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Fish ignore fly ??

1K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  MCorder 
#1 ·
While fishing for pan fish, the first few casts the fish kill my fly. I wash it off after each fish is caught, by swishing it in the water. After it's washed and dried I watch the fish come to the fly, and I noticed they dont want nothing to do with it anymore :confused: They come up to it and smell it, check it out , even maybe take a nibble but then abandone it. I always heard that fish can smell real good and I thought this was a myth, but now I'm beggining to think different.
 
#3 ·
When i was on a trip in idaho i noticed that the guide was switching flies very often. I would get like two or three hits on a fly and then he would change it. I asked him why he did this and he said that the fish get used to the pattern and learn to ignore it once they've hit it. I could be way off on that but it sounds logical to me. Hope that helps
 
#4 ·
Netwolf232 said:
When i was on a trip in idaho i noticed that the guide was switching flies very often. I would get like two or three hits on a fly and then he would change it. I asked him why he did this and he said that the fish get used to the pattern and learn to ignore it once they've hit it. I could be way off on that but it sounds logical to me. Hope that helps

Well said Netwolf232 ! I am very new to this sport, and I dont know, but this is the first thing that I have noticied while fly fishing. Unless the fish are real hungry after two or three hits, it's all over. I can see the bluegill and bass and I watch them go after the fly. They race for it,..get right up on it and then zoom off. Funny thing though, you could fish with a nightcrawler and they never get tired of it.
 
#6 ·
Try different retrieves. Unlike trout, panfish seem to hit mostly out of courosity. If one cast dosn't yield any fish, try striping faster, slower, popping, sitting, holding your toung out the right side of your mouth, then your left...you get the picture.
Good Luck!
 
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