I make the fishing more fun to do. I use Small wet flies and foam beetles/ ants are fun to use, because you see the fish bite at it when its floating.
    Mossback and Mrs MossbackUser is Offline New Poster New Poster Send Private Message Posts:157 Mossback and Mrs Mossback
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    24 Sep 2012 06:32 PM
    Just started fly fishing for panfish this summer. We used poppers and did pretty well on the gills. Hope to experiment more next year with dry flies and such.
    Lots of fun watching them hit the popper on the surface.

    Mrs Mossback
    Mossback and Mrs Mossback (smallie slayers)
    davesett2000User is Offline Veteran Poster Veteran Poster Send Private Message Posts:2212 davesett2000
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    29 Sep 2012 05:21 PM
    Actually...you folks don't have to give up the spinning rod...just use the "float and fly" technique"

    You can use all sorts of bobbers...just use a bobber stop for depth.

    You can use dry flys...wet flys...streamers...small dressed jigs...iice fishing jigs...and even plain baited hooks with the setup.

    JMHO
    Life Member David 2001 BB Linkmeister US Army 1978-1985 Western Wisconsin Photobucket
    the rod tosserUser is Offline Veteran Poster Veteran Poster Send Private Message Posts:1486 the rod tosser
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    30 Sep 2012 11:04 PM
    For wet flys and nymphs just fish them 1-3 ft behind a sinker with a ultra light set up .

    Take a kid fishing , If the fish aint biting entertain them. Photobucket
    mikechellUser is Offline New Poster New Poster Send Private Message Posts:12 mikechell
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    13 Oct 2012 05:58 AM
    Fly fishing for bream.  I use a 7' 4 weight and an 8' 5 weight.  One with a popper, one with a sinking fly ... here are some pictures of this past week's fish.



    mikechellUser is Offline New Poster New Poster Send Private Message Posts:12 mikechell
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    13 Oct 2012 06:02 AM
    And another caught yesterday on the sinking fly.


    And the two flies I used all week.


    Nothing better than catching fish on your own flies.  I put two channel cats and over 20 bream in the freezer this week.  Fish fry at my house tomorrow.
    BJsullivanUser is Offline New Poster New Poster Send Private Message Posts:95 BJsullivan
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    31 Oct 2012 09:14 AM
    just saw a show on W.F.N. about this.went out a week ago for a couple hours but did not catch anything.Will try it some more though.
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