Best trout flies for panfish/bass?

**Flycaster** · 02-28-2016, 08:01 AM

Just wanting to know which trout flies you have used for panfish or bass and had pretty good luck with.I know the wooly bugger is a great one and also have been told the prince nymph is good for panfish.Thanks.

**mattv-mcfly** · 02-28-2016, 11:21 AM

I like to use foam beetles and ants for panfish for all day dry fly action. Poppers both small and medium sized are my favorite for bigger bluegills and bass. For subsurface, bluegills will eat just about anything they can fit in their mouths and bunny leeches are my go to for bass.

**Darian** · 02-28-2016, 11:04 PM

have I used for Bluegill??? McGinty, Black Ant, Brown/Grey Hackle Peacock, Spiders, etc. As has been said, anything buggy looking will take sunnies; maybe some bass.

**corky569** · 02-29-2016, 04:45 PM

I agree with all of the above. I'll add soft hackles are killer for bluegill, and I'm loving simi seal buggers for bass.

**Flycaster** · 02-29-2016, 08:10 PM

Thanks everyone for the replys.I have tied a few foam bugs and foam spiders.I will try tying a few of the others you recommended.I will try the ants also.I am not sure if i would be able to cast some of the larger bass flies.I am using a slow action 5wt rod with 5wf line.I may need something with more back bone.I may be able to cast the small poppers though.I may try making a few of these also.Thanks.

**corky569** · 02-29-2016, 08:47 PM

For foam I really like the Arizona Wanderings mini hoppers. Nice little bugs, easy to tie.

http://azwanderings.com/mini-hopper-tutorial/

**mattv-mcfly** · 03-05-2016, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by corky569

For foam I really like the Arizona Wanderings mini hoppers. Nice little bugs, easy to tie.

http://azwanderings.com/mini-hopper-tutorial/

Dude. I'm going to tie up some of those right now. Nice find!

**Darian** · 03-05-2016, 10:15 PM

One of the prior threads in the Fly Tying Forum was about cheap tying materials and yarn was suggested. Yarn has many uses in tying flies. One of the best is in tying furled bodies for all kinds of bugs. An example of this is in a video by Ken Hanley titled, "Tying with Ken Hanley: the Furled Dragonfly". If you Google this title, you'll find the video instructing how to tie this pattern. It's relatively easy and cheap. Ken has other patterns using the same technique for tying hoppers, etc. Using some imagination, you should be able to create patterns for Bass/Sunnies back there.