Working as a manatee tour guide has its perks. Aside from the obvious fact that I work on the water all day; I get off work with enough time to chase some fins before dark. The waters surrounding the Crystal River area can be very productive all year round.
My favorite thing about this area is that you never know what you will catch. Many of the backwater creeks that surround this part of the state have a few fresh water sources that eventually make contact with marshy salt water inlets. These hold a mixed bag of salt and feshwater fish species.
This week I was blessed with the oportunity to land a healthy mix of fresh and saltwater species. Catching a total of 4 snook, 2 bass, and 4 really healthy looking bluegill on my 3wt. Don’t get me wrong, I love catching big fish on the fly; but there is still something awesome about chasing big bluegill.
This day I was able to target these big blues as they were working on setting up for the spawn. We have had about 3 weeks of above average temperatures and these fish are getting ready to start bedding up. This makes them easy targets around the shorelines and flats.
Chasing fish in the backwaters isn’t always an easy task. However, when you find the fish it is hard to keep them off the hook. Get out there and start combing the backwaters in your town. You never know what you are going to find!
Remember, Keep your hearts right and your lines tight!
Peace!
Backwater Fly Fishing / Jesse Males 
I think a lot of anglers take Bluegill for granted, at least up here in Ohio. For most of us, it is the first fish we encountered, plentiful, and often the easiest fish to catch in small ponds and lakes. When you actually take the time to look at one, the colors and variations can be amazing, let alone when you get some crossbreeding that naturally occurs. I’ve seen some Bluegill x Green Sunfish x Pumpkinseed that are gorgeous fish.
That baby Snook is a cool looking little fish, really like the composition of that photo.
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Thanks for taking a look at the post. I love catching bluegill. It is a great fish that will take just about any small fly you put in the water. Some of the bigger fish put up quite the struggle on lighter rods.
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