Do you love big bluegill?

Blue Gill Antics That You have Experienced

Hey Guys!

I am new to this site, and thought it might be interesting for members to relate some of their experiences with catching bluegills on popping bugs with a fly rod!

In my earlier fly fishing days down in Louisiana, my buddy and I use to go bream fishing with rubber popping bugs and fly rods on a body of water known as Black Bayou. This is a large bayou stretching from Louisiana over into Texas and holds an abundance of fresh water fish. We fished out of a Jon boat and in the late afternoon just before the sun completely set was prime time in the spring for catching big bull bluegills!

The best technique was to try and roll cast a bug where it would land about 2-3 feet up the trunk of a large cypress tree. Then you would let the bug slowly slide into the water at the base of the tree. Slight ripples would occur from the bug touching the water,and we would let these tiny ripples subside for a few seconds. After all was still and quiet a slight flip of the rod tip imparted a good wiggle from the popping bug and 9 times out of 10 action was instantaneous! It was either a sucking action action from a big bluegill engulfing the bug or a vicious all out strike.Then there were times that the bug lying motionless in the water and a slight flip of the rod tip and the bug created ripples with it`s movement and what was perceived as an all out strike would occur. But instead of an all out vicious strike, it was the bluegill breaking the water and becoming somewhat airborne

and somersaulting back over the bug to engulf it! This was a very trying situation to try to catch these bluegills! Because one would have to wait for the fish to come back down to get the bug. Natural tendency is to set the hook at the instant the fish breaks the water,but no you have to wait until he goes airborne and comes back down on the bug!

One time we were fishing and the sun was almost set, so light was fading fairly fast. My buddy told me to watch this old dead log sticking out of the water resting on it`s stump about 3 feet out of the water. my buddy cast his fly about a foot above the water upon the log and let set there and then slowly stared to twitch it down towards the water. All of a sudden out of the water comes this humongous cow bluegill fining herself up the log and takes the bug before it every gets to the water. Talk about an experience that was one that I will never forget!

Once again I was on Black Bayou in a Jon boat and this time was with my wife who was paddling me slowly through some old cypress stumps where I could take nice easy cast with my popping bug afte bluegill. Well I was doing pretty darn good and evening was approaching so I told my wife to ease over to one more stump for the last cast of the day. Well I laid a nice little roll cast and the bug went right where I was aiming and lightly touch the water right at the base of the stump. Bingo! A fast strike and I immediately set the hook and out of the water comes this little " Tight eye" bluegill sailing through the air at the end of my line. It hit the water about 5 feet from the boat and I popped it up into the air again towards the boat and just as the little fish hit in the boat behind my wife,here comes a jackfish ( Chain Pickerel) about 3 feet long through the air after this little bluegill! it also lands right behind my wife and then things went south real quick! I was able to dispatch the jackfish with the boat paddle,but that was the end of my wife ever paddling for me again!!

So let me here from you guys now!!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sam Holt on April 8, 2015 at 3:06pm

Carl,

Thanks for the update!

I have some bright pink and bright orange that I use on my sights of my muzzle loading rifles an shotguns that I can dip the tip of these quills in and should be a nice and bright floater! Looking forward to rigging up some of those paper clips! Some of the quills I ordered already had the copper eyelet affixed to the quill with thread, others are plain! Those with the thread I am suspect of eventually getting waterlogged or rotting, thus I think wire loops would prove to be better! IMO for what that`s worth!!

Permalink Reply by carl hendrix on April 8, 2015 at 9:40am

Sam-- i meant paper clips buddy-- not staples!! sorry!!

Permalink Reply by Sam Holt on April 8, 2015 at 12:07pm

Hey Carl,

Thanks for all of that great information!

that is exactly what I was looking for!!!

Permalink Reply by carl hendrix on April 8, 2015 at 1:16pm

Sam-- if and when you get your quills made up;; to connect it to your line;;; run your line- thru that rubber piece FIRST!! then thru the wire loop! that way when you measure how deep yo uwant to fish;; just slip the rubber piece down the quill; about halfway-- and thats all there is to it! also- remember;; its a balance thing!! you want the quill- to stand straight up in the water! you might have to add a real small split shot sinker to your bait to make it stand up! then;; roll cast!! let me know how you do buddy!!

Permalink Reply by Sam Holt on April 10, 2015 at 8:19pm

Carl,

Got that first shipment of quills today!

They are all nice 8 incher`s!!

Will use your advice and paint`em up!!

Permalink Reply by John Ratliff on September 16, 2016 at 11:51am

Sam having worked on pipelines in LA. I too have fished Black Bayou several years ago. Made the mistake of having my catch on a stringer. Kept hearing a commotion on the side of the boat thinking it was just the fish I had on the stringer. Finally I looked and the brim was almost all eaten by a 3 foot alligator. A lesson well learned when fishing in LA.