Hey guys I'm not a bonafide fly fisherman (yet anyway)... But I'd like to try some flies for bluegill and red ear....what I have in mind is to drop shot them on ultra light tackle for the big blue gill and red ear I fish for in a small private lake...I'm not asking for freebies and am willing to pay for a few nice flies that y'all have proven to work....or if someone is close by we can try to arrange a fishing trip... Feel free to Pm me ..Thanks.

In my experience, these fish aren't very picky and any fluffy, woolly, nymph like, or foam spider, ant, will work. Size 6 is on the big end. I haven't explored the small end. There's discounters online that sell bluegill flies for about 60 cents per copy if you want to go that route.

Subsurface, I like woolly buggers. Foam spiders are nice on the surface. you could easily fish either with a light spinning rig but you might need a clear cork out front to cast the foam bugs if using a spinning rig.

I like size 6 flies to help keep smaller fish off the line.

I've experimented with a lot of different flies for bluegills...and have found that adding rubber legs to almost any subsurface fly will make it effective for 'gills.

Nymphs work especially well w/rubber legs added...size 8 is optimum. It can be difficult to find certain nymphs in size 8... most of them will be smaller for trout...but size 8 is perfect for big 'gills.

My rank of bluegill flies (subsurface)

1) Prince nymph
2) Zug big
3 Squirrel tail nymph
4) bully spider

However, the Prince nymph is so highly effective, I rarely have to resort to anything else.

TroyKing,

I ran across this fly this winter and it really caught my eye. If it doesn't catch 10+ inch 'gills on the next full moon, I will be very surprised.

Don't know if it will crack my top 4 list, and it needs a little trimming but man what a great looking bluegill fly...and at 60 cents you can't go wrong.

https://www.bigyflyco.com/BlueGillClouser-detail.htm

meadowlark that's somthing like the type of fly I had in mind...thanks for the tip.

TroyKing,

The site Meadowlark linked to (bigyflyco) has a huge number of flies for panfish. I tore up bluegill on a Beadhead Zug Bug (size 8) this fall. The beadhead version sinks faster than the standard Zug Bug.

The size 10 dragonfly rubber legs catches some big sunfish too if you can keep the bass off of them.

Bream killers aren't bad either. They're a slow sinking fly.

Bigyflyco has a discount when you buy 6 or more of a fly type. I also like that they give a brief description of each fly. Some online sites only show a picture.

A couple of other sites are breambugs.com and anglersdream.net

If you liked the BH zugbug, you will absolutely love the BH Prince in #8. The best bluegill fly I have ever used.


https://www.bigyflyco.com/beadheadprincenymph-detail.htm

They also sell a BH Prince w/rubber legs but not in larger sizes...I just tie some on some legs to my #8s.

Foam spiders, prince nymphs and gold ribbed hares ear nymphs have all worked well for me. I almost always bring a fly rod when I'm kayak fishing so if nothing else is biting I'll break it out and target sunfish.

Briminator!!!!! Hands down the best bluegill fly that I know of, Hands down. And it works for just about anything else to. Trout bass etc.....

Troy, you need to go to the bluegill section and chase down Tim White...he has the magic potion for them...he grew up and lives by Lake Millwood in Arkansas, on of the allrime great gill lakes...he ties the stuff you need...just tell him your thinking and let him supply the answers...I have done that same thing with great success!

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