Bluegill Box

[Mark]

Low temperatures and and gusting winds of the past two days have kept me from chasing pickerel.

So, defeated by the weather and inspired by last weekend's Tie Fest, I decided to fill a Bluegill Box for the warmer days that will be here soon. I spent a few hours last night and this morning tying mostly streamers and a few poppers for my 2020 bluegill arsenal.

I like to use a small double-sided waterproof fly box with foam inserts on each side to hold my panfish flies while I kayak fish. I put streamers on one side and surface flies on the other.

This one box with slightly over two dozen flies will account for many bluegill catches this spring and summer. No doubt a few bass will hit these smaller flies too. They will be by-catches, not intentional targets.

Last year, I could not break the 8 inch barrier on my bluegills. This year, I hope a 9 incher is in my future. If so, one of these flies will do the trick.

Here's the surface fly side:

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Gurglers, poppers and spiders, each made of foam.

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And here's the streamer side:

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Clousers, wooly buggers and crystal buggers.

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Nothing fancy. Nothing hard to tie. Just the basic flies. I know they'll work well.

[clm]

Looking good. I found some mitts at the dollar store in NM...chartreuse and blue..tied some mop flies and a few ants yesterday. I just keep cramming them an already stuffed small box. Whatever falls out first when I open it, will get used��

[J. Rentch]

Yea, I am certainly ready for warm weather to hit those panfish. Really tired of dressing up for the cold water. Got my boxes ready as well.

[Mark]

Thanks guys.

Bluegills aren't picky. I'm sure we're each well prepared for the season. They're the first fish for many on the fly yet they never lose their appeal.

clm -- the FSFF featured a mop fly at one of its Saturday tying sessions in the recent past. Incredibly simple to tie. I have one as a result but have never used it. I should give it a try.

John -- I hope to join you on the trophy stage at this year's bluegill tournament.

[DanMarino]

Those all look fantastic Mark! I've got my measuring board ready!

[ronaultmtd]

Those foam spiders are Bluegill killers...they were my Dad’s go to shellcracker/bluegill lure...fill a stringer with some of the best tasting fish ever!

[clm]

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Gonna have to stalk you guys, Im not a local and not privy to years of family fishing in the area...haven't found any bluegill of enough size to keep...but I enjoy catching the little guys just the same...I generally catch a bucket of little guys and then take them fishing for blue cats��. Provably not the best fishing trip for them, but my belly enjoys it.

[Mark]

clm,

Nice work on the mop flies.

No need to stalk. Tuckahoe, Wye Mills, Unicorn and Smithville Lakes are our favorite MD Eastern Shore bluegill waters. In my opinion, Smithville holds the largest fish of all the species we catch on the fly in those waters which includes pickerel, crappie, bass and bluegills.

However, the ponds of Sussex County, DE generally exceed Smithville in quantity and quality of fish, again in my experience and opinion.

Often our visits are short term decisions and highly dependent on weather. We also avoid weekends in warmer months due to Bay Bridge traffic. That's not an issue now but it will be soon.

If you'd like to join us, PM me with contact info and I'll let you know when we're going.

[clm]

Thank you very much. I will do some mapping. I will PM.you my contact info. Much appreciated.

[Mark]

Those foam spiders are Bluegill killers...they were my Dad’s go to shellcracker/bluegill lure...fill a stringer with some of the best tasting fish ever!

Your dad had the right idea, Ron.

No doubt he was more patient than me. Foam spiders work best when you cast them and let them sit motionless. That's very hard for me to do. I like lures and flies that require me to manipulate them to slide, skip or pop across the surface or start and stop underneath at varying speeds. Letting a spider sit still for more than few seconds takes discipline I sometimes lack.

[DanMarino]

Pink foam spiders are my best bluegill fly.
I also caught a bunch on a foam cylinder with a squirrel tail. This was slightly larger and gets small bass to bite it too.
I'm headed to the OBX 2 of the next 5 weekends and plan to break out the fly rod and see what I can catch.

[Mark]

Thanks Tom. I made some pink gurglers in bluegill sizes. I’ll let you know how they do.

Good luck at OBX. The ponds should definitely be active down there now.