FLY FISHING REPORT 2019-05-13
Conditions: Excellent
Surface Temp: 79f
Clarity: Slightly Tannic 18-24-inches
Let us know what you are catching-or not catching-Send your pics of fish, beautiful places, or some of the flies that you have tied. We love to post them on our fishing report! Send to allen@andythornal.com
Fly Tying in Winter Haven Central Park at the Seven Rivers Festival.
Special thanks to Phil Pope, Jim Bishop, and Brian Miller!
Tips:
Topwater in the morning! The fish are shallow, early in the day. As the day progresses they head to deeper and cooler water. Sinking lines are very important as the bass continue to feed on baitfish in deeper water. Clousers can cover a lot of water in this situation. White, Chartreuse, Blue & Chartreuse are best bets. Game Changer flies fished on a sinking line will put you in the same deep part of the water column as a conventional crank bait, but you can work the fly much slower, even suspended. Take advantage of this unique opportunity. First reports of hexagenia Mayflies were this week. If you are blessed with Mayflies on your lake, you will know it. Yellow-Belly Hippy-Stompers, Yellow Stimulators, and several Hexagenia flies will work when the hatch is on. ---Had our first report, ever, of catching fish on a LoveBug pattern. See Trevor Brown's catch below.
On a LoveBug Fly---Trevor Brown caught so many fish, he lost track of the count!
Justin Kersey with a Boca Grande snook.
Dock fishing under the lights is great sport this time of year!
The bluegill bite is still going strong with topwater flies working early in the day. Blue Sprogs and white spiders are good. Small streamers like the Myakka Minnow and the Sloppy Jose have done a great job of picking up fish during the warmer parts of the day. These flies should be fished parallel to the shoreline with a steady retrieve near the weedlines. Just outside of Lily pads is a favorite spot for tilatipia right now, and they will readily take a small streamer this time of year. Adding a small split shot will help these streamers sink more quickly and stay deep during the retrieve. Topwater poppers fished near docks and cattails have produced some explosive bites. With electric blue and olive being the top color choices. Have you seen all of the dragonflies? It is a good indicator to throw blue poppers. Hexagenia mayflies are hatching in our lakes. This is a great time of year to throw some big bushy dry flies like a stimulator pattern to match the hatch. This is a great opportunity to fish with a dropper, as stimulators are the ticket to fish a weighted nymph, underneath. Try using grass shrimp and scuds for the dropper. One customer have had a 50 fish limit using olive scuds. Keep your flies a little deeper than usual and focus on submerged grass lines when throwing streamers. Also try to cast the streamers parallel to the shoreline. Bluegill coloration flies have still been the ticket for the bass. Try using a faster retrieve rate this allows you to cover more water. They have started schooling up pretty regularly on the windblown side of the lake.
Billy Williams was into the bass with a Clouser after work.
Forecast
Expect bluegills to be shallow. The topwater bite will continue. Take advantage of the calmer days and throw more topwater flies. Moon phase is first quarter waxing on May 11th. Lake Levels have risen from recent hard rain. The Peace River is at average yearly levels. The Econ is suddenly far above average after being at a trickle. Myakka River is slightly below average. The Hillsborough and Withlacoochee Rivers are significantly above average levels. Kissimmee River gauge below the Hwy 60 dam is currently not reporting. Summer pattern afternoon rain becomes likely in Central Florida, and winds will pick up in the afternoon for the next week. Take cover when storms pop up as they can be very intense.
Learn to tie your own flies at our club meetings! Next meeting is May 20th! Check out the new Big Screen Showing the fly tying action!
Learn to tie your own flies at our club meetings! Next meeting is May 20th! Check out the new Big Screen Showing the fly tying action!
Fly Tying is regularly at Andy Thornal Company on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, 6pm-7:30pm. We usually tie two patterns including Bass, Saltwater, and small flies, too! This club atmosphere is friendly for beginners and experts, ages 10-70. Bring your tying tools or borrow some of ours. The class is free, but we ask that everyone make a $10 purchase to offset costs. Next club meeting is May 7th.
Allen Wyatt
Author