Hot Lake Fishing

[DanMarino]

Went with a novice fisherman and we both were Tenkara kayak fishing. Couldn’t get out until 1pm. Fished until 4pm. It was hot. Caught some bluegills on sub surface flies. No bass. Water a little stained and grass growing. Not in a hurry to head back to this lake.

[Mark]

Tom,

It's that time of year...slime, algae and vegetation are overwhelming some ponds and lakes. Add heat to the mix.

On my last pond outing a week ago, I fished from about 4:00 p.m. until sundown to beat the heat. I didn't actually beat it, but I think I tolerated it better as the outing progressed.

There is a magic time before sundown when the dinner bell rings for panfish:

P1070014.jpgIt's a good time to be on the water. I caught about 40 bluegills that evening on topwater flies. Over half them hit in the hour or so before sunset.

But I did deal with lots of string algae. Many of my hookups headed for cover. They looked like this when I got them to my kayak:

P1070040.jpg

My favorite catch of the outing was this guy -- my second redear sunfish on consecutive outings and the largest one I have ever caught:

P1070019 - Copy.jpg

Compare it to the largest bluegill I caught on the outing:

P1070045.jpg

A nice bluegill above but it pales in comparison to the redear. Both fish hit a black foam topwater spider with yellow legs on a size 6 hook.

Anyway, I'm sad to say that my pond outings for panfish have probably ended for the year. That's not because the fish are unwilling. It's due to deteriorating water condtions that are not favorable for the kind of fly fishing I enjoy the most. I'll return in the late fall when cooler weather improves those conditions.

[bignose]

Sunfish with salad on the side, a freshwater delicacy.
That Redear was a chonk!

[Mark]

Thanks Stu.

Yes...lots of "pond snot" -- a term I think you coined here.

The funny thing about redears is how they look like big bluegills but behave differently when hooked. A bluegill will spin in circles as you pull them in. They create lots of resistance with that tactic which makes them fun to catch on light fly rods. But a readear simply pulls hard and tries to go deep without circling. In fact, each one I've caught in recent years has actually towed my kayak.

[DanMarino]

Excellent pan fish catches there Mark! Super cool. Both of them are giants. I'm not sure if I have ever caught a red ear sunfish. You are gonna need a bigger measuring stick. haha

[Ivis]

Tenkara kayak fishing is a unique way to experience fishing, even if the conditions weren't ideal. Catching some bluegills is always a win, especially with the challenge of sub-surface flies. The heat and stained water can definitely make things tricky, and it’s understandable why you wouldn’t be in a rush to return to that lake. Hopefully, your next outing brings cooler weather and a better chance at landing some bass!