FLY FISHING REPORT 2019-07-03
Week 07/03/2019
Conditions: Good
Surface Temp: 84f
Clarity: Slightly Tannic 16 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
Jeff Skipper's first brown on a river in Montana.
Tips:
Bright days will congregate fish into shadows. Docks create shade, but so do tree lines. A good angler will follow the shadows across the lake-East side at sunrise, West side at sunset. Topwater for Bluegill in the morning. The fish are shallow early in the day. As the day progresses they head to deeper and cooler water. Big Bass are pursuing frogs. They are pushing shallow where the frogs are laying their eggs. Umpqua Diving Frogs, Dahlberg Divers, Stewarts Hula Frog, and Raineys Georgia Bullfrawgs can produce a personal best. Get out your 8wt to cast these big flies. Presentation is opposite of tradition. Frog patterns should definitely plop when they hit the water, just like a frog. A successful plop will get the bass to look up. Heavy leaders are needed in the heavy cover-where this style of fly fishing is most effective.
Trevor Brown on some top water bass. Great release pic Trevor!
Techniques:
When the sun is high, bream and bass will move deeper. Small streamers along weedlines and docks will produce fish. Small wooly bugger and bigger clousers will get the flies near the bottom. Next technique is a floater/dropper tandem rig for panfish. Using foam body poppers or hoppers, attach a dropper underneath-using pheasant tails, hare's ear or a prince nymph-these should hang 3 or 4 feet off the floater. Dragonflies are year round in Florida. Throw blue poppers and/or wooly buggers (dragonfly nymph) to match the hatch. Because the Dragons are year round, every size is appropriate. Proving the irony of fishing-we have two contrasting popper techniques that are recommended. One customer insists on popping vigorously and then waiting till the rings dissipate, then pop again... Another insists that gentle, quick and continuous tugs are what is generating strikes. The diving style flies are working well-using a long quick strip to make them dive, and waiting till the fly resurfaces. Seems to be irresistible to larger bass with a personal best reported. Dahlberg divers have been in the mouth of several photos over the last two weeks.
Tiger Godwin on the Nantahala-hooked another rainbow.
Forecast :
We anticipate bluegills to be shallow or near shallow water. The topwater bite will continue in the morning. Frogging for bass should continue to be good. Also, small black minnow patterns will be good. End of the week shows a return of rain for the next seven days. Winds will be moderate except near pop up storms. Expect lake levels and river levels to rise through the week. At the time of this report: the Peace River is average level, Econ is average level, Myakka River is at seasonal average, Hillsborough is at seasonal average and the Withlacoochee spillway is flowing heavy when it should be near 0. Kissimmee River gauge below the Hwy 60 dam is currently not reporting.
First time spinning deer hair, last Tuesday!
LEARN TO TIE YOUR OWN FLIES AT OUR CLUB MEETINGS! NEXT MEETING IS JULY 16th.
Special Event, Fly Tying at Beer Rev, Tuesday 7/30/19 6-7:30 [It is Taco Tuesday-Grab some food and brews from our hosts at Beer Rev.]
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.
LEARN TO TIE YOUR OWN FLIES AT OUR CLUB MEETINGS! NEXT MEETING IS JULY 16th. 
Allen Wyatt
Author