Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

I just got around to reading the fly fishing group so thought I would join up. Catching a fish on a dry fly is just about as exciting as it gets. I started fly fishing almost 50 years ago after a friend of mine won a free week at a Fenwick fly fishing school.

We only had one fly rod between us and he taught me what he learned at the school. By the time I was in high school my day purchased me a Shakespear fly fishing set up and I was off and running. When I got out of the service and started college, I joined a group of guys from a General Motors plant where I worked who only dry fly fished. For about 18 months I was a dry fly purist.

We caught a lot of fish, but I soured on the club because they had little use for anyone but dry fly fishers and besides tying flies didn’t interest me. After my bad experience with the group, I turned to other methods and gave up fly fishing.

About 5 years later, while trout fishing below a dam on a cold water river there was a tremendous hatch with about 50 decent trout rising in the big pool. I couldn’t get a bite with my traditional gear, so next night I was there with my old fly rod and had a blast. I had gone full circle and now break it out whenever a hatch occurs..

Most of my fishing is done on my float boat which allows me to carry several rods and I am never without my fly rod. These days when fishing I try to figure out what the fish are biting on and use that technique.

I assume that some of you fly fish for trout also so I am posting some trout pictures here but not in my gallery. I see people that do it, but since I am quite new and have not figured out all the protocols yet I thought I would post them in this thread.

In Michigan a stream brown over 20 inches is a real trophy.


This is my best brown trout on a fly.


This one just made 20 inches.


This one was caught on a small river and gave me a real battle.


About half the steelhead I catch are on flies also.


I know it's just a closeup, but one of my favorite pictures.


Back to the subject of bluegills since that is why we come here.

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Replies to This Discussion

Terrific pictures!!
Great pictures, Ray!
Ray:
Nice trout. I also fish for multiple species using all methods. I like fly fishing, especially tying flies. I have been looking forward to trying steelhead fishing, and was thinking of the Manistee or Muskegon rivers. Any thoughts? I also like to hunt grouse and woodcock and was thinking of a combination trip. Do you need a boat to fish your rivers? Also, if you want to try something different, I live on Kentucky Lake, which has a very diverse fishery from bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish to stripers and sauger. Send me a note, I'm retired and have lots of time.

Michael Greene
I ve been fishing for fifty years, using a fly rod for forty years from South Louisiana to North Arkansas ,rivers lakes ponds streams creeks and swamps. Grandad was a bream fisherman,Dad was a bream fisherman, and now my job is to teach my kids the way they taught me. I'm old school, when I go it's to put meat in the boat,and sometimes it seems like work as the action gets fast and furious, but wouldn't have it any other way. My equipment is an 8'6" graphite 6-7wt rod " I know a little heavy, but comes in handy when hauling in 6-12 lb catfish raiding the bream beds". I use an african porcupine quill as a float and depth finder,and at the end of my line I like crickets untill I run out and then I switch to breamkiller sinking flys or topwater foam spiders. This spring my daughter has a choice ,taking fish off or putting crickets on . But it really does not matter a morning on the water catching dinner, spending time with your kids, putting 100 fish in the boat in three hours, priceless
ray that is some nice fish,i like you got started early on fly rods,my dad bought me a set up when i was nine,and i haven't been right since.
i am now 60 yrs. old and still love the sport just as much as i did 50+ yrs ago,nothing like a bigO thumper at the end of a tippet,and that line humming through the water.

"The solution to any problem -- work, love, money, whatever -- is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be."

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