Some late gills

Normally I am only chasing bluegills and sunfish in the early summer. Stumbling across a group of gills suspending off of wood structure the other day I had to give them a cast. There was a decent grouping of fish with good size and something I don’t typically see so late in the year. Switching up from streamer to nymph, my casting elbow went to work on these little guys.

First up was a beaded head nymph. The sun would catch the brass and the fish would go after it. More than once a fish would take a nip rather than a more committing bite. This typically means the pattern is off a little. A few more curious looks and I switch up again.  

The next pattern is a smaller brown nymph with some horsehair. This gave the fly more of a hackled look and offered a bit of crunch when the fish bite down. This was the ticket and fish would commit on the first swipe.  

A helpful hint when fishing for late season gills is to keep the bait moving rather than leave it stationary. This gives the lure more of a fleeing motion and the fish will hit more aggressively. It works best if you are sight fishing as you can gauge the movement of the bait with the fish’s demeanor.

The gill action was so good later in the day that I virtually forgot about bass fishing. Of course it helps that I managed to catch a few buckets on the frigid morning bite.

 The fall fishing season is underway. I have had to change my game from fast to slow for the bass. The bluegill action is so sporadic at this time of year that I simply take it as it comes. Water temps on the smaller lakes that I fish have dropped below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. My fishing results get very inconsistent from here on out. I will have to lean on the electronics more and less on the sight fishing.

My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic