If you
are a fly fisherman, then you have fished surface poppers and landed
fish using them. There are times when the popper isn't as productive
as you've like for it to be, today was one of those days. A lot of
factors always affects the fish bite on a big lake like Smith.
Falling water, clear blue skies, heavy rains off and on for the past
week can put a dent in how the fish will react to any lure presented
their way. When conditions get tough then one has to experiment and
work harder for the bite, whether you are fishing warm waters or cold
waters.
I
started the morning at daybreak fishing silk smooth water, perfect
for popper action. The rock walls wouldn't give up the quality spots or bluegills this morning using the size 4 Boogle Bug, neither would the Barr Nunn
popper produce. As I worked the walls I encountered sticky humid
conditions so bad that the seats in the boat were moist. Thank
goodness the humid conditions improved some after sunrise.
I
retired the poppers after an hour of landing a couple of small gills;
when I say small I mean the kind you could actually false cast with.
Lucky I had my 5 weight spooled with the sink tip line that I hadn't
used since 2015. I like to fish a short leader when casting the sink
tip usually 6 ½ to 7 ft. I've found that I can control the cast
better and get a little more distance using the shorter leader.
The
black gnat tied to the short leader was the fly that got the most
action during the 3-hour trip. Four nice gills like this gem produced
16 fillets giving Cathey and I a delicious meal mixed with a green
salad and sweet tea.
