Float tubing for Panfish

With the numerous ponds and small lakes in Massachusetts, Float tubing is one of the best ways to get in a bed of spawning bluegills and crappie. Fly fished this past weekend wiht my good friend Jeff and caught numerous healthy 10-11" bull bluegill specimens that were common all over the pond.
They look like they are in the pre-pawn mode and the males Gills are starting to make bed for the females to lay their eggs... The male are in full, bold, mating colors to attract the ladies... to do some hanky panky....


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That looks like fun and a great catches. Need to break out my fly rod for the new season.

I have been doing the same thing here in Ky. Fly Rod and tube. Gills/crackers just starting to bed. Tried to tie some goldies tonight. Got aggrevated! I could not find the old thread on Basspond where you posted pictures on how to tie them. I have not tied any since last year. Any idea what happened to the pictures? You sent me my first Goldies a few years ago when I made a donation to Bass Pond. Anyway, have fun with the Flyrod and tube!
Tom

Looks like you had an awesome time , thanks for posting the pic`s

See if this helps... trying a new fly that Dick Empie gave me to try called "Black Gold"

Big West Pond- Plymouth - Fly Fishing For Bass - All - The Bass Pond - Message Board Yuku

E-Z BODY products, Fly Tying's #1 Tubing! - Photo Gallery

Geez, that gotta be cold sitting in that water. It's still cold here in Ohio to be using a tube. Looks like you're having fun though!

Gillbuster,
That was the thread from Basspond that I was looking for. Thanks, my confidence just went up for the tying the Goldie! Looking forward to seeing the "Black Gold" fly!

Thanks again!
Tom

Gillbuster,
You seem to always catch some nice fish from your ponds and small lakes. Are most of the private or public? Just wondered how much public waters in your state.
Tom

Crazycrappie,
I was wondering the same thing. We have alot of private ponds that you can catch fish all day long but the owner doesn't let you keep them. At the worst fishing time in public lakes I can always catch fish on private waters. Heck if U can't eatem, whay catch em :-)
Sled

The majority of ponds in Mass, we fish in are public (in the thousands), some ponds are private, but I don't fish them... for example from the Cape Cod Canal to Provincetown there over 900 ponds or lakes that are 1+ acre or bigger... all of them have fish...the state does a good job with managing natural resource here

pond maps that the Massachusetts puts out

MassWildlife - Pond Maps

How do they manage the ponds? Special size or creel limits? Electrofishing surveys? It sounds like a neat place. I love fishing ponds. The DNR link had lots of good info about the ponds. I would like to spend a couple of weeks fishing them!

For Crappies and Bluegills there isn't a bag limit...I am not sure how the Wild-life biologists monitor the ponds and how often, but the majority of them are very good fishing....for panfish, not many people fish for them here why.... I don't know...they just ain't right, in my opinion...they don't know what they are missing which is good for me, they are big into trout, salmon, stripers, bass...

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/regul...hing_dates.pdf

MassWildlife - Freshwater Fish Records

gillbuster, tell me how to fish, or rather retrieve that goldie fly. I just recieved some of that body braid from bears den, and have been reading your posts about this fly. I'm gonna tie some flies and also some small jigs with it. do you ever fish it without a gold bead in shallow water? thanks in advance. I bought gold, silver , pearl, copper, green, and purple. the purple is coming from another place.

I use floating line or sink tip fly line when I want to go deeper.... 6-8 lbs tippet most of the time.... to make it sink more slowly I use 10-12 lbs tippet... I call it a dummy fly because any dummy can catch fish on it... cast, wait 5 secs, strip it 2-3 inches several times and pause, repeat... usually they will hit on the pause while it is sinking slowly...Each lake/pond you have to flind the pattern of how they like it. Once you find one crappie I will work that area several casts to see if there is a pod of fish... As you know Crappie are very structure oriented, any deadfall is prime loaction and I will work those areas. Always work the bank parallel or at an 45 degree angle, not 90 degrees, Remember Crappie always feed up, fish it slowly, they can't stand to have a bait fish swim over there head without taking a whack at it..:) I haven't fished it with out a beadhead, but I don't know why it won't work...it's the bodie braid material that drives them crazy. It undulates in water like like a fleeing fish

Just a tip if your gonna add sink tip to your floating line. It sell (usually in 30' lengths) I cut 2', 5', 10' an 12' sinking tip and change as I feel its needed. i use a fishfinder, cruise the lake, find a spot where the fish seem a consistant depth an use that at a gauge. The strip seems right on. remember the longer the sinking line the less the tippet will rise on the retrieve even though you have to factor in the speed of the drop being faster. I love sinking tip line because I hate splitshots on a fly rod. Also, if you use sinking line, tye heavy mono line for your perfection loops onto the floating line to keep the cast from whipping and better control overall.
To perfect crappie fishing, sometimes it takes a dozen minnows, a spinning rod that hangs up alot,a sinker and hook on a pontoon boat straight over the side and have the best day of your life catching big slab. Lifes just like that though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dogsled

I love sinking tip line because I hate splitshots on a fly rod.

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I don't mind split shot. They're not hard to cast, particularly if you use the smaller ones. They're certainly cheaper than sink tips and full sinkers. :)

Are U saying a split shot presents a fly on a tapered leader the same as a
3-5' sink tip directly off the float line with a 16-24" tippet? Mind U this is just a question with no right or wrong involved, no malice or anything except how the 2 are remotely similar......

I wasn't saying shot is the same as a sink tip, just that shot is a very cheap and effective way to get the fly down. Also, I'm talking about SMALL shot.

I always used them, I swear I couldn't keep them on. after 3 or 4 casts they'd be gone. I even squeezed them with pliers. I put alot of lead in the water :-)

I use this shot from Bass Pro:

Double-Cut Shot Assortment

This is a very soft English shot that grips the line very well. I fished several hours two weeks ago with a #4 shot on my line. It's still on my line. :)

I wouldn't change back from sinking tip line now that i'm used to it, but thanks for the link, i'll check it out. I have a pole with just a leader and tippet that could use some quick weight on occasion. I melt down the ones I have and make a canoe anchor :-]