With summer comes a change in sight-casting strategy. As the long, hot days heat the shallow ponds, bigger reds will move to the edges of lakes and bays.
The best bet for hooking up on the fly in ponds will be from first light to mid-morning. Poppers and Wobblers will work early, followed by crab patterns and spoon flies.
Later in the day, move to the edges of lakes and look for cuts or broken marsh. Also, structure will hold bigger reds.
Flies that work in deeper water should be considered. These include Redchasers, Kwans (crab pattern), Rattle Rousers, Clousers, and DeepDucers (Seaducer with dumbbell eyes).
As the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers continue to fall, look for great freshwater action in areas like Henderson Lake, Belle River, Bayou Pigeon and Bear Bayou. Popping bugs will work just about anytime of the day, but if not, try a Jitterbee or Slow Sinking Spider 2 to 3 feet under a small cork.
With the rivers down, live oxbows like Old River Morganza, Old River Vidalia, Deer Park and Yucatan should be considered. These lakes can produce hefty bluegills and slab sac-a-lait, even if they’re not in shallow water. Use heavy flies like the Fluff Butt, Crappie Candy and Coma Minnow on a long leader (8 to 10 feet).
For cold-water trout enthusiasts, this is the last really good month for tailwater streams in southern Arkansas and southeast Oklahoma before summer doldrums set in. In addition to hatches of caddis and midges, terrestials become a primary food item. Tossing hoppers, stimulators and even ant patterns close to banks can result in some aggressive strikes.
