Fly Fishing (Setting the Hook)

[robsabloke]

Hello everyone...

I mostly fish ultra lite gear for Bluegills but once in a while I'll get out the fly rod and try my hand. The problem I have at times is setting the hook. The Bluegill at my lake hit extremely quick. I've tried 'Bite indicators' and watching the line but unless the fish are very aggressive... it's hard to set the hook... especially if you have a lot of line out. There is nothing like catching a bull bluegill on a light fly rod... Any suggestions appreciated

Regards

Rob

[Copperhead John]

Quit daydreaming(just kidding)! Of course you do realize that the biggest and baddest bluegill in the lake always waits until you are in NaNa land to strike! I always keep my rod tip pointed downward close to the water to eliminate the slack and I think this helps me - never cared much for indicators.

[Tom Hudson]

Great post Robsa!

I love flyrodding for BG also - unless I'm going on top with a popper or dry pattern [pellet or parachute ant, etc.] I miss a lot of strikes using nymphs or other sinking patterns. I do like to use a popper as an indicator, and you create the opportunity for a double! Again, I think this is a great topic as I and others will benefit from some tips on detecting short pecks fishing down low. Hopefully someone from the Flyrod group will lend their thoughts!

[shooter]

well guys i been chasing gills and chinks with fly rods for over fifty yrs now and i still miss my share.
john hit the nail on the head keep that rod tip low and keep the slack out,point the rod to the fly. if you are nymph fishing you are making small strips ,with a pause (by small i mean two inch strips)sometimes less,just keep your eye on that line,if you thank you got a bump hit him,don't try to jerk his head off most people set the hook to hard.
barbless hooks work a lot better for those fish when they are just bumping and sharp hooks too,take a hook sharpener with you. i always sharpen my hooks,if you take a piece of cardboard tie a hook on a line and pull it through ,than pinch the barb down and do the same,you will see the difference, now sharpen that hook and try again.
a sharp barbless hook can make the difference in the amount of solid hookups you make.
stay with that fly rod you will only get better,and you will catch more fish.



gators break flyrods

[Cobey]

Well, I always use a fly rod and you are right" There is nothing better than catching a bluegill on a fly rod!". What I do is use the smallest float that you can find and live crickets. I troll the banks just like you would while bass fishing. Instead of the typical fly fishing you just flip it 10 to 20 feet ahead of the boat & then as your boat Catches up you flip it out ahead again. keep ajusting the depth until you find them. I always Catch a mess of bream this way! The best part is after the fishing trip, every time you close your eyes you will see the float go under water!

[Tom Hudson]

Boys - Whats your favorite dry or top pattern and your favorite nymph/terrestrial/streamer/wet fly ect?

[shooter]

holey smokes Tom that is a tall order,i don't fish a lot of drys,but when i do i like the sheep fly,It was originally tied by Newland Saunders from Lenoir, NC,i fish it wet also.i fish a lot of dragon nymphs,and scuds large scuds #8.
top water i have a caterpiller(foam) that does well but i like to fish sliders sneaky pete type.i tie them in foam also.
streamer shinner from #6 to #2 epoxy head shinner,some weighted some not.
tom you need to come join the new fly tying group ,and anyone else that ties flies or may want to come on.

gators stink

[Tom Hudson]

I fish dries exclusively for trout but have not mastered, nor seem to find the time, to tie my own.

I'm headed over the the forum.

[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

Hi Rob, Bluegill always weight till to take your eyes off the floater, strike indicator, cork,or anything else you use before they strike, they are trained that way. I must be the last person in America to use porcupine quills as strike indicators. They are the most sensitive way to tell if a bream licking a cricket or just waiting for you to turn your head. I must admit it makes it a little more difficult to cast but the ability to detect strikes is unbeatable. Depth can be adjusted as quick as blinking an eye, and after you run out of crickets you can take the quill off and cast your flyline with an artifical fly with surprising accuracy and distance, it's a wax on, wax off kind of thing. If you catch me on the water filling the boat I'm using a quill.

[robsabloke]

Dear Lord... I was raised in England and Quills are still very popular there. I have a box full of English and european floats... the quills are extremely sensitive and will tell you what's going on. I think I'll try the float and cricket thing instead of the "Traditional" fly fishing... sounds like fun.

You can also "Shot" a float in a manner that will show "Lift" bites. .(when a fish hits your offering on the way down) ... can be deadly...

Thanks

Rob

[Tom Hudson]

Good advice Mike - modest rod tip raise and a nice strip. I can't wait for the snow to stop in NE so I can give it a shot!

[shooter]

mike that's good "strip strike" i have been doing it all my life but never put a name to it ,we never use a float or strike indicator of any kind.
i use yellow,white,and red fly line,i had to order the red from England,could not find it in the USA.i do a lot of fishing through duck grass and a contrasting line color helps me see those bumps a lot better.



gators can't fly

[shooter]

well mike the older i get the more i look for an edge on the mighty gill,as i am sure you know they can get real funny on the take some times.
that line is where the rubber meets the road so to speak,if you can't see that bump you can't get the hook in'um.
i use a lot of Orvis Advantage it comes in yellow and is real easy to see,the red line i spoke of i found on ebay ,man you can get some good deals on fly line there.
i do believe a strike indicator slows down the hook set,i like you am a line watcher you can tell what is going on at the end of the leader ,i swear i can tell if a fish swims by mine .


gators hate me


i hate duck grass