As a new fly fisherman there is NO better way to learn how to hook, fight, and just plain catch fish than fishing for bluegill. Notorious fighters, and absolutely gorgeous, these fish are the reason a LOT of fisherman got hooked on fishing at a young age....not a lot of species can say that.
I learned how to catch fish on a fly rod with bluegill. I have 2 little boys (6 and 4) and both of them are trout fisherman, and on the fly at that. Recently I realised that neither of them had caught a single bluegill on the fly rod and we really needed to change that. I loaded a fly box full of floating foam bluegill bugs along with some small colorful woolies, stopped by the store to fill the cooler with Capri-Sun and Oreos and we were off. Florence C. Cook's landing on the Bryant Creek is where I caught my first fish on a fly rod (and MANY more after that) so that had to be where we went. With the drift boat in-tow we were after it, there was a rowing lesson in store for the boys too.
As usual the bluegill were quick to eat...real quick.
The bow of most drift boats fits a kid nicely...and is often a source of a fight among my boys as to who gets to sit in it first. This trip the youngest won with a sweet left hook that big brother didn't see coming at all.
The rowing lessons went well, the anchor was down to get the most out of the training but it went well.
So while little brother was on the sticks and protecting the boat from supposed somali pirates:
big brother decided to bust out some slabs....
The thing is, they had a blast. We did some swimming lessons (none of that pansy pool swimming lessons, they fought the current like little men) but I can honestly say that this was a fishing trip where I fished WITH my boys...catching fish right along with my eldest and handing the rod off to my youngest to strip in a fish. Some nice bluegill were caught but the thing both of them keep talking about and rolling belly laughing about is the little fish---that unmistakable sound of a tiny bluegill that is too small to take a floating bug is a sound that I hope all three of the Fly Fishing the Ozarks readers know....
Yhey WILL always remember the fishing trips with Dad Brian. I too caught my first fish on Bryant creek as well. Grandpa and Grandma lived right up the hill. I also remeber walking down that hill was fun BUT walking back up was quite a chore.
Hey Bruce,
A buddy of mine that I grew up with owns that house now. He has fixed it up to look like a log cabin...I would have killed to have bought it.
Any time I am teaching a new fly fisher(kid or adult) I try to get them on some panfish(bluegill, longear, etc.) with a parahopper. Nothing in the world like seeing those little buggers come up from the depths and snatch that fly.
Sweet dude, Monday morning would have sucked till I found this.
OCMS doesn't hurt either.