Authors Terry and Roxanne Wilson evidence an almost evangelistic enthusiasm in this book as they tout the superior experience of pursuing wild and wily bluegills with a fly.

This includes prescribing fly fishing for bream (in the South pronounced "brim") as corrective action for a wayward high school student (one of the authors is a public school teacher). After the session, the otherwise utterly uninvolved teenager exclaimed, "I jus' luv them bee-you-tee-ful vi-ber-ray-shuns".

Presumably what he was referring to was the sensation of a bluegill tugging at the other end of light weight tackle.

Anyway this is a gem of a book - well written, fact packed, and utterly fun to read.

Here are some snippets to whet your appetite (whether you're a fisherperson or not):

* Whether walking the banks of a small farm pond armed with rod, reel, and a box of flies, or prospecting a major reservoir with a high powered bluegill boat, electronic locator, temperature gauge, bag full of rods and reels, and stacks of fly boxes and accessories, you are embarking on a grand adventure of discovery...

* Fly fishers inevitably acquire a considerable arsenal of flies and a wide assortment of accessory items, each of which acquires indispensable status... This requires an equipment carrier. A fly-fisher's vest soon becomes his most personalized piece of equipment. Only the owner knows which little pocket contains the needed item.

* Why game fish will suddenly abandon one predictable feeding pattern, even when the food form appears to be abundant, then select something else remains a mystery. It's just one of these delicious little puzzles that makes our sport so fascinating.

* During this season (dog days of summer), even veteran anglers can find large bluegill fishing a humbling experience.

* No aquatic inhabitant is accustomed to seeing a brightly colored T-shirt bouncing along its shore. Similarly, highly reflective watches and sunglasses also send a signal of caution into the bluegill's lair.

* The only negative aspect of float tubing involves that scourge of the pond - mud. Even floatable flippers can become hopelessly stuck in gooey mud. Velcro straps, designed to prevent losing a detached flipper, are no guarantee that the owner won't be left wallowing around like a one-legged hippopotamus.

* These experiences dictate that we remain open minded, experiment frequently, and above all let the bluegills tell us what action they prefer.

So relax, enjoy, and always, always listen to the bluegills.

Authors Terry and Roxanne Wilson evidence an almost evangelistic enthusiasm in this book as they tout the superior experience of pursuing wild and wily bluegills with a fly.

This includes prescribing fly fishing for bream (in the South pronounced "brim") as corrective action for a wayward high school student (one of the authors is a public school teacher). After the session, the otherwise utterly uninvolved teenager exclaimed, "I jus' luv them bee-you-tee-ful vi-ber-ray-shuns".

Presumably what he was referring to was the sensation of a bluegill tugging at the other end of light weight tackle.

Anyway this is a gem of a book - well written, fact packed, and utterly fun to read.

Here are some snippets to whet your appetite (whether you're a fisherperson or not):

* Whether walking the banks of a small farm pond armed with rod, reel, and a box of flies, or prospecting a major reservoir with a high powered bluegill boat, electronic locator, temperature gauge, bag full of rods and reels, and stacks of fly boxes and accessories, you are embarking on a grand adventure of discovery...

* Fly fishers inevitably acquire a considerable arsenal of flies and a wide assortment of accessory items, each of which acquires indispensable status... This requires an equipment carrier. A fly-fisher's vest soon becomes his most personalized piece of equipment. Only the owner knows which little pocket contains the needed item.

* Why game fish will suddenly abandon one predictable feeding pattern, even when the food form appears to be abundant, then select something else remains a mystery. It's just one of these delicious little puzzles that makes our sport so fascinating.

* During this season (dog days of summer), even veteran anglers can find large bluegill fishing a humbling experience.

* No aquatic inhabitant is accustomed to seeing a brightly colored T-shirt bouncing along its shore. Similarly, highly reflective watches and sunglasses also send a signal of caution into the bluegill's lair.

* The only negative aspect of float tubing involves that scourge of the pond - mud. Even floatable flippers can become hopelessly stuck in gooey mud. Velcro straps, designed to prevent losing a detached flipper, are no guarantee that the owner won't be left wallowing around like a one-legged hippopotamus.

* These experiences dictate that we remain open minded, experiment frequently, and above all let the bluegills tell us what action they prefer.

So relax, enjoy, and always, always listen to the bluegills.

The focus of the book is also where the large bluegills live. Weather and season wise is also taken into account. I have caught nice fish on flys and on string and safety pins as a kid. I want a trophy and dinner. Yes, I will let the trophy go after the photos. Buy it...

Decided to take up bluegill fishing as it is available in some nice places close to home. Thought flyfishing for them would be fun as I did that for trout over the years.



Searched for some sort of guide because I was the only fisherman in the US that never actually fished for or caught a bluegill.



This book on Amazon certainly had the right title, so I bought and read it, ebayed some suggested flies, went out to a beautiful reservoir, caught a bunch of bluegill and ate them.



This is an informal and informative little book with beautiful illustrations and mostly decent photos. It does focus mostly on the south and lower midwest. The north and west are, I think, a little different, but still the advice is good and the author's passion undeniable.

Decided to take up bluegill fishing as it is available in some nice places close to home. Thought flyfishing for them would be fun as I did that for trout over the years.

Searched for some sort of guide because I was the only fisherman in the US that never actually fished for or caught a bluegill.

This book on Amazon certainly had the right title, so I bought and read it, ebayed some suggested flies, went out to a beautiful reservoir, caught a bunch of bluegill and ate them.

This is an informal and informative little book with beautiful illustrations and mostly decent photos. It does focus mostly on the south and lower midwest. The north and west are, I think, a little different, but still the advice is good and the author's passion undeniable.

This work is an absolute joy to read and putter through. The writing is concise and is quite appropriate and helpful to the long time chaser of Bluegills as well as those just getting started. I have been after this particular species for well over fifty years now, and I learned quite a lot reading this even after all that time. The illustrations and photography are wonderful and add much to the narration. There are not many aspects of this sport not addressed in this work. I highly recommend you add this one to your collection.