WRITING ON THE FLY
By George Liset
The “Dog Days” of summer have been going in and out of the door. The hazy, hot and humid weather comes and goes, but is mostly here in August. This type of weather causes the trout to hunker down on the nearest cold spring they can find just to survive. There are not too many bottom release dams in New Hampshire to keep the rivers fishable for trout.
The good news is that this type of weather is great for fishing for panfish. Panfish, depending on what part of the country you reside in, includes a variety of species. Generally, a panfish is any fish that can fit in a frying pan. In New Hampshire, there are a number of species that fit the panfish definition such as Pumpkinseed, Redbreast Sunfish, Blue Gill, Banded Sunfish, Black Crappie, Perch and Northern Rock Bass.
My first exposure to fishing for panfish was visiting relatives in Harmony, Wisconsin. My great Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Louie owned a restaurant/ bar on Lake Ten. My father and brother and I would go out in a rowboat with light spinning rods and fish. Sometimes we would be joined by other relatives and there would be a flotilla out fishing for enough panfish to have a family fish fry complete with hush puppies and coleslaw. What I remembered most was catching a small Bluegill and it would feel like a monster on the small rods. And if the truth be told, that is still why I like to fish for them.
I have replaced my spinning rod for a fly rod, and my worm for a popper. A popper is a fly/ lure that is designed to take advantage of the aggressive nature of the panfish. Most are opportunistic feeders and are attracted to insects or minnows that make noise while they are struggling in the water. Most poppers are designed to make a popping noise in the water while they are being retrieved, hence the name popper.
Poppers come in different shapes and sizes, depending upon the size of fish you are trying to catch and the prey you are trying to imitate, such as a dying minnow, grasshopper, frog or even a mouse. All work and are fun to use. I like to fly fish with my Orvis three weight, 7’6” Superfine rod. It is a big enough rod to handle the bigger than pan-sized fish, but still sensitive enough to make those small Sunnies feel like monsters.
Southeast New Hampshire has a number of great ponds, lakes and rivers filled with all species of panfish. The New Hampshire Fish and Game website has a list of bodies of water and what fish they hold if you need some direction. Locally I like Barbados Pond and Willand Pond, especially for teaching children.
In August, I usually like to fish with a size 16 grasshopper imitation. I’ll cast it out and twitch it as it casually floats down the river or on a slow retrieve. It is fun to watch as the water explodes as those smaller fish try to get their mouths around the fly. Sometimes I’ll drop a size 18 or 20 Pheasant Tail nymph of the hopper and have success.
Sometimes when fishing for panfish you can be surprised, like the time I drifted a hopper underneath a low-lying branch on a local river. As the fly was drifting underneath the branch I gave it a little twitch. The water gently broke and a 16” Rainbow Trout sipped my fly. It took a second for the trout to realize it was hooked. When it finally did, the line began to peel off the reel. My excitement turned to panic as I realized that I had on light tippet and that I could lose the fish on the low hanging branch.
Luckily the fish headed out into the river and I was able to let the fish tire itself out before I netted it. You like surprises like that. Another time I had a great day fishing and had some time before the sun set. For giggles I tied on a small mouse pattern. The fly was small enough, but big enough to make casting a little difficult on my 3 weight rod.
There was an overhanging tree on the opposite side of the river. I was able to wade out far enough to reach underneath with a clumsy cast. The first couple of casts were off their mark, but the third one was right on target. I gave the fly a couple of twitches and the water exploded and I had a nice 12” Smallmouth Bass on the line. Fishing poppers is always fun and an adventure.
There is still plenty of summer left and plenty of good fishing available. So get out and enjoy the three “F’s”, family, fly fishing and fun!