2021 Fly Fishing Contest - Biggest Bluegill / Sunfish on the Fly

[Mark]

Tom,

Here are some of my spiders and the store-bought foam bodies I use to make them:

bugs.jpg

I tie them on size 6 and 8 Mustad 3366 hooks.

Very simple ties and very effective for bluegills.

[DanMarino]

Definitely the largest green sunfish I've caught on Tenkara. Got these last night after dinner from a shopping center storm water management pond. Spring is here. The fish are getting active.

[DanMarino]

This is the largest bluegill I've ever caught. Got it on my tenkara rod while kayak fishing in an Outer Banks, NC canal. My measure net says it's about 9.25 inches. Very tall from belly to dorsal fin as well.

[Mark]

Tom,

That's a super catch. Congratulations.

Local weather and life's events have kept me grounded for a while. I hope to change that soon and send you some entries. But catching one bigger than yours is going to tough.

I'll try to do better than this:

P1020608.jpg

[Mark]

Tom,

I still cannot compete with your NC bluegills.

I caught good number in Trap Pond yesterday but they were all small -- by small I mean not even 7 inches.

This was the most ambitious one:

P1050286 (2).jpg

You have to wonder what that fish was thinking by going after a big bass popper like that. A bluegill's eyes are often bigger than its stomach.

[DanMarino]

This is probably the smallest I've caught on my Tenkara rod this year.


I went here yesterday.


Caught a bunch of fallfish and 4 or 5 nice sunfish. This was the biggest, was unexpected, and a lot of fun.

[Mark]

Tom,

Congratulations on the cat-like reflexes it takes to detect and hook a fish that small.

Seriously, I've cast flies longer than your fish:

ACB13.jpg

[Red_Beard]

Dan, how long of a tenkara rod do you use on these streams? I'm looking into getting one, and seeing ones that range from 8-12 feet. I'm thinking shorter might be better for the small streams where I would use one, but wanted to ask for your advice before purchasing one.

[DanMarino]

I highly recommend Dragontail Tenkara. https://dragontailtenkara.com/collections/rods

They have a bunch of rods and also replacement segments if you break a tip.

I use the Mizuchi and it works great for me. https://www.amazon.com/DRAGONtail-MI.../dp/B07YF81BRX

It is 340 cm long when fully extended (about 11 feet). It is segmented and essentially has an 8 foot, 9.5 foot, and 11 foot length. Most of the time I am fishing at the full length.

I've heard great things about the Shadowfire and Mutant rods, but never used them myself.

[DanMarino]

We are in the home stretch for 2021. Let's see your biggest and smallest bluegills on the fly!

[Mark]

I'm sorry Tom. I was in my typical bluegill-rut this year. I caught a bunch of them but they were all 8 to 8.5-inch clones. I didn't hook a big one or a small one. Just a boatload of them like this:

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Bluegills are blast to catch on the fly. I find it hard to leave the water when they are active, regardless of my schedule demands. The fish above hit a wooly bugger dropper under a popper in Smithville Lake.

Our FSFF bluegill contest winner this year caught a 10-inch bluegill on a bass popper in a PA lake. He said he thought it was a bass when it hit the fly and started to pull.

Please start the contest again here in 2022, Tom. Maybe next year, I'll have a real entry for you.

Mark

[DanMarino]

Thanks Mark! I thoroughly enjoy catching bluegills and sunfish too. I'm thankful they are so plentiful and easy to catch on the fly rod. If it weren't for bluegills/sunfish and fallfish, I would have a lot of boring fishing trips.