How to Fly Fish for Panfish

It seems as though panfish were made to be caught with a fly rod. They are very eager to take flies off the surface of the water and can be caught even easier below the surface on subsurface flies. Whether you are an experienced fly fisherman or a novice, panfish can provide a ton of action.

Personally I learned to fly fish on a small pond catching sunfish, crappies and bluegills. As most anglers know panfish tend not to be very picky when it comes to feeding. If it can fit in their mouth, they will try and eat it. So for beginning fly fishermen panfish offer the reward of a catch while still trying to learn the finer points of fly-fishing.

Panfish naturally feed almost exclusively on insects, that's why fly-fishing for them is such a great fit. There is no need to match the hatch with these fish or use extremely light line, just tie on a fly and start casting. About the only thing that needs to be considered when choosing a fly for panfish is the size of the fly. If you choose to large of a fly the smaller panfish will not be able fit the fly in their mouth. This will lead to many strikes, but very few hookups. Any fly in around a size 12 or smaller is fine for panfish.

Panfish are also very prone to eat insects off the water's surface. This means a fly fisherman can enjoy some great dry fly action at almost any time. Some great dry flies for panfish are elk hair caddis, gnats, midges and smaller mayflies. Like I said panfish tend not to be picky but I prefer those patterns for their durability and the fact they ride high on the waters surface.

For rods there is no need to go with a heavy rod. Anything around a 5 weight of smaller is perfect for panfish, and the length is not that important because you most likely will not need to make long casts. However, I do prefer to use a heavier tippet then I would use for trout. Not to say trout don't fight as hard, but I think most panfish are less line shy then trout so I use a heavier line to ensure a catch. Normally I use around 4x tippet or something stronger then 4 pound breaking strength.

Fly-fishing for panfish can provide some great surface action during most times of the open water season. Also panfish are plentiful in most types of waters, so there is less of a need to travel to fish for them. Underestimated for their fighting power and very tasty, fly-fishing for panfish is a great way to spend the day.