Catching Bluegill On A Fly Rod

Catching bluegill on a fly rod for me did not start as a fishing trip where I just decided I needed to catch them that way. A few weeks before this article was written, I took a kayak fly fishing trip for trout down the White River below Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas (my second one). As in the first trip, there was no power generation from the dam, consequently, flat, skinny water with visible, skittish fish. That being the case, I tried with Power Bait and corn to no avail. Tried small lures .... no dice.  

Shortly after we started we floated into a restricted area designated as a catch and release only trophy area. Coming up on some wade fishermen, my friend who is an experienced fly fisherman  asked what they were catching them on. Once they gave him the info, he made the necessary adjustments and began to catch fish. He gave me the necessary flies, showed me what to do, and I proceeded to do the opposite, not catch fish. Oh, I got some bites on the tiny wet fly below the strike indicator, but my hookset was way off. My inexperience resulted in an 8 hour fishless trip. 

Needing some redemption as well as practice, I headed for one of my favorite haunts for bluegill at Sugarloaf Lake. I rigged up a fly rod with exactly the same rig we were fly fishing with knowing that with fish moving to the beds, they would find the tiny trout fly appetizing. And it would give me some practice setting the diminutive hook with a fly rod. Well, it far exceeded expectations.

The rod I used was a 9 foot five weight, reel loaded with floating weight forward fly line. I put on an 8 foot leader that tapered to just over 5 lb test. I tied on a foot and a half of 4 lb test Trilene XL for the tippet and tied the tiny fly to that. I put a very small fly fishing split shot about 8" above the fly and a strike indicator about 2.5 feet above the fly. I began to move along the still submerged grass line (mid April) casting the fly about every 5 feet to cuts in the weeds. And the bluegill responded with vigor. I still had problems setting the hoot at first, but after about 15 tries, I started to get it.  

Three things were accomplished with this quick trip to the lake. First I got some genuine practice with my fly rod for the next time I head to the river for trout. The smooth lifting action to set a tiny trout fly hook is far different from the slamming hook sets into bass that I'm accustomed to. After a while, I was setting the hook in almost every adult fish that hit.

Second, the fly rod proved to be one of the most effective bluegill bed finders I've ever used. I found several new bluegill beds as I efficiently covered water along the grass and stump filled bank. One bed is one of the biggest I've ever found anywhere. And as a bonus, with the big adult bluegills biting vigorously, they often hit the small strike indicator on the line. So, I put a popping bug on another rod and began to catch some top water. Anyway, I located a lot of fish in a short amount of time with the fly rod. Catching bluegill on a fly rod was quickly becoming reminiscent of my boyhood days plying the black water of Mississippi river oxbow lakes with a fly rod.

Finally, as I love to do, I loaded up on bluegills which resulted in bluegill fillets which are hands down my favorite eating fish of any that swim in fresh water. The big stringer was a relief after two fishless days that started off my vacation. And the table fare was as it always is. Spectacular.  

So, for a great time with some great fish, pick up a fly rod and head to the nearest lake where you know bluegill bed up in shallow water. Use the rig described above to locate the beds and fill your stringer. Or just use it to find the beds and use crickets and worms for a quick ice chest full of gills. I'm betting if you give it a try, catching bluegill on a fly rod will quickly become as addictive for you as it did for me. 

Here's to your good fishing. ~ Mark Rogers