Jun 16, 2024 By Ben Moyer 5 min read

While participation in some outdoor activities has dropped in recent years, fly-fishing has enjoyed booming popularity. At gatherings or parties, if the topic of fishing comes up in conversation, invariably someone will share their desire to learn to fly-fish.

Some fly-fishing observers believe this yen is rooted in the movie released several years ago starring Brad Pitt — A River Runs Through It. I don’t know if Pitt did his own casting (as in casting a fly, not picking the actors to star in the film) but either he or his double cast a fly with grace and fluidity, which, incidentally, is not always necessary in successful fly-fishing. But it looks nice on film.

Fewer people may know that the movie was based on a short novel by the same name, written by Norman Maclean and published in 1976. The book’s lean prose is as graceful and fluid as the main character’s casting on screen.

Most people associate fly-fishing with trout, which is understandable. Trout were Brad Pitt’s quarry on Montana streams in the film, and most fly-fishing worldwide is done to catch trout or their close relatives, salmon. Even in our local area, sections of some trout streams, notably Dunbar Creek, are designated “Fly Fishing Only.” Such designations don’t exclude anglers, only particular types of tackle.

Most fly-fishing for trout happens on flowing water — streams, creeks, brooks, runs, and rivers. Fishing in flowing water introduces a set of conditions and variables that can be tough for beginners to master. The current flows at different rates across different parts of the stream, creating “drag” on the line — a deal-killer for trout. Wading to get to the best spot can be tricky or treacherous. And, especially on smaller streams, overhanging limbs and streambank vegetation seem placed there just to snag a fly-angler’s back-cast. If you learn to fly-fish on flowing water, you’re learning to cope with conditions before you learn to catch a fish. Really, though, that’s all just part of the same game.

There’s another option for anyone seriously interested in learning to fly-fish. It’s a way to have fun while you “ease in” to the technical challenges of presenting a fly no bigger than a robust mosquito to trout in a mountain stream.

That option is to start out fly-fishing for less prestigious (than trout) sunfish. The favored home of most sunfish is the still water of ponds and lakes. There’s no current to contend with, wading isn’t necessary, and many ponds and lakes offer at least some open shoreline where you won’t snag your cast in a thorny shrub.

Some biology fits here. Freshwater sunfish are a huge family of fishes, some of which are familiar to occasional anglers, or even to people who don’t fish at all. Our most common members of the sunfish family around here are the common bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, and crappies. Even some experienced anglers are surprised to learn that both largemouth and smallmouth bass are, technically, sunfish. But these bass grow so much larger than typical sunfish that they’re generally considered as a separate class of game fish.

This is the best time of year to target bluegills, or other sunfish, with fly tackle, even as a beginner. Bluegills are in shallow water now, near the bank, spawning or preparing to spawn. They attack any “buggy” looking fly or lure with abandon, and they put up a lively fight on light fly tackle.

Use any fly rod designed for trout. If you’re buying or borrowing, 3-weight rods are ideal. Ask a friend or relative who has fly-fished to help you, then visit one of our local public lakes where bluegills and other sunfish are abundant. Dunlap Lake and Virgin Run Lake are great destinations.

If you are successful in luring along that helping friend, he or she will advise you that the ultra-light leaders used to fool trout aren’t necessary. A more moderate 3X or 4X leader will do. To the end of that leader, tie any fly that looks like an insect. Something about the size of a big housefly is about right. But your fly will be more effective and fun to use if it floats. Fly-fishers call this a “dry fly.” Your justified hope is that the fish will see the fly, rise up under it, then gulp.

Cast that dry fly out into shallow water near the bank, especially if you can see bluegills cruising or guarding their spawning beds. Generally, a few seconds after the fly hits the water, you’ll see a swirl and feel a tug on the line. You can repeat this for hours, catching bluegill after bluegill.

These fish are also great eating. Catch and release of trout is a powerful ethic among fly-fishers, but no such constraints exist with sunfish. Filleted, then breaded in cornmeal and fried golden-brown, they’re the perfect meal to celebrate a new skill.

If you’ve wanted to learn to fly-fish, start out with bluegills or other sunfish. It’s “entry-level” fishing that’s fun for its own sake.

Ben Moyer is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America.