High winds means its time to pond hop.

Huffines Park - Richardson.
Caught a 20 greens on my fly rod using a popper. My son caught 7 greens using a road runner.

Bethany Lakes - Allen.
Caught 1 bluegill, 1 bass, and 17 greens (All under 8 inches of course) with the fly rod. My son had a banjo minnow and caught 10 bass and one channel cat in about an hour.

That's my son in the black shirt.

Those are some very nice fish. Those Greens look super. Nothing beats a day of fishing with your son. Good job.

I have never used a fly pole before...is that what you have to use at Bethany and Huffines? This isn't like real fly fishing is it? Can you use a regular rod and real at either place? I went to Bethany today with a rod and real, used corn and a bobber. No bites at all. Help.

Your question is very confusing.
Fly fishing is fly fishing.

You are not required to use a fly rod at Huffines or Bethany.

Nice catch,Good job!

lmatto: Fly rods are optional. Try worms or crickets if you want to use live bait. We caught all our fish on the east side of the center pond at Bethany.

I noticed lots of you tube videos of fly fishing at Bethany Lake. When I was out there today the other people fishing were all fly fishing. I had no luck at all with my regular pole. So what is the difference in fly fishing and regular fishing? I know the physical difference in the pole and technique, but why is it used on these little ponds? I just want to catch some fish. Is there something I can do with my regular pole to catch fish out there. I am a mom with kids that wants to introduce them to fishing. I realize that this is kind of a guy thing, but I want to learn so I can teach them. I am tired of sitting on the bank and not catching anything.

lmatto. #4 or #6 hooks, a bobber, worms or crickets. You should catch all day. If you want a less messy bait, look for the Fisherman's choice grubs or crickets near the live bait.

I fly fish small ponds because the flies look like the bugs that most of the fish eat.

You're best bet for catching numbers of fish is to use the smallest tackle you can while still making a decent cast. The reason fly fishing works great on small waters is that most of what the fish eat there is small and fly anglers with light weight fly tackle (4 weight and under IMO) can make a great presentation with tiny flys.

If you want to use a rod and reel, I suggest a Ultra Light Spinning rod and reels. I would suggest a UL spinning rod at least 5'6" long. Shorter rods work great, but longer rods are more versatile IMHO. I would also suggest a 1-piece rod. They are much more sensitve than 2-piece rods IMO. I also suggest a small spinning reel, but not too small. The micro and tiny spinning reels out there are to small and creat wind knots and short cast. I recommend a Quantum Optix size 10. It's a good, reliable reel that may not be the smoothest, but the spool diameter makes for long cast even with the smallest weights, baits and lures. The Pinnacle Tiny Deadbolt is great too, just too small for my taste. Next, you'll need to get some line. The best line out there for UL fishing is Berkley Trilene IMHO. I would get a spool of 4lb test and 6lb test. Next, it's time to get some terminal tackle. For hooks I like the smallest, bronze baitholder hooks I can find (usually size 8, 10 and 12). Small long chank cricket hooks and Aberdeen hooks work great to. Some tackle stores have small round hook assortment packs (like these); most of those hooks are perfect for bream and that would be perfect. The same can be said for the split shot; the small dial-a-split shot assortments work great (like these). I would get the ones that say "removable" if I were in your shoes. Next are the floats. This is where a lot of novice anglers screw up. Don't Get Large Bobbers! For catching sunfish (and other fish big and small really) all you really need are small floats. The more sensitive floats are the slim profile cigar and quill floats. Get a few that are weighted and unweighted, and also get a few that are sliding but mostly fixed ones since you're a begginer. This is what I recommend to start with, but get an assortment of others too. Last is bait. Nightcrawler pieces are tried and true; I like them better for begginers as opposed to red wigglers and trout worms. Crickets are extremly very good, but are delicate and can be difficult for novice anglers to start with. Maggots are also great but are sometimes hard to find at our Texas bait shops.

That should be all you need to start with, besides a fishing license. When you get on the water, try to fish by structure. Weeds wood and anything at all that is different from the surrounding water will normally hold fish. One of the most important pieces of advice that anyone can give you is to have a positive attitude and to keep moving when the fish are not biting. Panfish will show themselves within minutes of you casting your bait normally. If you don't get any action in the first 5 or 10 minutes, move to a different spot. Polarized Sunglasses help you find structure and fish, but I would concentrate on the basics for now.

Hope this helps you out and if you need any help, don't be afraid to ask. The Sunfish Board is a great area to get help and ask questions. Hope you can get those kids on some fish and to the TFF!

Went back out today to test a new rod I bought for carp. Found two bass at Bethany in the big pond on the south side. Found 10-12 greens at Huffines.

Try the far east pond at Bethany (L shaped one)it has the big bass in it.

thanks for your help. Going in the morning!

Wow if I can't get my kids fishing with all that info then I have a problem. I really appreciate your help. I'm going in the morning and hope to have some luck.

Thanks for your help. Going in the morning.

You should be able to catch plenty of fish with all that info! Good luck puttin the kids on some fish! The pond infront of the parking lot with the little concrete building in the corner has tons of bluegill in it around the cypress trees which also are nice to sit under to get some shade