Fly Fishing for Panfish

Walking along the banks of a lake casting my 5wt Bamboo fly rod catching a few bluegill. Its a real blast catching them when your not trout fishing to keep in practice. Fishing small farm ponds can be fun by catching hand size bluegills. Small flies from number 10 to 18 works really well. My favorite is the Elk Hair Caddis. Very easy to tie for a dry fly. Cast it and let the fly drift on the surface and give short jerks. This make the fly to be alive. The other favorite is the Deer Hair Beetle. Use them in deeper water with hard jerks. I use the same hook size like the Elk Hair Caddis. Fish around logs , lily pads , shallow water. During the spring during spawning cast into the next and wait for the bluegill or crappie take the fly and spit it out away from the nest. Try a wet fly and let it sink in the nest, that drives the fish crazy. A Hair Ear Nymph size 12 works well for that. Always release the fish during spawning. Swim right back to the nest and guard the eggs from predators. Summer time the best to go in the evening few hours from dark. Pan fish will be feeding on the surface. Good time to use dry flies like the Royal Coachmen, Mosquitoes, small poppers and the list goes on. Fish them the same way like the Elk Hair Caddis. Be sure to take along some bug repellent to keep the biting bugs off. The Autumn I use nothing but wet flies such as small streamers size 14 and a stone fly nymph works really well for pan fish by jerking the fly hard but not real hard. The fish going deeper when the weather gets colder. Fish feeding like crazy getting ready for winter.