Anyone fly fish for Crappie / Panfish?

I’ve always wanted to learn, and the urge to try this year is pretty strong. I’ve read up quite a bit and opinions seem to swing between 3 wt and 5 wt for Crappie.

But I have something that’s not mentioned in most articles - fly fishing from a kayak in a lake or tidal river.

I’ve been considering a 5’9” 3wt fiberglass rod, due to its length. But now I’m wondering if it’s too light. I almost always catch other fish while crappie fishing. I’m not sure what a 18” Alabama Spotted Bass would do to that setup, but I have a feeling I’d be overwhelmed. So I look at the 5wt version, but it’s 7’, or the 5/6wt at 7’6”. I’ve picked them up. They are all whippy, but it seems the longer they are, the more whippy they become.

Any suggestions for a newbie fly angler would be appreciated - especially from a kayak.

All the best,
Glenn

Whichever rod you choose, I would put a 1000 series spinning reel on it instead of a fly reel. You still get the fly rod feel during the fight and get much longer casting distance. I have used this setup for decades and have caught trout up to 5 lbs. on it in moving waters.

I have a 6'6" 3wt fly rod and it's fine for gills, redear, crappie and trout. Fly rods in 5wt or less tend to feel whippy but that's normal. If you catch many 18" bass than a 5wt would be the way to go but a 3wt will hold them. Takes practice but if you keep at it they are a lot of fun.

I’ve tried my smallest spinning reel (Pflueger President 25 series) with an ultralight 7’6” rod and I couldn’t cast the little Betts popper more than about 10 feet. That’s why I was looking into fly fishing setups. Maybe I’m wrong in my assumptions, but I was thinking that UL spinning rod was about as whippy as a fly rod of similar length, and the guides were similar. My lure has almost no weight. I was told that by using a weight forward fly line, I should be able to cast it.

i guess it wouldn’t hurt anything to buy the rod first and try that same reel with the fly rod, and then if it doesn’t work, then just buy the fly reel and line as well. Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll give that a try.

All the best,
Glenn

A 4wt might be a good happy medium between the 3 & 5 for panfish (gills & crappie), but I have caught a 14-16" bass on a 4wt this past June at a campground lake. It was a battle to get it to the bank but did it.

Some fly rod blanks are a bit stiffer/fast er than other blanks, but a 5 wt will serve you well for gills, crappie and even the smaller size bass. The rod will bend quite a bit with the larger fish, but even the small gills will be fun.

If you want to cast poppers forget the spinning tackle and get a fly rod and reel with either a weight forward or floating line. Ask questions before you buy.

Have you tried using a clear bobber? Its a bobber that you fill with water for weight and leave some air in there for buoyancy. They have different sizes and I bet the smallest one will help you cast the distance.

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Originally Posted by P Nut

Have you tried using a clear bobber? Its a bobber that you fill with water for weight and leave some air in there for buoyancy. They have different sizes and I bet the smallest one will help you cast the distance.

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I saw that. “Casting bubbles”. I haven’t tried those yet, but they are on the list of possibilities. Just wondering how much they would mess up the action of a topwater popper. Those Betts poppers are super light. I’d bet the bubble makes more of a splash at each pop than the actual popper does.
All the best,
Glenn

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JUNGLEJIMJIGS

If you want to cast poppers forget the spinning tackle and get a fly rod and reel with either a weight forward or floating line. Ask questions before you buy.

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Yep. That’s what I said was recommended to me in the above posts. And that is the purpose of this post - asking questions before I buy.
All the best,
Glenn

ive caught many panfish on the eagle claw sweetheart rod . best has been a mop fly under a styrofoam indicator.. one tip is to stick the toothpick into the float on the bottom side , less tangles

Fly fish, flys are hard to catch. :Rofl

I have used casting bubbles, for 50 years, with great success.
Tie one on, add 18 to 24 inch leader, and your popper.
Deadly at night, with a popper that glows.

P.S. keep this a secret

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fiveeyes

I have used casting bubbles, for 50 years, with great success.
Tie one on, add 18 to 24 inch leader, and your popper.
Deadly at night, with a popper that glows.

P.S. keep this a secret

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With a fly rod or spinning rod? Thanks for the reply! Your secret is safe with me. :biggrin

spinning rod

spinning rod, and use the torpedo style..much better

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fiveeyes

spinning rod, and use the torpedo style..much better

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Like this? It’s the only torpedo style I’m finding that isn’t just a float. Comes in 4 sizes, starting at 1/8 oz.

Attachment 509898

I haven't found anything more fun than fly fishing for bream in the summer time when they're on or near the beds.

ain't figured out how to catch crappie on a fly rig though, and honestly don't know that I need to. I might try it someday just for giggles.

A fly rod works well for crappie if they are shallow. If they are more than 5 feet deep, I use a steady sink fly line (they are rated by feet per minute). If they are more than 10 feet deep, break out the spinning rod.

I would recommend getting a 5 wt fly rod to start with as a good all around rod. You can get the steady sink fly line in 5 wt. I have one rod setup with steady sink line and others with floating lines. Crappie will eat minnow patterns such as a clouser minnow, but they will also eat nymphs.

I generally go with a size 8 or 10 fly, so I can catch bass, crappie, gills, etc.

Lots of good info so far. The casting bubble is a common thing among those who want to pitch flies. A fly rig is an experience all to itself. To get the most bang for the buck, I suggest buying a reel that you could swap spools on. Floating and sinking lines don’t interchange much but cover the depths nicely when dome right. I use a WF4F mostly but I cant seem to find a spool for the reel like I suggested so I'm looking for another reel that I can get another spool for. I also find the smaller weight rods a bit whippy but I found a 4pc Fenwick that fit the bill. Built it through the fine folks at Mudhole. And I have caught crappie on a fly, streamer pattern, but had to wait for it to get down to them. It’s cool seeing the whole fly line jump when they thump the fly.