Luziana Popper - Bass Fly and Panfish Fly

https://joshs-flies.myshopify.com/

Everyone one who follows my blog probably knows I love fishing with foam flies best. Top water action is what I enjoy best about fly fishing. I tied a simple popping bug for bass and panfish. Simple and effective. Don't forget, I love to drift foam flies too.

I fell in love with foam flies about 10 years ago. Lots more interesting patterns were coming on the market and the internet was exploding with groups and message boards with folks who enjoyed tying foam patterns for bass and panfish. I wanted to be creative. I especially wanted a fish to take MY fly. Not some traditional pattern but something that represented me. I get scoffed at from time to time mentioning that I love fly fishing for panfish but I don't care. Those guys can drift their over-priced store flies for under-sized trout at the local dam. ME, gimme me bluegills any day!

FIND MY FLIES HERE.  http://myworld.ebay.com/riverwalker74

Panfish - Smallmouth Gurglers - Foam Flies

If you want Gurglers, I got 'em.  If you want panfish Gurglers, I got those too.  I've got foam flies for sale all the time on the ebay.  I love fly fishing and fly tying.  Come and get them like those panfish do because I can catch those little buggers all day.

http://myworld.ebay.com/riverwalker74

Drifting for panfish - bluegills, warmouth, rock bass, smallmouth

I tied up several of these today.  Obviously, they are for bass and panfish but more than likely, if you know me, it's for panfish - big ol' rock bass, warmouth or bluegills.  What can I say?  I'm always in the mood to fly fish.  Especially, when the last outing was awesome.  It's always that last good trip out there that gets ya' thinking about heading back out again.

On Saturday, I was catching a lot of big panfish in riffles.  I'm thinking these riffles were about 1 ft. to about 4ft.  It was probably a medium to light riffle - heavy rains being a few weeks back.  The riffles I was fly fishing were shaded but low, overhanging trees.  There was also brush and branches in the stream in which the fish were taking cover.  The temperature outside was 70 degrees and the water temperature was about 60 - we had a dip back into a cold spell that night.  I was slapping my fly out about 8 to 10 feet out from where I waded.  Sometimes, the popping bug was hit right away but most times, it drifted before the fish slammed it.  I could see those big boys following the drift.  They would come out of hiding, chase it and pounce.  A big pounce it was too.  They way those panfish pounced, they made me thing of some bass I previously caught in which the fish got ticked I slammed his home with a bug again.  The best thing to do in riffles isn't necessarily to cast the water and immediately pop it.  You may need to wait for a few shy guys.  There's a reason those big panfish got HUGE - they are thinkers . . . and lookers.  I hate lookers!!  I get worked up and love to chum the waters with a popper because I can't wait for action.  But, it's good to take it easy to because isn't it just fishing??

I've been tying up a bunch of flies to sell.  I'm gonna get a good stockpile going.  Hope I can keep myself out of them.  Tight lines!!

Silver and Black Gurglers - Smallmouth - trout - panfish flies

I tied up some more Gurlers!  What a surprise right?  Quelle surprise!  lol.  Silver chenille with a silver and white crystal flash tail - what an attractor!  More Gurlers to come!  After slamming all those fish this past weekend, I'm on a top water roll!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=251047288147#ht_500wt_1202

I'm gonna take some Gurglers out this weekend and drift for smallmouth and panfish.  I'm am getting worked up.  Some stormy weather is on the way but I'm gonna squeeze it in somewhere.  Feel free to contact me to purchase foam flies that you see here on this blog or on ebay!!

Smallmouth and panfish flies for sale.

I've got some more flies for sale on ebay.  These are for smallmouth and panfish - probably other species too - but you know more than I do how you fish for them.  http://myworld.ebay.com/riverwalker74  I am selling more than are shown in the photos.

Put me on your Feedly!!

I hit a local stream. It was a beautiful day and the fish were biting. Not to mention, I got sun burned.

If you have Feedly, you can put me on your feed.

Betts Poppers, Boogle Bugs, and quality fly fishing.

For what my father considered quality fly fishing, he and his friend would drive 2 hours to enjoy trout fishing. Sometimes, they would drive even further and spend the night at what I would consider a darn good trout fishing location.  Not once did they consider fishing local lakes or streams close to home.  My father did fish for largemouth bass once at Natural Dam but he didn't fare well.  I'm sure if he did, my father wouldn't have driven as far so many times to enjoy trout fishing.

Perhaps, he was trying to relive his glory days in Kamloops.  We used to catch some fairly large lake trout in British Columbia.  A beautiful place to live and I'm sure I would be slaying them if I still lived there.  However, I make do with my circumstances and will more than happily traipse through a stream and slam the local bass and bream.

When I look at the photos on Instgram and dig around on Facebook and Google, there are lots of folks catching bigger fish and what also may be considered better fish.  But I am more than eager to tie on a popping bug and catch a few slabs or warmouth and bluegills.  

Yesterday, I found a stream full of fat slabs of panfish such as warmouth, bluegills and sunfish.  The occasional bass was found . . . and a hole filled with gar and rough fish - YUCK!  The stream I fished is one where I fish south where it joins a river.  This time, I decided to hit the northern section of a stream where I usually find one or two vehicles parked at on the weekend.  

I am sure that there are a lot of folks who would not characterize this stream as a quality fly fishing stream.  I am also sure that there are even more folks that wouldn't dare think twice about wading this stream.  It has suffered recently due to urban development.  Developers aren't careful about maintaining a Riparian buffer.   So, the banks collapse in and the stream becomes filled with more silt.  The course of the stream changes and perhaps riffles and shallows occur where fish and the ecosystem are impacted because they become trapped in sections of streams - instead of moving freely within larger sections of water.

We all want quality fishing time but at what cost?  It depends on the individual.  I've tried and tried to push my father into warm water fly fishing.  Occasionally, he will find someone with a stocked pond and do well with a bass bug.  I remember going to a pond with him.  Using a small custom tied fly, I landed a bass on my first cast.  He landed nothing.  I talk to him about wading streams and landing smallmouth.  But the only thing I may have managed to persuade him to do is look for a kayak.

This year, I have changed it up between ponds, lakes and streams.  I've done pretty good.  And, I didn't have to drive 2 hours to do it.

Some more smallmouth flies for sale. Gurglers and other flies.

http://myworld.ebay.com/riverwalker74/?_trksid=p4340.l2559

Clouser minnow again?

Hit a few largemouth on bass bugs but really hit the big ones on Clousers. I was placing the fly at the edge of the shallow points and trying to hit the beds. Anyway, just bragging. Bill may have me on panfish but I may have him on the bass. ;)

Warm water fly fishing - bass bug dryer.

I'm pretty bad about not drying out my flies. But I bought some Booglebugs and want to take care of these things.

Drying flies is important, after all, as to take proper care of your flies. I've put wet flies back in the fly box and had colors run into other flies.

I still have some bass bugs that I've tied up about 9 years ago because I dry them out . . . and they are foam, lol.

Also, if you fish in mossy, algae like or dirty water, it doesn't hurt to rinse your flies out. Don't just leave your fly on the line after your trip. It can make the fly brittle and bacteria will eat away at the fly.

Tight lines!!

Bass Fly - Clouser fly - largemouth bass fly fishing

When you think of Clouser flies, you probably think of Stripers, Smallmouth Bass or saltwater species. Does a Clouser make you think of largemouth bass?? Probably not. I'm the idiot that will stand in the blazing July sun drifting nymphs for spotted bass. I have caught large smallmouth bass on small sparkly crappie flies. If it catches fish on a fly rod, I'm gonna use it. I have been fishing ponds lately. I am used to fishing streams a lot more than ponds and lakes. Usually, I only go out to the lake a few times each year. But since I head out to fish just about every weekend, I am trying to cut back on fuel useage. So, to the ponds and lakes I go! On thing I have had to concentrate on is bedding bass. I love using bass bugs for top water action. I go top water fly first thing and then switch to a streamer or wet water pattern. When I use streamers or want to get down to the bass and crappie, I used sinking line. However, when fishing for bedding bass, I am using floating line and a weighted fly as to jig it over the bass beds. The Clouser has been successful for me to land bedding bass. I do practice catch-and-release, so the momma bass with their bellies full of eggs go right back into the water nearest to the location where they were caught. When I watch or read magazines about bass fishing with terminal tackle for bedding bass, it is almost always suggested to use soft plastics which are usually Texas rigged to be swam or jigged over the beds. That is what I am doing with the Clouser. It's weighted eyes make it perfect to jig and see-saw. Plus, I can tie tons of them fairly easily with craft fur that is sparkly and more full-bodied than those that come from the outdoor shop or fly shop.

Bass bugs don't have to be deer hair.

The past few trips out, I've landed some pretty decent size bass on Betts poppers. Not the larger ones but the smaller ones. I like to use them because If I bass isn't going to hit the fly, I expect a bluegill to slam it. A bass bug doesn't have to be large or a deer hair bug. I'm only saying that because I'm a gear minimalist and like to take all I need in one small fly box. Sure, it helps to stir up the water with a deer hair diver or something large that causes chugs and bubbles. But at the same time, it sucks to lose a deer hair fly that you tied up yourself or a $5 bass bug. You can buy Betts poppers by the package at the store and online for cheaper than a bass bug. So, it doesn't bother me as much to lose a cheap fly. After all, don't bass like cover and nasty places to live and hide?? Plus, some of the places I get into don't leave much room and I break flies on the back cast or up in a tree. To those beginning to fly fish, you don't have to spend big bucks to enjoy the sport. I don't like to spend much on the hobby myself. And as many flies as I lose, I try to tie my own or buy them cheap. Plus, when shopping, Betts are easier to find than other flies - you don't always have to hit the fly shop for them and not every metro area hase a fly shop. Betts are small and light enough that you can cast them with a regular fishing pole and casting bubble. This helps if you are in a real tight place to cast or are using terminal tackle such as rooster tails or plastics. It doesn't just have to be Betts that I am saying you can use but also could be Mepps or other small popping bugs.

Kayak anchor. Fly fishing from my kayak.

It seems that everytime I take the kayak out, I get blown off the water. It would seem that it would be more productive with my hands on a fly rod more than a paddle.

I couldn't believe it when I found a small anchor at Academy for only $5. This is so exciting! If I had this last month, I may have actually caught some crappie.

I'm a gear minimalist and this anchor will leave me with room to spare on the kayak. No more watching the weather for wind patterns.

Maybe now I can catch up to Bill's bream count. I only have 10 but I've got the rest of the year!

Bedding bass - Clousers and Bass Bugs

I went out for some bass action yesterday at a new location I found week before last. Last weekend, I didn't do too bad at this pond - just a few bass and some decent size bluegills. Last week, I used a Betts popper but decided to use a larger custom tied foam bass bug to cause more chugs and gurgles in the hopes of landing larger bass.

Rare is it that I fish ponds and lakes. I am more accustomed to fishing streams. So, call me a newb to fishing ponds (which I have done quite a bit) but am still picking up on new strategies. Yesterday the weather was quite blustery, so I spent more time with the paddle than the rod. (I was in my kayak).

However, I did something that to which I may have not previously paid attention. I began the day with a bass bug. Just as last week, the bass were on their beds (earlier than usual due to warmer weather) and were slashing and swirling at my fly. As the wind pushed my kayak along the bank, I bass bugged along the bank. And those bass were getting ticked off but not enough to chomp down on my foam bass bug.

I knew that more than likely, the bass were going to be on their beds. BUT, top water action is my preferred mode of fly fishing. So, after giving the ol' bass bug a try, I tied on a Clouser. Usually, I used sinking line to get down to the bass and crappie. However, this time, I used floating line as to use jigging action over the bass beds. I floated by the same bank as before and since I knew where the bass where due to having set them up with my bass bug, I hit the same spots with my Clouser. I landed four bass on a chartreuse and white Clouser fly.

If you didn't catch that, I found out where the largemouth bass were sitting due to having used a bass bug they didn't want (they gave away they're position by swirling and slashing at the fly) - and then went back with a streamer and jigged it over the beds with floating line and a weighted fly.


I've got a lot of things to do today around the house and yard. So, I'll have to head out next weekend. Maybe then, I can figure out more about this pond.

Largemouth on a Clouser.

I caught this just now!!!

Betts poppers - bass and panfish

It's been a while since I hit a pond. Shoot, I guess it's been about a year. And much as I fly fish streams, it was almost foreign to fish that pond. I have driven pay this pond hundreds of times but not thought much about it.

I hit the water at day break. The bass and bluegills were pretty active around the banks for about 10 minutes or so but then it died.

I caught several bass and about 10 decent size bluegills on a Betts popper. I fished for about an hour just walking the bank and working the water slowly.  The bass seemed to slash at the fly a bit. So, I'm gonna head back to catch then another time. There's a creek that flows into the large pond. I had to cast out past the mud line at the mouth of the creek about 15 feet from the bank and worked the fly in slowly. Those large bream tugged at it hard.

The sun came up and the fish went into hiding. The fish are in some pretty warm water. Those fish were warm to the touch, the water is dirty and it's terribly unseasonably warm. Sure, I tie up my own flies but for some reason, Betts peppers ate my go to fly. Today, I was going slow. Those bass don't seem to be in full effect. For the most part, I stripped the fly in slowly. And that's after counting to ten after the fly hit the water. Since there was an abundance of brush, I couldn't access as much water as I would've liked. I'm gonna take out the kayak next time. With gas prices going up, I'm gonna fish closer to home. I'm not landing big fish but I am enjoying myself. Feels good to have warm weather early this year. It's gonna be 85 degrees today. up