Weather Conditions: Varied
Surface Temp: 66 Degrees
Clarity: Tannic, 24”
Tip of the Month: The fishing for all species has been great before the fronts roll through. Usually three days after a cold-front the fishing improves. Covering water and varying your fly selection is key as the location of fish has been quite diverse from deeper drop-offs to under overhanging trees in the shallows.
Techniques: Slow it down and down-size your tippet size, the fish can be quite finicky this time of year. Early morning topwater has been productive for both bass and panfish. They have definitely been keying in on smaller blue poppers. With all of the blue dragonflies around laying eggs on the surface. You can tell they are laying eggs when they quickly land on the surface almost crashing down then flying away. Focus on sandy bottoms if you can as these are where we’ve found the bass earlier in the day as these areas warm up more quickly. The floating hyacinth mats retain heat and act like a thermal blanket and this is where fish congregate after the cold fronts. Keep changing flies it seems they are still fairly spread out ad are roaming so variety is key. Bring some smaller topwaters and try running various trailers starting out with pheasant tail nymphs in size 12-14 and keep switching several times an hour to try and key in to what they want. Bass also have been near the thicker grass lines chasing baitfish. Still try and keep your eyes peeled for schooling bass or nervous baitfish as this is obviously a good spot to fish around. The patterns that are best used in these areas are bead chain Clousers and white Wooly Buggers. With still cool water temps expect the Spec bite to keep improving. Many people are fishing the lights from their boat during the night drifting across deeper holes as they are schooling up now with the cooler temps. Small white streamer patterns in size 6 or smaller will be perfect, surprisingly so will small damselfly nymph patterns in black or olive. The bluegill action has been very good. With small jig like flies crawled on the bottom, more natural color tones producing the better fish. The bluegill are definitely wanting a little larger presentation when the temperature drops, casting a beadhead wooly bugger around trees and docks and slowly strip it back.
Submitted by: Hunter Towery
Peace Creek Guide Service
863-837-7028