Off The Beaten Path

Posted on August 2, 2010 by bob in OffTheBeatenPath

Anyone doubting that the dogs days of summer are upon us need look no further than the nearest outdoor thermometer.  Unfortunately, our usual outdoor chores must continue even during periods of extreme heat.

In order to beat the heat, we cut the grass, trim the hedges and water the plants either very early or very late in the day.  When the mercury climbs high, fish follow the same “early and late” pattern for most of their feeding activity, making these hours prime fishing time.

One of my favorite ways to catch bream is on a fly rod.  Little else in the fishing world is more exciting than having a fish nail a top water fly and then wrestling it in on light tackle. Some folks get turned off to fly fishing because they think it’s gear-intensive and hard to learn how to do properly.  Neither of these are true, especially regarding fly fishing for bream, where unlike trout, sometimes the harder a fly hits the water the faster a bream will grab it.

Gear-wise, fly fishing for bream is incredibly simple.  Any four-or five-weight fly rod and reel spooled with matching (weight-wise) floating fly line will do.  I prefer weight-forward line, and once I add a six pound tapered leader I’m almost ready to catch fish.  As long as they are in a feeding mood, bream will often devour most any fly, so your arsenal of bream flies doesn’t need to be diverse.  Several floating poppers, floating foam spiders and sinking “Bream Killer” or “Woolly Worm” flies will suffice.

Now that you’ve assembled your gear, where do you go to catch bream on the fly? Most anywhere, really, as bream are one of the most prolific and widespread fish around. Every farm, suburb and golf course pond you pass likely has bream in it, if nothing else. If you have access to one of these and the proper fishing license and/or permits, you have everything you
need to hone your fly fishing skills on one of the most abundant and fun-to-catch fish in southern waters.

Regardless of whether you’re practicing catch-and-release or taking fish home for supper (I do both, depending on where I’m fishing), fly fishing is therapeutic.  For most of us fishing isn’t a necessity and so therefore qualifies as recreation.  But fly fishing in particular, beginning with the back cast, moving ahead with the forward cast and watching your line and leader unroll in slow motion and place the fly right where you planned, is indeed an art form.  It takes practice to do really well, but it’s also fun to learn. Fortunately, you don’t have to cast like the fishermen in “A River Runs Through It” to catch bream on the fly.

You can get the basic fly fishing gear at most big box retailers as well as many local bait and tackle shops.  The Bass Pro Shop has such an extensive collection of rods, reels, flies, vests and other fly gear that you could be occupied there for hours just looking over everything.  In addition, the gentleman who runs the fly fishing department really knows his stuff and will be incredibly helpful in answering questions and assisting you in selecting any gear you may need.

If you fly fish long enough, you’ll eventually begin tying your own flies.  Again, the Bass Pro Shop’s fly fishing department has an abundance of fly tying materials for both the amateur and accomplished fly tyer.  Creating an imitation with your own hands of some bug, caterpillar, minnow or other fish food source found in nature, to the point where you can catch fish with it, is to me the pinnacle of fly fishing success.

So get up early or head out late, beat the heat and give bream on the fly a try in a nearby pond.  The bream won’t be the only thing to get hooked.

Niko Corley is an avid sportsman,
spending his free time hunting, fishing and enjoying
other outdoor activities. In this column, he covers a range of
outdoor recreation activities in central Alabama and beyond.