Short dispatch from SC

Matt B

Matt B

RAMONES
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Currently at my Dad’s mountain lake cabin in SC and managed a couple laps of the lake yesterday; one with the kids and one with my brother. This lake has a lot of small bass along with shell crackers (aka redear sunfish) and bluegill. Oh, and channel cats. I was here in May of last year and the spawn was pretty much over at that point and the fishing was pretty hot. This year in April it seems the spawn is just starting and most fish may be staging. Not sure yet. Haven’t had much chance to really give it a crack, but I hope to get a little more time out there today. We’ll have to see; today’s dance card already seems pretty full!! Hope to find more of these:
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^^took an Anytime Anywhere trailing a Sneaky Pete.
Typically found around here:
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Hope the weather and fishing in the PNW are at least this nice! We will be coming back soon.
 
That's a nice sized sunfish. They can be a lot of fun. The first fish I ever caught on a fly rod was a sunfish.
When I was a kid my friends and I had a pond we would fish that had massive bluegills. I wish we had a few good pan fish lakes here in WA. Maybe we do and I just haven't found them yet.
 
Aufwuchs said:
That's a nice sized sunfish. They can be a lot of fun. The first fish I ever caught on a fly rod was a sunfish.
When I was a kid my friends and I had a pond we would fish that had massive bluegills. I wish we had a few good pan fish lakes here in WA. Maybe we do and I just haven't found them yet.
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We have tons of good pan fish lakes in Washington.
 
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I got one of the small bass on the topwater fly! That was cool and somewhat unexpected since the lake just seemed a little cool and not ready for prime time. I tried a small white gold bead Bugger for the dropper and that was effective on some more bass and sunnies. I do think the fish are staging and just about to spawn. I did best fishing structure near steeper dropoff banks, not the shallow flatter bottom stuff where they will spawn. There are some bigger bass; we seen ‘em! And in the evening casting off the dock I managed one baby bluegill. Tried baiting some cats but no luck for me this time.
 
The weather must be nice where you are at. Short sleeve T shirt and sun. It almost looks like it's warn there.
 
Matt B said:
I think they are mostly not in the western part of the state. Yeah? Or do I need to explore and diversify more?
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There is some excellent bluegill fishing even in the far upper left of the state. For me, it's about finding a pond/lake with limited viable spawning grounds/fry rearing cover. This helps keep them from getting stunted and over populated. These are common in one of my ponds that fits that criteria (my hands are huge btw). Have caught them north of a pound in there, as well as some local lakes.

If they got over 3lbs I dont think I'd fish for anything else. When they get big they fight like hell, way above their weight class.
 
Pink Nighty said:
There is some excellent bluegill fishing even in the far upper left of the state. For me, it's about finding a pond/lake with limited viable spawning grounds/fry rearing cover.
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I could use some more info on what this looks like, if you don’t mind. From what I can surmise, they have awfully broad suitable spawning conditions.
Pink Nighty said:
If they got over 3lbs I dont think I'd fish for anything else. When they get big they fight like hell, way above their weight class.
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No doubt!
 
Matt B said:
I could use some more info on what this looks like, if you don’t mind. From what I can surmise, they have awfully broad suitable spawning conditions.

No doubt!
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For lack of spawning grounds, gills need 1-6ft of depth depending on clarity, with a relatively firm, flat bottom. Finding lakes or ponds with steep banks limits the amount of spawning beds that can be made. When that resource is scarce, bluegill respond by having only the biggest males make beds, which keeps the smaller males in that wonderful growth rate of sexually immature fish. Once a fish begins spawning its growth rate plummets. Time on the bed is not time on the feedbag.

The other one is harder to find around here. Water that has a suitable nutrient load for high plankton/bug production but lacks the plants that associate with that. Lily pads, grasses, cattails etc.. all give sanctuary to baby fish. I've found that when a lake is lacking in plants, the fish are fewer but much bigger. Think golf courses, farm ponds and other man made water bodies. Deep quick, often netted along the bottom to prevent plant growth. Those are gold mines.
 
Northern said:
Tons of these guys in Lk Sammamish that could use removing!
(Rock bass, if you're not familiar with spiny rays)
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I have had fun on Lake Sammamish a few times. I haven’t tried it in Spring. I also feel like for such a huge, amazing lake, Lake Sammamish could have better access for us fly flingers who like to fish from smaller, human propelled craft, with more limited range. And watch out for the occasional yayhoo motorboat wake on anything approaching a nice day. I’ve also had my best success with a full sink or sink tip line line on Lake Sammamish. Have you had floating line and/or top water success? One interesting thing about fishing that lake is I have caught something like 6 or 7 species on a single outing, if you’re lucky one will be a native species.
 
Matt B said:
I have had fun on Lake Sammamish a few times. I haven’t tried it in Spring. I also feel like for such a huge, amazing lake, Lake Sammamish could have better access for us fly flingers who like to fish from smaller, human propelled craft, with more limited range. And watch out for the occasional yayhoo motorboat wake on anything approaching a nice day. I’ve also had my best success with a full sink or sink tip line line on Lake Sammamish. Have you had floating line and/or top water success? One interesting thing about fishing that lake is I have caught something like 6 or 7 species on a single outing, if you’re lucky one will be a native species.
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I've often had that thought as well, regarding access! Couple places on the north end to get in if you have a hand-carryable watercraft.
I haven't fished there this early before, but fry are outmigrating into the lake right now, so I imagine you could find some feeding predators. The kokanee will thank you for harassing their tormentors!
My best luck the couple times I got a yak out there has been subsurface also, but I was fishing docks rather than weed beds, so I didn't put in much topwater effort. It was also June, and chilly.
 
I am sure looking forward to warm weather fishing this summer…
 
Out of all panfish, I like sight fishing to big crappie the most. They like to hang out around bridge pilings, and can be spotted with good polarized lenses. Stripping a small minnow pattern past their faces illicits immediate response. You can usually only pick off two or three before the rest catch on, though.
 
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