Re-No Direction: Bluegills, bluegills, bluegills!!!!!

For the past three years my daughter Kayla and I have planned to take a trip to Redding, California to do some fishing. Life being life we have never actually made it happen. I decided that this year we would do it no matter what. I just got my new truck, so what better time?

The plan was to float one of the many creeks that drain into the Sacramento river, and fish for smallies and pikeminnows. The weather took a turn for the worse so we decided to scratch that idea. We ended up fishing my back up plan...a small creek that is more like a long skinny pond thanks to a strategically placed beaver dam.

This was my daughter's first time fly fishing so we arrived early, had a quick casting lesson, launched the kayaks, and got after it. The first area to fish is actually the overflow from the beaver dam. It has some running water that leads into a nice little hole. We started with a small leech pattern, but noticed some fish rising to what looked like mosquitoes. I switched to a small ant pattern, and Kayla switched to a mini hopper. I hooked a few pikeminows and a bluegill right away. It took Kayla a little while longer, but she finally got her first fish on a fly, a small pikeminnow. We headed up the creek in search of bluegills, and it didn't take long. Any break in the weeds pretty much held a nice school of 'gills that couldn't resist a hoppery/poppery type of pattern. We consistently caught them on mini-hoppers, moodah poodahs, and even a size six frog pattern.

I was able to catch five species that day, pikeminnow, bluegill, bass, a crappie on top, and a new species for me, a redear sunfish! I didn't even know they were in this body of water, and I've been fishing here since I was a kid! Kayla ended the day landing eight fish, and three species. Pikeminnow, bluegill, and a redear. She also hooked and lost a pretty nice bass. Not bad for her first time out.

It was a great trip with my daughter that I will never forget. We talked about everything, and even managed to catch a few fish. I can't wait to do it again.

Go ahead and leave a comment of the sound a bluegill makes when taking a dry.