My reflexes were a little to fast this time as the white popper floated back to the surface. It was sucked under by an undersized pan fish. My Son Sean said "Dad I got another one", as he reeled in a big eight inch bluegill. "Ok, lets pack it in, the misquotes are getting bad". We had a dozen nice bluegills for dinner and released another fifty plus to spawn. We had caught them all on top water baits. My fifteen year old son Sean was using his own flies he had tied himself and I was using poppers. It was the end of May in Wisconsin and the bluegill bite was on.

Sean had started tying his own flies a couple years ago and now had quite a collection. They weren’t any special fly he had copied from a book but his own concoctions that resembled bugs he had seen in the waters we fish. And some that just looked real cool. Although Sean grew up fishing for bluegills with night crawlers and wax worms, now his favorite bluegill baits were his own hand tied flies.

We use them in shallow water no deeper then four feet. The clearer the water, the deeper you can use them. Flies aren’t only for the fly fisherman. You can use them with a fly rod or spinning reel. If you use a spinning reel, you’ll have to use a clear bobber tied about two feet up the line to give it enough weight to be able to cast it. If you don’t have a clear bobber you can use just about any bobber, but it seems the clear floats don’t spook the fish as much. The clear bobbers are shaped like a tear drop and create a very small wake when pulled through the water. You want the fish concentrating on the lure, not the bobber. Use line in the four pound range with an ultra light rod. After the cast slowly pull the bobber away from the fly. Let it sit a minute. Then give it a small tug or pop and let it sit another minute. If you don’t get a fish after a couple pops reel it in and try another spot.

You can also go bobber-less (Sean’s preference). He’ll use a weighted fly and toss it in letting it float to the bottom and ever so slightly pull it across the bottom. This is deadly during the spawn. If you drop it into the bed they’ll usually grab it. This technique is definitely sight fishing. I’ve seen bluegills watch a worm go through the nest and not touch it but will grab a fly almost immediately.

I’ve always loved to watch big bluegills snatch poppers off the surface in late spring and early summer. Poppers are floating lures with feathers or hair tied to them resembling a fat bug laying on the surface. Since all sizes of pan fish are hungry at this time of the year I really don’t want to mess with the little guys. By using poppers, only respectable fish can get it into their mouth. Small fish will simply pull it under and let go.

The colors that seem to work best for me include white (my personal favorite), yellow, chartreuse and black. There fished basically the same as a floating fly except a little quicker. When the fish are aggressive it’s ok to work them a little slower but if the gills are a little picky you’ll have to work them faster giving them a pop every two to three seconds. This will usually get them to grab it before the popper gets away. I’ve seen big gills follow a popper twenty feet back to the shore or boat before grabbing it. So it’s good to pop it all the way in.

You need to feel the fish before setting the hook or you’ll pull it out of their mouth. When you see them grab it off the surface, wait until the bobber goes under or better yet, until you feel him before reeling it in. If they keep grabbing the popper but you’re not catching any, then the size of fish in the school your fishing are too small. Find a different spot.

These are two great ways to catch nice bluegills from shore or your boat. Sometimes a bass will even snatch up a fly or popper, and boy will you have a fight on that light tackle. Save a little money on the live bait and give flies and poppers a try.