Anyone try Louisiana freshwater fly fishing?

My father-in-law has been trying to get me to start doing some fly fishing. Anyone have success with it in North Louisiana? He claims that is the way to go for bream and bass. However, I've never seen him fly fishing.:popcorn

I have fly fished for bass and bream, mostly on farm ponds with good results. Used mostly popping bugs and cap spiders. Check out www.laflyfish.com. It's a good local website devoted to fly fishing. Plus fly fishing is a good excuse to buy some new rods.

My Dad introduced my brothers and I at an early age. Still love it and do it some times. When fishing is slow flies will catch when nothing else will.

I havn't in recient years , but Popping bugs and dry flies became my standard equipment when night Crawlers became Scarce ... when filling an Ice chest with fish you can't get your hand around, they are what Bro calls Chest huggers, They have Destroyed lots of bugs and flies. Slow sinking flies in Crappie bed will work you hard because they dont just push it out of a nest------ Fish On Line --- It came from those fond memories

Chenniere lake close enough for you? I use to fish the area around the end of Walters Lane before they cut the trees. fishing the edges of the Mill Pond was good too. Shooting a Fly in the pockets like a sling shot Would Produce Monster Bream and Red ears

Hey TigerFan!
I grew up in Shreveport in the late '50's/early '60's and fly fished extensively on Wallace lake, Bistineau, and Caddo. Since then I have returned to Bistineau, Bayou Dorcheat, and some of the creeks in North Louisiana and done well with bass and bluegills on poppers. Made a couple of good hits on bluegills and redears on Corney Lake a couple of years back, too.
Surface flies are typically used most often in warmwater fly fishing, but I would have some small wooley buggers, fluff butts, and Clouser Minnows for barfish, crappie, and bedding redears.
There are a lot of resources available that can be very helpful. Try my website - laflyguy.com - and laflyfish.com for plenty of information on equipment and techniques. There are also fly-fishing groups in Natchitoches and Shreveport (And possibly in Alexandria) with monthly meetings that are entertaining as well as informative. Those are posted on laflyfish.com. You might attend the Baton Rouge "Conclave" on March 8 and the Natchitoches gathering on May 3 - more thorough data will appear on laflyfish.com.
So you see there are lots of opportunities to learn fly fishing in Louisiana.
Bon chance.
Pete

I grew up in Monroe and West Monroe. I remember watching my dad do it all the time and just wear them out. When we moved to lake Washington in ms we just jig fished and trolled

Nice post Pete.

During the spawn, I've caught a number of white perch on Poverty Point fly fishing (with some flies Sneaky Pete generously gave me). I use them under a strike indicator (aka a very small cork made specifically for flies) and fish about a foot deep along the rocks. Last year I caught a white crappie that would probably rank #3 in the state record but I just haven't done the paper work. I also caught a channel cat that would be the state fly fishing record. I realized a couple of hours after I released him in the water.

You can also make a fairly short drive to Murfreesboro and Hot Springs, Ark. and enjoy some really good rainbow trout action.

Thanks Randy - hope the world is treating you OK.
Terry, I got another pair yesterday AM - both females and shallow against the bank, and judging from the state of their eggs, both gravid. I would imagine it's time down here. That means you should be unlimbering that fly rod, because it won't be long for you all. Blue and white for lakes where there are lots of small shad.
Pete

Thanks Pete, serious boom going on now. Like Deacon told me, hope it lasts this time around until retirement - you know what I mean. Enjoy your posts.

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Anyone have success with it in North Louisiana?

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Hey Tiger,

Been a while but back when I bass fished all the time, I hit the local ponds and even Saline Bayou with a 10 ft crappie rod, fly reel, and some popping bugs/flies. When them mesquitto hawks start to buzzing the water you can wear them bass out...mostly yearling but an occassional big one now and then and the fisht is on. Had forgotten until this post reminded me. man that was fun!

Thanks for all the input guys. I think I will do a little more research at the mentioned sites and then purchase a set-up. My work schedule has been crazy and I haven't launched my boat in about 5 months. I guess purchasing more equipment will have to be my fix. :biggrin

Cabela's has some on sale now. You can get a good rod/reel for about $100. I use an 8.5' three weight for white perch and trout. It's too light for bass but a lot of fun with panfish.

I'm thinking of trying the Plueger Medalist kit out from academy.

TigerFan, that reel would be a decent choice, but I'd imagine the rod and line in that "combo" would hurt more than they would help. And I seriously doubt if anyone in that Academy store knows little more about fly fishing gear than what it looks like.
Like Terry mentioned, take a look in the Cabela's catalog, and if you have a question, give 'em a call - they have folks who know what's going on. And one more thing to remember - in warmwater fly fishing, the reel almost always serves only to hold the line. The rod and the line - the casting elements of the outfit - are MUCH more important.
Again, bon chance.
Pete

Also, Bass Pro in Bossier is only an hour away and the Gray Wolf Fly Shop in Shreveport is well worth stopping at

What about the redington pursuit?

I don't do as much fly fishing as I used to but still carry my rod in the boat most of the time. The time I would like to use it is during the spawn but many of those days the wind is terrible. Once the gills turn on then it's as fun as can be to lob poppers at them. One day my buddy and I hit a pile of gills that must of had a thousand fish in it. The water was boiling with them. Every cast caught a fish and if it got off, one more pop and another was on. We brought home 98 males and released twice that many females and small males. My right arm got so tired that I had to switch to UL spinning for a while to give it a break, then get back on the fly rod. That was one day to remember.

Linda and the gills along with a few bass and a redfish.
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...e/IM000537.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...e/IM000536.jpg

We also caught almost 30 sacs on that trip and this is the jig I tied and caught them on. The largest was 15 inches and the largest I've caught to date.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...e/IM000544.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...e/IM000533.jpg

TigerFan -
That Redington rod is plenty good enough for your purposes. You might also check out the TFO rods - they have a fine warranty, should you break one.
Pete

Tiger, I do quite a bit of fly fishing for warmwater species on some local ponds, but fished Caddo and Black Bayou when I lived north of Shreveport. My favorite flies are a wooly bugger (black), crappie candy, and tussle bug. Laflyfish.com is a great resource and you may also want to check out flyanglersonline.com- they have lots of patterns and advice. I usually fish a 9 foot 5 weight that is big enough to handle most bass and yet still allows me to feel the bluegills tug. If you want to get started cheap bass pro has a "bugger" rod and combo that is pretty decent. the rod is only $20 bucks and the combo is not much more than that. I keep one handy to loan to beginners because it is very forgiving and is not a big loss should it end up broken. Many people also like Cabelas Three Forks rods and combos which are also very affordable. I second Pete's advice about the fly line. I recently put a 6 wt warmwater bass bug taper on my fly rod and it improved my distance and has a welded in loop at the end for a loop-loop connection. You may also want to check out the local fly fishing club or conclave near you. Hope this helps you! I encourage you to give it a try- there is nothing like catching a big fish on the fly rod!

Cabelas has a wind river combo on sale right now for 69.00 its normally 120.00 I have a 4 wt and luv it. Fly fishing for them Patassa (bream) in my opinion is almost as fun as sacalait fishing.

Hey TigerFanatic. Pete and others have given some good advice, so not much for me to add. I know the dude who runs laflyfish.com... he's half-crazed, just not sure which half. They don't talk too much about sacalait (white perch for you folks north of Ville Platte) on that forum. Bass and bream quite a bit.

I moved to the Alexandria area part-time last summer and now living there full time. Catching a few crappie on what is called "fluff butts". They are the flyrodders version of the marabou jigs and come in many different varieties as well as color combinations. Lately black/chartreuse has been best on Kincaid and Cotile, but pink/white on the other lakes where water isn't as clear. Can't wait for this global cooling to end... the bass and bream knocked the paint off poppers last year at Black Lake, Grand Bayou, Concordia and Cane River. Looking forward to expanding my territory this spring and getting in on some action at Darbonne and Caney.

As for tackle, for quality per price you can't beat the Cabelas outfits. Make sure to get the extended warranty on the rod for 2 years. Worth the few extra dollars. After that, you'll have a better idea of what type of rod suits you best. Then spend the money and get a warranted rod (TFO, Redington, Rise, Orvis) you'll appreciate the quality and piece of mind.