Dry Fly Vs. Wet Fly for Bluegill

Bluegill put up a good fight. Catching bluegill on a fly rod makes landing them even more exciting. A wide variety of flies attract bluegill, so anyone who fly fishes has all they need to catch them. If you'd like to catch bluegill with a fly rod, you can use wet or dry flies.

  1. Wind

    • Weather conditions play a role when choosing a wet or dry fly. Bluegill often congregate in calm waters where the motion of flies, or lack of motion, determines whether the fish will strike. In windy conditions, landing a dry fly in a manner that looks natural can be difficult. The fly may streak across the water and spook the fish. Wet flies only need to appear natural beneath the water's surface. Wind has less effect than water current, so a wet fly may be the best choice on a windy day. A streamer that mimics minnows or nymphs are good choices.

    Feeding

    • Fish rarely take flies that look nothing like what they are currently eating. Watch the water and see if the bluegill are taking flies from the surface of the water. If they are feeding from the surface, tie on a dry fly that mimics the size and appearance of the most abundant insect. When no bluegill are feeding from the surface, try a wet fly. If one fly attracts no fish, try another. Choosing the right wet fly is sometimes more difficult because it's hard to see what the fish eat beneath the surface.

    Fly Line

    • The choice of dry or wet fly for bluegill fishing depends on your equipment. If your reel has sinking line, a dry fly will not work unless you change line. Sinking lines carry flies below the water's surface due to the weight within the line tip. The hollow core of floating fly line keep the line on top of the water. Using dry flies is no problem with these lines, but wet flies work as well. The leader and tippet of floating lines allow wet flies to sink to sufficient depths to catch bluegill. When fishing with wet flies, apply a bead of strike putty to the leader. The putty works like a bobber and shows when fish take the fly.

    Personal Choice

    • Some people who fly fish prefer one type of fly over another. If you are a disciple of dry or wet fly fishing, you may not want to change. To some, nothing beats the excitement of seeing a bluegill take a fly from the water's surface. Others prefer the wet fly because wind has less effect on it and line can be stripped in to simulate bait fish swimming. In truth, if catching fish is your goal, a combination of wet and dry flies increases your chances of landing bluegill.