Racing the Storm

Green Sunfish

A late winter storm was blasting across the country, and I was racing to be on the water before the cold front arrived.

There is excellent fishing before a storm, however the timing of this trip was going to cut it close…maybe too close.

I was carrying three rods each rigged with a different fly. This helps me quickly figure out what the fish want without burning time switching flies.

It was two in the afternoon when my first cast arched over the water and landed in a pocket next to the opposite shore.

I remember thinking “This will probably be a waste of time because the best fly fishing is usually in morning and evening, not in the middle of the day.”

To my surprise a large Green Sunfish hammered the fly. This was followed by a Bluegill, then a Bass… then more of all three.

As soon as the fly hit the water, the fish would inhale it.

Bluegill

Largemouth Bass

To see if the fly was the key, I switched to the other rods.

The Octo Gold-Ey Olive fly was clearly best, but all the flies were working well. This confirmed the strong bite was driven by both the pre-front timing as well as the fly.

The action held up for four hours then started to slack off later in the day. But why was this happening? Evening is usually an excellent time to fish with a fly, and the storm would not arrive until late that night. On this trip, however, the best fishing was in early afternoon.

I was able to catch a final trio of Bass, Bluegill and Green Sunfish at the front of the pool, before the fishing completely shut down at about six in the evening.

Green Sunfish

Bluegill

Largemouth Bass

This change confirmed what I had begun to suspect; the best pre storm fly fishing is one-two days before a front arrives.

If I had started early in the morning, the fly fishing may have been exceptional all day.

This trip was a success due to:

·       Pre-storm timing

·       Carrying three pre-rigged rods

·       Exceptional fishing flies

Moving your arrival time up is also a good lesson to remember. I will certainly not forget.

The Octo Gold-Ey Olive pattern was the best fly on this trip and caught twenty one fish.

This is an exceptional streamer fly which has landed hundreds of Largemouth Bass, Bluegill and Green Sunfish. The largest Bass was six pounds (see the Trophy Gallery).

You can purchase this fly individually and it is also included in the Octo / Minnow Spin-Cast Fly Fishing Kits.

Order yours today and up your game!

Glenn Personey

Founder and CEO

Bear River Tackle