# Still water



## waltny (Sep 8, 2007)

Im going to try my luck on the still water tomorrow and Im curious on how different my attack should be from fly fishing the moving water. How different should the fly selection be along with presentation? I think bluegill and crappie will be what I will be tageting and maybe some stockie bows along for the ride.


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## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

Are you fishing from shore? Personally, I think flyfishing still water from shore sucks compared to float tubing. For panfish you probably want little little wet flies and strip your line in slowly.

I would try some nymphs (damsels, prince nymphs).


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## waltny (Sep 8, 2007)

I was going to float tube and was thinking on small PA and zebra midges.

Thanks for the info


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## Wild One (Nov 3, 2007)

Living in Panfish/Flatland central you can do pretty well for these warm-water species from shore or in a tube, with a variety of flies.

The thought process that a larger fly=a larger fish doesn't necessarily hold true with salmonids, but when you're talking warm water species this is definitely the case. If you throw midges and chironomids you'll likely land a billion 6-8 inch bluegill. If you throw something a little bigger, those little beggers will leave your fly alone long enough to entice something that packs a punch. Lil buggers are pretty killer for crappie (at least out here) http://www.madriveroutfitters.com/pc-21 ... ugger.aspx especially in chartreuse.

I've found that a long, slow strip works wonders when fishing for crappie. Sometimes, I'll fish a lil bugger (or a regualr wooly bugger) as the lead fly in a 2 fly rig and a nymph (no smaller than a 14) as the dropper and most hits will come on the drop (I only use floating line this time of year as they're up in the shallows warming up). If nothing hits after a 10 second drop, I'll make quick hand-retrieves of no more than 3 inches. This makes the nymph swim with a little motion and gives the marabou awesome action too.

Sorry to post something so long, but I don't often get the chance to add to the discussion here since I moved from UT. Hope this helps a little bit.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

+1 on Wild One's post Waltny.

You will want to give your fly action on still water. Experiment with different retrieve types until you find what works. Short/quick, long/slow, long/fast, or short/slow are common styles. By "short" I mean about 3 inches and by "long" I mean about 2 feet.

This time of year I mostly use a #2 sink line, but floating works fine if the water is shallow enough or if you are using a slow retrieve and a bead head or weighted pattern.

A good approach can be a 2 flies under an indicator with a floating line also. You'll still give the flies action but will generally use very slow and twitchy retrieve types.


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