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MuskyOnTheFly

Bluegill Imitation

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Hey everybody!

In preparation for the upcoming season, I'm planning on tying some bluegill imitation flies for some pike/musky/bass. I'm wondering what 2,3, or 4 color combinations I should use to imitate a bluegill (or other sunfish). I'm thinking orange/blue or orange/blue/yellow or something along those lines.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks,

Vandy

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Right or wrong, I have always believed that first and foremost you need silhouette and any outstanding color. With this in mind, I would have a tall fly with some Flouro. Blue and some Orange. I think the outstanding colors sells the deal.

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I would use bright blue,green, yellow and orange. Defenitely go for the profile of a small bluegill. Pattern wise, whitlock has some awesome patterns and I came across one that is jointed!

 

-bly

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Don't forget a little Olive. I have never really useg 'Gill imitations but almost every Bluegill has a significant amount of Olive in its flanks. Going on a limb I'd say Olive Blue and Orange would be the colors to imitate with the proportions following that order.

 

Hmmmmm.... Olive base with a Blue over sheen and an Orange throat.

 

Olive Buctail over laid with just a few strands of U/V Blue Krystal Flash with an Orange Bucktail throat?

Just guessing.

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=3576

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QUOTE (MuskyOnTheFly @ Jan 31 2005, 02:31 PM)
Hey everybody!
In preparation for the upcoming season, I'm planning on tying some bluegill imitation flies for some pike/musky/bass. I'm wondering what 2,3, or 4 color combinations I should use to imitate a bluegill (or other sunfish). I'm thinking orange/blue or orange/blue/yellow or something along those lines.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Vandy

James Wood Bucktail. I'll say it again. James Wood Bucktail - an easy pattern to tie introduced by Harry Murray. It might not look like a bluegill to you and me but I have no problem getting bass to hit it during the bluegill spawn and after when there are fry in the water.

James Wood Bucktail Dressing

 

Hook: Size 2, 4 or 6 Mustad 3366

Body: Yellow chenille

Wing: White bucktail forming a veil around the entire fly, tied very sparse.

Head: Blue chenille tied full

 

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I'll be tying a diver for musky/pike and using Larry Dahlberg's technique. What he does if he's fishing in 8 ft of water is to use a 9 ft leader with a full sink line. He lets the fly line sink to the bottom and strips it back in creating an irresistable movement. The lake I will be fishing has an abundance of bluegill so I'm trying to match the hatch. I'll also be tying the traditional black and red/white lures. Sorry I didn't make myself more clear before.

 

 

QUOTE
James Wood Bucktail. I'll say it again. James Wood Bucktail

Think I can tie those in 3/0?

 

Thanks for the comments so far!

-Vandy

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If the Fly Tying Contest photos are still up (I will post the photos to the archieves later), in the LMB streamer catagory, look for the Firetiger/Perch deceiver. I use it for wipers, but have taken quite a few Tiger Muskie as well. Though I call it Firetiger, some think it represents a yellow ring perch. Actually perch have a mostly, white belly, this fly does not. Despite all the guessing, the muskie would hit it just fine where there are NO perch, but there are lots of bluegill present. Sometimes the suggestive approach works better than an exact imitation. This color is a popular muskie/pike color, anyway.

 

OK, silly me, just click on the 2004 Contest button on my post. The picture is there. Apparently, the fly slid in the box when it was in the mail, and bent the tail.

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Just a question aren't juvenille bluegill a much different color than an adult bluegill?

 

Never really paid attention to bluegill imitations since most of the bass ponds I fish have a herring or golden shinner forage base.

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Up to about 3 inches the are mostly a silvery/green kinda mixture. The thing is, so many different colors reflect under water that we don't normally notice in the air that it's hard sometimes to know what to go with. If you hold a fish (any species) up and check it out in the sunlight you'll see a ton of colors as the sun plays off its body.

 

that's why my secret weapon is....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RAINBOW ANGEL HAIR!

 

 

 

No matter what streamer you tie, a little bit of this stuff makes a big difference. I've tested Clousers and Black Nose Dace, some with Rainbow and some without, and the difference is very apparent.

 

I think a small streamer could be Blue with a touch of Olive and a smidge of Rainbow hair and be a darn tootin' good baby 'gill.

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You Spin hair, Spun hair go in the water, Pike in the water, our pike...

 

I'm always left with a pile-o-hair after a few fish...

 

I don't know I had to say that...

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