I'm new to this site and a trout fisherman that does his share of gill fishing too. Seems like a nice friendly forum so I thought I'd drop in once in awhile and touch base with my warm water brethern. I don't fish with tiny lures and poppers that are sold exclusively for panfish. I just use wet and dry flies depending on the situation. As a fly tyer too, it saves me money, since I can fish with the same flies I use for trout.
My panfish outfit is a 7 foot 1-weight with a matching reel, 6-foot furled leader and usually a short 5X or 6X tippet. Local private farm ponds and public lakes and ponds that hold gills are my favorite haunts.
I'm gettin up there in years and I've found there is no better way to rediscover my fishing roots than a relaxing afternoon of gill fishing with a fish fry to follow. I suppose there are a lot of folks like me on this site.
Well, there is at least one EXCACTLY like you ! Spent yesterday futilely chasing steelhead with flyrod. TOO cold, and am getting too old to cover the rough ground, slippery ground, in waders. Groan. Find am going full circle, back to where I started, but am fighting it ! steve b
I'm pretty new to fly fishing, but I'll be doing most of my fishing this year with the fly, I started out last year with a 5/6 wt that was given to my by a very good friend. I had fun with it, and wil continue to have fun with it. But I've since gotten a 3wt TFO that I have fallen in love with. That will be my go to rod most of the time. I don't have any go to flies right now, and my fly tying has vastly improved this winter. I need to get some pics up soon.
One of these days i'd love to give a 1 wt a try, but not near confident enough in my ability right now. Very cool of you to chase the fish with it!!!!!
Welcome to Big Bluegill!!
Yes, I am one of them. Older age and a bad back makes me think I want to have the very best quality time on the water from now on. I am also a trout flyfisherman and tie my own flys which I use for both trout and brim but I get the greatest pleasure catching mongo brim on my 7'9" 4 wt. flyrod on quiet ponds here in the Florida Panhandle.
Yes, gillbum, there are a LOT of folks like you on here (including me). I'm no trout fisherman, but I do tie SOME of my own flies (the easy ones, like the wooly bugger) and go almost exclusively to small stock tanks, ponds, etc. While I don't really MIND catching bass, crappie, catfish, etc., sunfish are my passion. I'd rather catch an 8-inch 'gill than a 20-inch speckled trout (a.k.a. spotted seatrout).
I also have a weak back, so I don't walk/stand a lot, but spend a good amount of my fishing time in a SOT kayak (mine's an Ocean Kayak Prowler-13). I can hit the skinny water that power boats can't get near. :-) Makes for a quieter day, too.