| Bluegills eat hundreds of Mayflies and other | | | | 3. Firmly attach the bobber to the leader line from |
| floating insects. They are easy and fun to catch | | | | 1-to-1½-feet above the attached fly. |
| with artificial fly baits. Any rod or pole will work | | | | 4. Cast the fly-and-bobber combination onto the |
| well. | | | | bluegill waters near the shoreline and under the |
| What are bluegills? | | | | tree limbs. Or, cast it near the brush, reeds, or |
| Bluegills are members of the sunfish family, which | | | | other water plants where they hang out. |
| includes several pan-sized species that thrive in | | | | 5. When the bobber sinks or moves sideways |
| the shallower or warmer waters of lakes and | | | | fast, you've got a bluegill. Bring it in. |
| rivers. Bluegills have dark blue lobes on the | | | | 6. Since you'll catch many bluegills this way, keep |
| upper-rear tips of their gills. Generally, they weigh | | | | only the larger ones for eating. |
| less than 1-pound each. But some of them will | | | | The bobber has two functions: |
| grow to one pound or more if they have plenty | | | | 1) it serves as a weight for casting the fly onto |
| of food to eat. | | | | bluegill waters, and 2) its signals when the fly is |
| Where do they live? | | | | taken by a fish. During the cast, the bobber will |
| Bluegills live in the shallow warm-water parts of | | | | splash-land on the water. But this splash does not |
| lakes, rivers, and ponds, often near underwater | | | | bother the fish. In fact, the bluegills will strike the |
| plants at the shorelines. They like to hangout | | | | fly as soon as it hits the water. If not, retrieve |
| under the tree limbs extending out over the | | | | the line slowly to bring about a strike. |
| shoreline. Insects fall from these leafy limbs onto | | | | Try to do this fishing from a boat, which in many |
| the water. Also, bluegills must be careful where | | | | cases is also a safer way to do it. The tree-lined |
| they hangout because larger fish like to eat them, | | | | shores can be rocky, steep, slippery, and hard to |
| too. They must stay near water brush, grass, | | | | get to, which makes them prone to falling down |
| reeds, weeds, lily pads, or moss, where they can | | | | or other accidents. Snakes can also be a problem. |
| hide among them. | | | | Casting from a boat is much easier and safer. |
| Gear needed to fly-catch bluegills. | | | | This fishing is also easiest and busiest during the |
| - Fishing pole: light-tackle casting or spin-casting rod | | | | midsummer Mayfly hatch, which usually occurs in |
| with light-action reel, or six-feet long cane pole | | | | June or July, depending on the climate of the |
| having a line equal in length to the pole attached | | | | region. During these hatches, hundreds of Mayflies |
| to its outer tip. | | | | fall from the overhanging tree limbs. That's when |
| - Medium sized, push-button plastic bobber, or | | | | the bluegills will strike at anything resembling a fly |
| equivalent. | | | | or insect on their waters. You will catch lots of |
| - Light-weight leader line, three-feet long. | | | | them then. |
| - Assortment of inexpensive artificial dry flies. | | | | However, before and after these hatches, this |
| - Fishing boat, if possible (with life jackets and | | | | fishing is slower. But it is still fun and easy to do. |
| safety equipment). | | | | Add a small piece of worm to the fly's hook to |
| - Fishing license, if required. | | | | attract the bluegill. The extra weight of the worm |
| How to fly-catch them. | | | | will cause the fly to sink slightly. But the bluegills |
| | | | won't mind. They love worms, too. You will catch |
| 1. Tie one end of the leader line to the free end | | | | many this way as well. |
| of the rod/pole line. | | | | It's also fun to throw most of the caught bluegills |
| 2. Tie an artificial fly to the free end of the leader | | | | back into their waters, which is much more fun |
| line. | | | | than cleaning them. |