Mike the only thing written on the rod itself is ("Beans LL")
The tube still has the tag that warns about making sure it is dry after use and it says 8 foot 6 inches LL Flyrod. Also Doug after seeing the price of Bamboo I think I will use the grapih rod that I bought on saturday until I know what I am doing

Took an un-marked Bambo rod into Orvis Tionesta yrs ago. Owner grabbed a pile of his own reels up and took me out back to the rear parking lot. He casted until he got a smile on his face, turned to me and said, 5wt ! He thanked me for the interesting problem, as he said he was tired of selling long underwear and freeze dried food. He then showed pics of a recent Alaska trip he'd been on, WOW ! Point is, you may have to wing it, and decide for yorself what WT line to use. steve b

Oh how I would love to break my state record but Ironicly Al. has the world record and its been in the books for a long long time now. 5lb Bluegill.... Only something for me to dream about!

The best of luck on your quest for fame Mr. Torres!

What about auto reels. I have to of my paw-paws. He passed last a lil over a year ago and my maw maw made sure that they made it to my hands. I love these poles but there old as dirt. Though they were very well maintained oiled and kept in a case I kinda dont wanna use them. I would love to find some more. Where can I find these at?

I'd definitely Keep Paw Paw's for safe keeping....Bass Pro carries these.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_46130

Wow As soon as I saw it I ordered it. I will worry about a rod later but what was just amazing is.......45% of the people that viewed it bought it! Thanks mod!

I liked it so much I bought one as well.

I think the only rig my dad ever used was a Sears fly rod and an auto reel. And he never fly fished (at least not after I was born). He'd load it up with 20# mono and fish for catfish in the holes around downed trees in the little ol' Green River in north central Illinois. So you can actually use real fly line on those things? :-)

This is great! I'm just starting out fly fishing for gills! I have been tying some "home-brew" patterns this winter!

Joe, sometimes the culprit is the fish are being short-biters. Bluegills are notorious for this. My suggestion is to try a smaller hook, with very short tail-material on the fly. This lets the bluegill get the hook in their mouth, even if they are biting short. Hook-set technique isn't the issue if the fish aren't getting the hook in their mouth.

That being said, keep the slack out of your line, keep your rod tip close to the water. When you set the hook, many fly anglers like to use a "strip-set", where you just quickly pull line in. I do that, but also usually sweep the rod tip to the side (not overhead).

For hook removal, a pair of needle-nose pliers or forceps are usually a good solution. I've found that for bluegills, its much easier to remove a barbless hook (fly) from the fish's mouth.

Good pointers, Dave. I try to make sure I crush the barbs on my flies so I can just grab the fly, hold the fish over the water & twist the forceps (also called hemostats), and watch the fish drop into the water - to be caught again.

Just a quick note I also use a lady from ILL that sells on ebay her id is bocofly8 and the price is usually around 6.00 for 12 flys send her a pick and she will tie it for you great flies great quaility and her hoppers are loved by the indiana bluegil

bruce i don't know about being a flyrod expert but i can tell you i love it what are best places to order flies where oh where is the orange foam spider haven't seen one for sometime

Doug
I don't know why fish will bite some things today and not tomorrel. Tipp a fly with a gulp maggot and I bet the flyrod will out produce the spinning rod. I had the chance to watch the fish hit the flies. They can take a offering in and out of their mouths so fast there is no way to hook them when they do not want it. The gulp maggots worked for me to get a chance too hook them

Just joined the group and wanted to introduce myself. My name is Mike and I live in central Florida. Grew up flyrodding poppers for bream and bass in the Everglades in the heydays of the 60's, 70's and 80's. Loved it. As many fish as you wanted to catch. It's still good and I go down there just for the setting of fishing the 'Glades'. Fish around my hometown, Avon Park, now more than anywhere. Fish the Avon Park Bombing Range, local lakes/creeks and the Blue Cypress Lake area. Like many others I explored other fishing ways and did enjoy them all but as I have gotten older, 47, I now enjoy just the peace and relaxation of tossing a fly in a serene setting. I remember as a kid being thrilled to hear that bluegill sucking down a popper and now am relearning that thrill all over again. I never did lose the excitement of seeing an old "copperhead" on the end of line.
Thanks
Mike

What is a piece of gulp? For Doug try fishing the lake on a full moon night, With a big black fly just below surface. I fish the same kind of lake, and fishin doesn't pick up till afer sundown.

hey just thought i would ask what youre favorite 1-2 wieght rod is because im looking to buy one
thanks
FTB95

After a long day of wading in Mosquito Lagoon and "Fishing" for redfish and trout, I realized I would rather catch dozens of bluegills than "Fish" for redfish.

Flytierboy, I'm not sure about 1 or 2 Wt, but I use a st croix imperial 3 Wt that cats like a dream. I believe that they just brought this model back due to popular demand. It is a great rod for the. Money. I think I only paid about $130.00 ford mine.

Excuse my spelling, I'm still getting used to posting from my phone.

They make all different grades of rods so just keep in mind that you get what you pay for. The imperial line is a middle of the road model. And with 1,2 or 3 Wts the rerel is not so important. I would put my $ into a better rod and good line.

nice reels are for big fish. I have a couple of humdingers for heavy trout and steelhead, they have great disc drags which is VERY important when fighting a 20-30 inch fish in moving water. but for gills you wont ever get a fish on the reel anyway.

I have the 6'6" 2 pc 3 wt. I didnt see an imperial 9ft 3wt....I bought it for small stream trout fishing originally, and it works good for lakes as well. a bit longer might be nice so that I can cast a little heavier fly. if you put a good WF 3wt line on you should be able to cast any panfish fly out there at least 30-40 feet without a problem.

Just to add my 2 cents I have a couple of reddington RS4 a 3wt a 5wt and a 8wt all 4 peice rods great rods broke one a month or so ago and they replaced no questions great rods at a decent price

i think mine is actually 7ft.
here is one on ebay, looks like a heck of a good deal.

or search " New in Tube St. Croix Imperial 7' 3 Weight 2 Pc "

awesome!. i looked at that auctionas well. that is the same one I have, which is cool because it is the old style (2 0r 3 yrs ago old) and I am confident that the action on those blanks is top notch.
the reel i have is also for sale on there under "
SAGE FLYFISHING REEL MODEL 3100 NEW IN BOX "
its a little pricey, but i love the balance on that rod with it.

well hot dang mabey i should get myself a st. croix
i have 2 five weights and a 7 for steelhead and big bass and such but i need a small 2-3 wieght for streams and gills.
thanks for all the feedback
FTB95

I'm with you guys on the light rods, but don't discount the benefits of having a good reel on them. I was fishing recently on private water, expecting nothing but bluegills. Indeed, I hooked one, and, as I started stripping it in, I realized it was only 2-3" long (saw this because it had started slipping across the top of the water on its side). Well, as I brought it in, a bass hit it. It was only around 2.5-3 lbs, but it was on the reel in a hurry, and I was very happy I had a good one on that rod.

Just joined the group and BigBluegill.com. Hello to everyone!

Welcome Eric!

well i looks like i am a new member to now. i won myself a custom rod that will be built as a flyrod. its going to be a 8' 2 piece 6wgt. that way if i doo hook into a bas i can handle it. now what i need to choose is a good fly reel

That's awesome! If I could buy a new reel right now, it would be a mid arbor reel or large arbor. I'm sick of memory coils in my line.

Welcome, Eric! Check this out:

http://www.albrightflyfish.com/fly-reels/bugati-fly-reels.html

It's what I use (in both 3- and 5-wt).

Are any of you familiar with this site http://www.anglersdream.net You can buy flies at a good price but I don't know much about them.

Wow! $49.00 for that reel seems like a great deal. I've never heard of that brand. But then I'm new to most of this stuff. I have a Hobbs Creek reel. It seems to hold line just fine.

Thanks Dick! Me and three other guys are going to pool our money and place an order this weekend. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Eric, I had a Hobbs Creek reel a while back. It holds line, but the drag kinda sucks. The Bugati reel's drag is fairly smooth in comparison.

what does any of you gentilemen think of the new sage bluegill flyrods out now , cost wise a little to high 4 my blood , the comments so far encouraging but 395.00 4 rod i dont know

I'll stick with my Albright Topwater for $49, thank you!

I had never heard of that Sage rod until you mentioned it. I went looking around and found this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcpo8hDFgb4 It's very interesting and looks like a very nice rod.

Anyone ever used or have experience with the Bully Spider Flies mentioned in the book "Bluegill Fly Fishing & Flies"? Color and size preferences please.

I have the book and I ordered a few from Feathercraft so I could see if the ones I tied came close. It is a good fly - my experience is using it in the summer and allowing it to sink slowly - it is usually hit on the drop.

I use the Bully quite often with great success. i tie them onto size 10 or 12 hooks with white and chartreuse being my favorite colors. Sometimes I twitch them in as they detailed in the book, other times I trail them behind a little foam frog for an even slower retrieve.

here is one i use i call it a reverse bully,that is lead barbell eyes ,it works well in late summer and early fall when the big'Obiguns are deep.

I have some Bully Spiders in hand courtesy of Ebay and can,t wait to try them. Nice fly Shooter!

hey oscar you can tie your flies and cheep,all you got to do is do it.
check out the fly tieing /jig tieing group.

I have some of those Bully Spiders but I haven't got to really use them much. However, I recently tried something that I was impressed with. It was a Betts Bream Getter and it looked like a small white spider with rubber legs. I got some good action out of that thing.

i love pan fishing on the fly pennsylvania

Eric that ole bream getter is a proven killer on gils,i tye a lot of sinking spiers off that pattern,and when nothing seems to work i fall back on the ole sinking spider with success most of the time.

gators stink

Shooter, that's great and I couldn't agree more. The location I fish regularly is tough at the moment. I suppose the Bluegill are on vacation. Very picky. But the spider at least generates some curiousity.

Is anyone familiar with Accardo bugs? I'm thinking about purchasing some but I'm unfamiliar with them. What do you guys think of them?