April is one of the best months for both freshwater and marsh fly fishing. In which water shall you cast your fly?
In favor of freshwater, you have bream starting to bed. During the day, cast and strip weighted flies such as Fluff Butts and Cap Spiders near grass lines, and then slow the strip down as the fly comes over deeper water. Late in the day, switch over to popping bugs as the insect life reaches peak activity.
In many lakes, crappie will also be active. Using minnow patterns such as Fluff Butts, Squirrelies, Crappie Candies, small Clousers and Coma Minnows will result in mixed bags of fish to include crappie, bream, largemouths, white bass, yellow bass and even catfish.
In favor of the marsh, interior ponds should be thick with grass. Juvenile crabs and shrimp will migrate to these ponds, attracting reds and drum. The grass has an added benefit: It filters out sediment, providing clear water for prime sight-casting opportunities.
Schools of specks will be feeding along shorelines of small lakes and bays. A chartreuse/white Clouser spaced 2 to 3 feet under a VOSI — the flyrodders’ popping cork — should produce stringers. If no action on the Clouser, switch to a Pink Charlie.
April is also the first good month for trout in the surf. If the surf goes calm, have your Clousers and other baitfish patterns ready! Those first surf trout are usually the biggest.
So which waters should you fish? How about all.
