flys for sunfish?

[Big Julie]

Anyone know any good fly patterns for early sunnies?

[DEADhead]

small poppers, ant patterns, nymphs, wooly buggers size 10, in fact just about any small fly will work. Sunnies can be voracious eaters, and it doesn't seem that they become selective too often. I often use a high vis surface fly so I can see it easier when I cast.

[SportFishin']

I have been using any pattern of the dry flies in the Elk Hair Caddis, Duns, & Olives. Plus poppers work great also.

Chris

[fishface]

Lately they've been going on wooly buggers. Size #8. I tied some with pink or chrt. heads and tan or black bodies. The bigger size helps elimenate the pirrana runts. People don't like too release panfish but, this time of year especialy you can really put a seriouse dent in the big sunny population (>9") so C&R needs to be used. Sunnies that size really give you a tug on a 3 wt. rod!

[turiprap]

Good point about conservation. Sunfish populations can be vulnerable, just like any game fish.

I've always liked small hard bodied poppers, sponge spiders and small wet flies like McGintys or bees for sunnies. The mention of the larger woolly bugger reminds me that Terry and Roxanne Wilson recommend that technique in their nice little book on fly fishing for panfish, Bluegill Fly Fishing and Flies. Have fun; sunfish are great sport on a fly rod.

[Big Julie]

Thanks for the advice folks. I saw a guy last year catching more and bgger sunnies than everyone else around, but couldn't see what he was using.

Will try some patterns mentioned.

[so haaad]

I recommend using nymphs using a small twitch-pause retreive. Non-weighted nymphs with a little color or flash work pretty well in shaller water.

[Questor]

For early sunfish, I like a #12 bead-head wooly bugger on a long leader. Maybe a little mold on sinker on the leader to help it sink. Until the weeds grow near the surface, however, I prefer spinning tackle. It's more fun than fishing with deep sinking flies.

[deeky]

I have had two - beadhead black bugger with a little rootbeer krystal flash, and a black over chartreuse clouser in a small size 8 or 10. I have also been doing well lately with a beadhead hare's ear nymph. Doesn't do so well at weeding out the dinks, but something a little smaller when the water is cold and fish are down.

[ironman]

wooly buggers are my fave if not going surface, I was using a white with some flash hoping for crappies, knowing that sunnies will hit just about everything and anything...and I was right...at least with the sunnies. You really can get some dandies this time of year. Also caught a dogfish this year on it...now that was a fight on a 5wt. When going surface I also like the foam bugs...they last alot longer than any dry fly and you dont have to use floatant. Food for thought.

[Muddog]

Hang a nymph under a yellow spider or popper.

[DEADhead]

what's fun is when you catch a 3" dink sunnie and a pike inhales the fish. what a fight on a light rod!

[Muddog]

Yea!!! Or when you wade out waist deep, reach for the sunnie on the end of the line right when a Northern takes a wack at it . That get the heart going!