Panfish On The Fly Blog
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On these pages, you will learn about the techniques and fly patterns that will help you catch bluegill and other panfish. Our favorite flies for bluegills and other panfish are discussed here in detail. Panfish On The Fly is a website dedicated to fly fishing and fly tying for bluegill and other panfish as well as other species of warm-water fish such as bass, pike and carp.
Panfish On The Fly Blog
1y ago
A size 12 Micro Creature tied our new Micro Mop Fibers
The Creature is one of my all-time favorite subsurface patterns for jumbo panfish. The Creature is a mop fly with an extended body that imitates various aquatic foods, including dragonfly nymphs, tadpoles, crayfish, and even small bait fish. It can be tied in multiple colors, but I have always been limited in how small I could tie the fly as the standard mop fibers were too big for hook sizes smaller than a size eight.
The original Creature is a mouthful for most sunfish!
The Creature is quite a mouthful for smaller sunfish. Larger sunfi ..read more
Panfish On The Fly Blog
1y ago
This weekend, I will be tying up some panfish bugs at the Fly Fishing Show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Fly Fishing Show is the world’s largest show dedicated to every type of fly fishing imaginable, including us panfish junkies!
If you are in the area, stop by and check out the show and be sure to stop by my table and say hello. I would love to meet you and swap some fishing tales. The doors open at 9:00am on Saturday.
show info and advance ticket sales Since I will be away attending the show, I have an offer for blog readers. You can enjoy FREE SHIPPING while I am away. The discount sta ..read more
Panfish On The Fly Blog
1y ago
If you are shopping for a new pair of fly tying scissors or are looking to get your first pair, the number of choices can be bewildering. This post will explain the differences between the multiple options available to today's fly tier.
In the classes I teach, I am often asked if purchasing a fly tying kit is a good idea. Although there are a few suitable kits on the market today, the main reason I discourage students from buying kits is the quality of the tools provided. My advice is to buy the best vise your budget will allow, and then the second item to invest in is a quality pair of sciss ..read more
Panfish On The Fly Blog
1y ago
There is no other way to put it. If you are a fly fisher, winter sucks. Sure, you can trudge through the snow, dealing with your fly line frozen in the guides of your fly rod, and suffer the pitfalls of hyperthermia to catch a few sluggish trout. But what if your favorite quarry is a sunfish? I don't know about you, but staring at a hole in the ice just doesn't cut it for me. So how do you get through the off-season without going crazy?
Once the hunting seasons are over, cabin fever begins to set in.
Well, there is always hunting, and many of us turn to it to keep us active in th ..read more
Panfish On The Fly Blog
1y ago
Most of my wintertime fly fishing is focused on trout. Not because I cannot catch panfish on the fly during the winter but because my local lakes are usually frozen over by this time of year. This year things are a bit different. Whether it is a result of global warming, changing jet stream patterns, or fluctuating ocean temperatures, the facts are clear; we are experiencing a mild winter here in the northeast. This morning, a day in the second week of February, I woke up to a temperature of sixty degrees at 5:00 am! Not a typical February weather pattern!
During this time of year most of my ..read more
Panfish On The Fly Blog
1y ago
A Triangle Bug tied on the long shank version of the Triangle Bug Hook. The extra length allows you to dress up the pattern a bit, in this case a little Semperfli Straggle Legs added to cover up the thread wraps securing the tail and body.
At the last two fly tying shows I attended, I had quite a few questions about the unique hook I tie my Triangle Bugs on. The hook is constructed with a kinked shank, similar to a popper hook. The big difference is that the kink was formed on a horizontal plane instead of a vertical one. This feature prevents the foam body of the Triangle Bug from rotating o ..read more
Panfish On The Fly Blog
1y ago
This weekend, I will be tying up some panfish bugs at the Fly Fishing Show in Edison, New Jersey. The Fly Fishing Show is the world’s largest show dedicated to every type of fly fishing imaginable, including us panfish junkies! The show travels the country with six stops in cities on a coast-to-coast tour.
I am attending three of these shows this year. The next one will be at the Fly Fishing Show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (March 4 & 5).
If you are in the area, stop by and check out the show and be sure to stop by my table and say hello. I would love to meet you and swap some fishing tale ..read more
Panfish On The Fly Blog
1y ago
The band Takénobu (image from takenobomusic.com)
Every fly tier I know has their favorite type of music to listen to while tying their favorite flies. I am no exception. In the past, I listened to various kinds of music, country, folk, new age, classical, metal, and classic rock. However, my taste has changed in recent years, and I have been consistently fly-tying to one particular artist.
I was introduced to the artist by my friend Daniel Galhardo, the founder of Tenkara USA. I first heard his music when we shared a house for a few days when I worked with him at the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show ..read more
Panfish On The Fly Blog
1y ago
I recently had the opportunity to appear on the Working Class Fishing podcast. I thoroughly enjoyed giving this interview. Jon and Brian were fantastic hosts. This podcast has quickly become one of my favorite fishing podcasts, and I never miss an episode.
Their podcast came to be because they were both tired of gatekeepers, bad customer service and a seemingly secretive culture, Jon and Brian decided to start the Working Class Fishing Podcast as a way to open the doors to new and seasoned anglers to share knowledge and their passion for fishing. The podcast, Youtube channel and other media h ..read more
Panfish On The Fly Blog
1y ago
Fly tying wax comes in a number of types and consistencies and they all have there uses.
One of the most common questions I am asked when tying flies at shows and exhibitions is, "What is that lump on your finger you keep rubbing on the thread?" That "lump" is a small amount of wax that I have warmed in my fingers and shaped into a small ball which I then stick onto the index finger of my right hand. I have found this little deposit of wax on my finger is quicker and easier than reaching for a piece of wax every time I want to apply wax to my thread.
A small piece of thread wax stuck to the ..read more