Hugh, Huge Bluegill Landed on Ryan Creek

I decided to see if I could land some super gills Friday by fishing before a weather front coming in on Saturday. Your fish-catch ratio can improve fishing before a front. I couldn't ask for a better morning with cloudy skies and very low humidity to fish the popper and black gnat on Smith Lake. In fact, I had clouds overhead until 10 AM after that the sun took over and the bite practically stop.

This scene is why I love to fish Smith Lake. One of my favorite banks in Ryan Creek to fish, I've landed numerous bluegills and spots from this area.

This bluegill was taken using the Barr Nunn popper letting it sit motionless for what seemed like forever for a hit----but the patience paid off. This was the way the bluegill wanted the fly the first hour of the morning; a complete contrast from the spawn where the fish will kill the fly as soon as it touches the water.

 The bass wasn't as active as the bluegills, which was alright with me, because the mission today was to improve on my bluegill numbers. This spot gives the 4 weight quite a workout making me think he was much larger.

The prize of the morning was this monster bull gill taken using the black gnat fishing with the sink-tip line. The last spawn ended the first week in August on Smith Lake and this bluegill showed the signs of that spawn. He was not in good shape as far as body weight. He would have weight in at a pound before the spawn but today he tipped the scales at 12 ounces. Both big bulls deserved their freedom after an epic fight against the 5 weight------GOT TO LOVE LANDING THESE BIG BLUEGILLS USING THE FLY ROD!!!

Making up for Lost Time

I can’t believe it’s been nearly seven months since I’ve fished from my Pelican boat. Too many things too mention have kept me off the water, with moving and relocating to a new town and house as being the major obstacle.

This past Wednesday was my day for me to relax and take in the beauty of Laura Hill Lake in Lawrenceburg. I spent the better part of five hours reacquainting myself with my Redington and exploring areas that I know will hold fish in the coming months. Simply put; it was good to just be back on the water after a long hiatus. 

Laura Hill is surrounded by rolling hills and numerous nooks loaded with subsurface fallen trees; which is the ultimate fish attractor. I got some strange looks today using the fly rod. The lake caretaker told me no one fished the lake with the fly rod. That bit of information really got my attention.

I landed numerous gills this size today; all were taken using the Barr Nunn popper around the fallen trees in water 55 degrees. The bigger bluegills were still in the deeper water and won’t move into the shallows until the water temps reach the low sixties. A good workout for the 3 wt. 9 ft. and the guy who was placing the popper!!