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This bug was a modified "cotton candy" stinger with rubber legs added.....turned out it didn't catch like it's legless predecessor.......
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Allen and Jim both make the point that throws every thing for loop - random variation.
For inexplicable reasons, the fish will do things we never see coming. They will take a bait they "shouldn't," or they refuse one that worked just yesterday. They hit the bobber stop instead of the bait, and so on.
This frustrates our ability to achieve any kind of consistency. I don't know if it exists; Lord, knows, Ive not been able to out my finger on it.
That's being observant and leaning from it at the same time Allen. We learn lots by observing just little things. I will go out and say maybe you need to downsize your flies even more that maybe he bit at it cause it was a small morsel.
nice fish Jim. Sleepy
Both Tony and David bring up good points. I have great confidence in fishing waters where I 'know' there are quality fish available, and that a variety of methods could work at any given time and option, with some being better on a particular day than others.
Then again, I have fished some of my favorite waters, with tactics that have smeared em in the past, and all but draw a blank...even though I knew the fish were there. That's when the experimenting comes into play, and the trial and error of color, size, motion and bait tipping come into play to solve the puzzle of un-cooperative fish.
I do find that some colors perform routinely better than others on particular water bodies and during certain times of the year. Then a kid comes along and ploughs em on something bright yellow or turquoise, and I'm messed up for a while. I try to stay opened minded to new colors, movement, action and other factors when my standard techniques and patterns don't produce. Colder weather, coming to all of us and soon, usually forces us to experiment and become better anglers.
I always learn more when I am having trouble catching fish, and am forced to try different approaches, and this very much is true for the bluegill and panfish species we all love.
Most of the waters I fish are recieving very little serious angling pressure. One pond in particular that has both 6 pound bass and 10 inch bluegills, gets fished 2-3 times a week by any number of anglers with varying skills. I find that the bluegills, when pressured in this 2 acre pond, become far more dififcult to capture than the bass. They just catch on and clam up, while I can almost always put several 3 to 4 pound bass on the bank through some very standard tactics. Great gamefish that they are, I just do not believe that largemouth bass are as inteligent as most anglers credit them. I do believe, however, they are quite moody and respond adversely to weather change, thus making them challenging and tough to pattern at times.
But I believe that bluegills will shut down and act moody and picky when pressure, even in big lake scenarios.
nice fish .Sleepy
I will say that while natural-looking food will catch fish, sometimes a bright color will as well. About this time last year, I was fishing some worms under a slip-float. I always use chartreuse bobber stops. Well, I managed to take the slip-float off and tied on a jig, but left the bobber stop (common practice for me). I was jigging a small jig around some rocks, and catching some small Green Sunfish. Then, I noticed the little buggers were striking the bobber stop!
That's one of the reasons why I've tied up some Chartreuse and Partridge soft hackle flies. Haven't fished them, yet.
But you know David it would be harder to do and wouldn't be able to cast very far but a good UL outfit would work but right not as well only because of the limitations of your casting distance.
Great witness, Dick. This is why, after years of flinging every lure imaginable, I've taken a look at fly fishing.
Tony I agree. I have fished my pond all year and haven't caught a gill. Didn't matter what I threw or color I threw. I was racking I think last month and pulled in a bunch of weeds and in them weed was a small dragonfly nymph. I put a couple in a jar brought them to the house and started tying till I got something that was a close resemblance. I tied it on the fly rod it was later in the evening threw it out there and 1st cast I had a nice gill on. Through it out a few more times and got a couple more fish before it got to dark. I know as many nymphs as I was getting raked in that was indeed a food source. So the small fly that resembled it food source with no attractant on it worked for me when I fished all year and nothing else would except live bait that the gran daughter uses and she naturally out fished me and of coarse she was tickled I mad her days. Now I'll tell you the fly was small I think I have it in my photo's with no moving parts only the movement of the fall as I let it sink.
Remember also, that there is a huge difference between unpressured, or unconditioned fish, and those that have "seen it all" I have no scientific studies to back up my claims, but I have absolutely no doubt that certain colors perform better for me than others, throughout the year.
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