Many warm-water anglers stop spending time on the water when cooler weather arrives. For some, it is time to transition to the field, and time is spent hunting instead of on the water. Others prefer to fish when the weather is warmer. If you are still craving some quality fishing, don't put away that fly rod just yet. Bluegills and other panfish are always up for a game of tug of war, but you may need to change your tactics a bit to get them to play.
Once the water cools down your favorite shallow water spots may not produce like they used to. If so, the fish have likely moved. You have to fish deeper water to find them!
Once the air and the water temperature cool down, the fish take up new residences and may no longer respond to the flies and tactics that worked so well during the spring and summer. To catch a fish, you have to find it first. As the water cools, bluegills and other sunfish will begin retreating to deeper water where they can find more stable conditions. They will still make forays into the shallows on those warm, calm fall days, but generally, you will have to seek them out in deeper water. I like to focus my fall fishing on smaller bodies of water like farm ponds. On these types of water, the deepest part of the pond is not all that deep (6-8 feet), and it can usually be accessed with a long cast from shore or fished easily from a boat or kayak.
Concentrating your efforts on smaller bodies of water will increase your odds of catching fish. The deepest part of the pond is often accessible with a long cast from the shoreline.
Fly selection is usually limited to subsurface patterns like wet flies, nymphs, and streamers. However, you may find the odd fish willing to come up to the surface on warmer days. Hands down, my favorite way to fish under these conditions is with wet flies and soft hackles. I may catch more panfish on wet flies in a given year than all other types of flies combined! They can be deadly if fished properly.
Wet flies, specifically soft hackles, can be deadly on cold water panfish!
There are a few challenges to fishing a wet fly or soft hackle properly. First off, we have to get the fly to the fish. This usually means getting the fly lower in the water column than you are used to fishing as the fish move deep. There are a few ways you can do this. My first option is to fish your flies on a weighted leader. You can find poly leaders in a variety of densities from slow to fast sinking. I tend to avoid putting split shot on the leader to sink my flies. Split shot always has a way of snagging on weeds, and it puts a hinge point in your leader with will adversely affect strike detection. If a sinking leader is not getting the flies deep enough, it is time to go to a sink tip, intermediate, or full sinking lines. Casting sinking lines may feel a little awkward at first. You will have to make some changes to your tackle. While you may be able to handle sinking leaders on your light three and four weight fly rods, a full sinking line will be too heavy. Fall is one of the times of year that I break out that five weight fly rod. Most sink tip and full sinking lines are not available in lighter weights, and a five weight is usually the lightest sinking line I can find.
Fishing the deepest area of a small pond with wet fly produce this beautiful dark bluegill!
Once you get your flies to the fish, the next challenges will be presenting them properly and detecting the strike. As the water cools down, so does the fish's metabolism, so you will need to slow down your presentation as well; the colder the water, the slower the retrieve. I find the hand twist retrieve the best method for inching your flies through the water. It isn't easy to describe in words, but a quick google search will turn up a few videos that demonstrate the hand movements better than I can explain them. To better detect takes from the fish, it is vital to remove as much slack from your line as possible and directly connect to your flies. The easiest way to do this is to keep the rod tip low and close to the water. A take from a sluggish fish is often seen before it is felt (if it is felt at all!) Watch your leader/line where it enters the water. If you observe anything unusual such as twitches, pauses, or unnatural movement, set the hook with a flick of the wrist. A light hook set will keep the flies in the zone instead of pulling them up out of the depths.
Two wet flies are better than one. Remember to keep your rod tip close to the water’s surface to keep slack out of the line and aid in strike detection.
Although I fish both winged wet flies and soft hackles, my preference leans towards soft hackles. The flowing feather fibers of a properly tied soft hackle provide a lot of movement in the water, especially during slow retrieves. Many traditional soft hackles will work on panfish. Some of my favorites are the Partridge & Green, Partridge& Yellow, Partridge & Rust, Partridge & Pheasant, Partridge & Peacock, and Partridge & Hares Ear. All of which are available in our Soft Hackle Assortment. Yes, I like partridge feathers on my soft hackles! If you don't have access to partridge, most other game birds and hen chickens have great feathers for soft hackle flies. In addition to traditional soft hackles I have been experimenting with UV resin bodied flies and the results have been encouraging. The UV resin bodied flies sink quicker and are perfect for deep water presentations.
Coating the body of a wet fly with UV resin not only makes it more durable but it will help the fly to sink quicker.
So don't hang up that fly rod just yet. There is still some good fishing to be had. Fishing with wet flies will extend your fishing season often right up to the point the water gets hard on us. For those that live in warmer climates, these methods will allow you to fish all year long!
Need hooks and materials to tie your own soft hackles and wet flies? You can find them in our shop!