Saturday, May 15, 2010

Fishing The Hopper for Bluegill


 I just can’t stay away from those gills. I spent the better part of the afternoon, on Walker Lake today landing bluegills and spots. I was fishing right before a front, and with the lake stable, it made for a great day. The hopper was the fly of the day for me helping me land 9 nice gills in depths of 10 to 12 ft. I fished most all afternoon with my 3 Wt. rod and had some awesome hits. The only time you can catch the big bluegills on this lake with the fly is on cloudy days or when you can find them in the shade. Today was one of those days.

A lot of fun with a 3 Wt. rod


Patience is the name of the game on this lake. I would leave the hopper motionless for 15 to 20 seconds at times before I would get a hit. When I did get the hit it was worth the way.

4 comments:

  1. Hey, Bill, Pokerbluegill here and Thanks for the comments on my blog. I am afraid it has degenerated into just an open journal, but perhaps you will inspire me to add some pictures of bluegills.
    Great post, wonderful shots and great blog here.
    Few fishing folks in the North really celebrated the bluegill simply because it is so prolific and a small fish, but they are better eating than bass and we have a fine population here where I live.
    Thanks for the connection.

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  2. I've been hitting panfish hard with the easy foam Beatle. Good job on the hopper. Got some big ones there.

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  3. Nice! Those are some good sized bluegills. So... fishing in the shade or on cloudy days with a hopper... Got it. I'll keep that in mind next time I go for bluegills.

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  4. William
    I have found over the years, that shade and cloudy days are a must if you are going to catch quality fish in warm water on the fly. Sun penetrating the water especially in super clear water causes the fish to go to the depths, making it more difficult to attract the fish to take your fly. Another factor is sunny clear water causes the fish to spook when the fly or the line hits the water. I seldom fish sunny banks in a lake using the fly.

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