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Spring Bluegills

            For those who enjoy fly fishing for bluegill with a fly rod, the first part of spring can be one of the most productive times of the year. Well before, what we call pre-spawn. It can supply you with a good amount of action, plus it will provide you with a peaceful day when there is practically no one else around. Plus you won’t even have to contend with the mosquitoes yet. You can get into some really nice fish when no one else is even thinking about them. That time of the year is when many fishermen are still running around in the rivers looking for steelhead, or the remnants of them. The weather is the key.

            Full, sunny days are what is required. Once ice is out it does not take long for things to really change. The first thing that you should watch for is a string of days that have full sun with a minimal amount of wind. Cool nights don’t have a big effect on what is going on under the surface. Air temperature is not that big of a factor. Early mornings will not be to your benefit, as you need the warmth from the sun. Afternoon and evening is the best times. Many days you are going to be wearing spring clothing as it is. A sweat shirt or a medium jacket.

            What you will see is basicly nothing. You will see little or no weed growth yet at this time. You want to look for areas that are dark bottom. The darker the better, because the dark bottom will draw and hold heat at a quicker and more uniform pace. Usually a good starting postion is going to be in the southeast part of the lake. This area will have a layer of all the leaves blown in from the fall when your wind direction is predominately from the northwest. This is where you will find all the factors that you are looking for. A good base of leaves and plant material that will break down rapidly due to the warming water temps. This provides a fertile area for the explosion of insect life that will come with the warmth. These areas, at a later date will usually be heavily weeded, also due to the fertile lake bottom.

            Most people, usually start fishing where they left off in the late summer. That would be in the deeper areas of a lake. Mostly due to summer weed growth keeping them out away from the shoreline. For your best results you want to look at the shoreline. Water that is 6 inches to 6 feet. The shallower the water, the warmer it is from the sunshine at the moment.

What will be going on is really two things. The bluegills will be moving into the shallows for the heat. Just like you or I, we enjoy the sun in the spring due to the warmth feeling good. Actually it feels as if it is soaking into us as we stand in the sun. The same goes for the fish and with the warmth they become more active. They start covering more area, but only in the shallows. They will be in water that barely covers their backs at times. Because of this, you don’t need a boat to take advantage of this phenomenal fishing. However, if you are going to fish from a boat you will position yourself as tight to the shoreline as possible. You do have to change your train of thought a little bit. You can not expect to fish out from the shoreline. You have to fish down the shoreline. When the bluegills are in tight you will spook them just by moving along the shore.

            The second factor that draws them in close is the feed source. The same principal applies to the insects under the surface. As you get the sun, the shallower waters becomes most active with the warmth. The larvae start to come to life after a long winter and become very active. The bluegills know this and are anxious for a big feed.

            Now, as far as the technique, you will want to fish a floating fly line, due to the shallow depths. You should rig this with a longer leader, approximately 12 foot in length. This is due to the fish being very spooky in such shallow quarters. Fish small, dark nymph patterns. Dark patterns in black, brown or dark olive. Dark colors are crucial to your success. When you are fishing dark bottom areas, the larvae that resides in these areas will also be dark in color. The fly patterns that you use should be size 14 or smaller. Remember, what you are imitating is new larvae and they will be small. As a note, it is a good practice to carry a small pair of needle nose pliers for removing your fly. The bluegills at this time will inhale these small nymphs.

Start out casting down the shoreline just a couple of feet from the waterline. A short, quick stripping action is best here. As you continue, start progressing out from the shoreline into deeper water. You will work your way out, hesitate before you begin you stripping, allowing the nymph to sink closer to the bottom. As you start catching some bluegills, the rest will move out into deeper water. Do not continue moving down the shoreline yet as these bluegills will just move out and then pause. They will keep returning into the shallows and you can repeat your presentation. This can be a very exciting experience and can be very productive. It is hard to imagine a better way to enjoy a warm, spring afternoon.