Bluegill top water hook size

[Scott V 0]

What size hook do you use most often when tying up top water flies for bluegills. and if you can post up your favorite top water fly for bluegills that would be great. In my area they are going crazy for anyhting on top with rubber legs and I am always looking for new and different ideas.

[Guest]

I like a size 10 popper hook for poppers, and for other bugs I like a size 10 or 8 dry fly hook. My go to is a black cricket, but this year I tried out an orange foam bug with orange/black tarantula mini-leggs and EVERYTHING hit them so that may become my new go to on top!

[Fred H. 0]

right now I'm expirementing with very tiny hooks ment for trout fishing.as I catch the same fish over and over they have gotten wise to my usual flies and a size change was required. I tried a size #16 and it worked well enough to land several bream up to 7" and two 2lb pluss bass.So don't be scared to go down in size if you need to.with that said most of my topwater gill flies or either #10 or #12 . And as far as patterns go anything made of foam will float anything with rubber legs will entice a bite . good luck

[Philly 0]

Most of my bluegill top water flies are usually between size 4 and 8. I don't get as many hook-ups put the ones I catch are hand size or better. I have decent luck with a Sneaky Pete in size 4 and 6.

 

 

Another pattern that's worked. I'll tie these on size 4-8 light wire Aberdeen Crappie hooks

 

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I just vary the colors, size 6 and 8 are good for the local sunfish.

 

 

A old pattern I'm adding for this year. These are the largest and smallest. I've got a few tied up in sizes ranging from 4 to 10 for the sunfish.

 

 

I also use Chernobyl Ant styles flies in in sizes 4-8.

 

 

[Scott V 0]

Thanks for the info one and all, I had planed on using size 10 for my foam poppers. But I was having fun catching 2-3 incher's on size 16 nymphs. Right now in my area the bluegill are going crazy, it is so much fun on a 3 weight, they can bend my rod in half due to there size, some of them look like little body builders.

[Fly Tyer Guy 0]

Try size 10 dry flies, they have been my top producer for panfish.

[mswaterfowler 0]

My go-to fly has always been a sz. 14 all-white foam spider. you do catch some small ones but you catch some big ones too.

 

Philly- What is the body material on those foam flies?

 

[CoachBob 0]

Fourteen (14).

Bluegill inhale their prey and 14s are easier to inhale while still having enough backbone to handle the fish.

In the strike to catch ratio, using 8s and 10s produce a lot fewer hookups.