Conditions: Good
Surface Temp: 81F
Water Clarity: Tannic 12-in
Guide Tip: Whenever the wind is making it tricky to fly fish try to use it to your advantage. Baitfish will be blown onto shoreline points, look for any variance to the grasslines as these are great ambush points. Utilizing an intermediate sinking line and a short 3 ft fluorocarbon leader will allow you to present your fly even in less than ideal winds. Bluegill streamers and purple crawfish are ideal fly choices this time of year. Fish large white or olive poppers parallel to the grasslines in the early morning and late evening.
Techniques: This time of year is an awesome time to be a fly fisherman as so many fish are congregating up shallow just within our reach. This is one of my favorite times of year to get up early and throw big popping bugs around our local lakes. When fishing large topwater flies I find a short stout leader is key, as this helps turn over heavier flies and gives us more room to step on the gas pedal and horse those bass out of some thick cover. An 8- 8 1/2 ft 20 pound leader is the ideal tool when your âpowerâ fly fishing. Now this window of explosive action is typically the first and last hour and a half of daylight. For the rest of your arsenal take advantage of the bluegill pushing shallow and throw bluegill patterns around shallow water cover suck as lay downs, bulrushes and submerged grasslines in 2-5 feet of water to try and target the cruising bass that lurk just beyond those bluegill. Purple or orange crawfish patterns are killer lower water column patterns when targeting structure in deeper water. Those three patterns allow you to fish the entire water column and are a year round staple in my fly boxes. Cover as much water as possible, focus on hard cover such as dock and fallen trees, and healthy green submerged grasslines, as these will be your high percentage areas. As for our lovely bluegill fishing the time is coming for our trophy panfish to push up real shallow and get aggressive. Just in time for our Hexagenia hatch watch the water for these large mayflies as Iâve seen the water erupt to life and the fish get so patterned on those nymphs you better have a few in your box. Caddis are still hatching early in the mornings around partially submerged bushes. A small spider or popper fished with a caddis nymph dropper is just about the best way to target the bream now. For fishing slightly deeper water try a dark colored wooly bugger with a split shot crimped about six-ten inches above the fly.
Local River/Weather Outlook: Now you shouldnât fear the wind as you should be ready to take advantage of this opportunity and fish through the wind and use it to your advantage. The temps are rising and with some rain in the near future the summer pattern is beginning to take shape. I have a feeling this will be an amazing month for our fishing. Find the clean water and fish the entire water column until you can establish a depth pattern then replicate it across the lake. The water level on the Peace River, Hillsborough River, Kissimmee River, Myakka River, Withlacoochee Rivers are low this time. We will see water levels rise when the summer showers roll in.
Submitted by: Hunter Towery
Peace Creek Guide Service
863-837-7028