Good time to try fly fishing for bream

If you've always wanted to try FF for gills, this is a great time to start. The fish are shallow and aggressive. I posted this on the FF board awhile back. It's nothing new or revolutionary, but it's good info for somebody who's just starting out.

“I am a big fan of the "popper and dropper" combination for bass and panfish. I have caught hundreds on this since moving to Illinois in 2001. I moved from New Hampshire where I was a devoted trout fisherman and learned I had to adapt to what was here. I still travel to trout water a few times each year but for everyday fishing go after what's available.

Put a large weedless popper on the end of a tapered bass leader. Tie a small weighted nymph like a copper john or a smaller wooly bugger to the bend in the popper hook so that it trails about 18 inches to two feet below the popper. I prefer using 4lb tippet material for this although bass and panfish don't seem to be very leader shy. I like black or dark green or brown for the dropper, perhaps with a little crystal flash or a splash of red but that's more preference than science. I have no idea what panfish and bass are looking for.It's possible the dropper looks like a little predator following the popper above and makes for an easy snack.

Cast this heavy, double mess out near weed beds or into holes in weed beds. Let the water settle from the initial splash. This gives the dropper time to drop. Make sure the popper is large enough so that the dropper doesn't sink it because the floating, splashing popper acts both as an attractant and as a strike indicator.

When the dropper is down, start splashing the popper with short, jerky stripping moves, no more than a few inches at a time. Sometimes you will get big bass to hit the popper and other times bluegills or crappie will hit the dropper. Sometimes it works in reverse and a big bass will grab the dropper or a 'gill will attack the popper, either way it is fun. Once in a while you get lucky and get two on at a time. That's a real trip.

This combination produces more fish for me than anything else I've tried. I learned it from an old fishing guide who claimed it is so good it should be illegal. Don't know about the legal part but it seems to work consistently in all weather and light conditions if you can keep the dropper out of the weeds.”

Tweak it as you see fit. For the record, I just use regular poppers (not weedless), and I use straight mono for the leader. I find that the rig turns over just fine without a tapered leader.

If you try this and like it, here are some more tips:

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/fly-f...m-article.html

Thanks for the tip! I just started fly fishing for gills this spring and am looking forward to trying this new technique.

That's good info. The article is excellent also.

I saw something similar on a Florida fishing show where they were fishing under the mangroves. The fish were way back under the overhanging limbs out of reach or most lures. They removed the treble hooks from a topwater plug and tied a short leader to it and a jig. The splash of the plug attracted the fish and the jig would seal the deal. The added weight of the plug would allow them to skip the combo several feet under the limbs and then allow for any retrieval speed they chose. By removing the treble hooks they didn't get hung on the limbs as often and the jig would break off if they did saving the plug. They missed a few fish of the topwater but that just added to the excitement.

I have tried it a few times and it works. A Pop-R and a small jig is deadly on bass that have a lot of topwater baits thrown at them. The are used to seeing the plug, but not the little critter following it.

I will try this with my fly rod next time I have it out.

Thanks for the tips