The first week of April will be Easter break for many students. What better time to take a youngster fly fishing than this month?
Bluegill and redears will be moving onto beds. A jitterbee, ligon or Cajun tickler fished about 2 feet under a strike indicator will work best around structure or in shallow water, while a cap spider or tussel bug will get down to the deeper beds.
Crappie are still active this month in shallow water. Go with darker varieties of this fly as it gets warmer. An olive candy — as well as olive fluff butts — will also catch lots of bream and the occasional bass. Don’t be surprised if a catfish hits these flies, too.
On windy days, bugs and caterpillars will be falling from trees. If you spot a feeding frenzy, pull out a popping bug. One good spot can produce a nice mess of panfish. Match colors to those of the dominant insect on the water.
As mentioned in the column, April can be golden for redfish. Find ponds with grass, and you’ll find clear water, bait and the poisson rouge. Here, try bendbacks and poppers. In canals and lakes, try seaducers and redchasers against shorelines and cuts.
Poppers will also catch those big spring trout. Specks will start schooling under lights this month — make sure clousers and shrimp flies are in your arsenal.
White bass and stripers are still active at Toledo Bend and Lake Claiborne. Try baitfish and shad patterns using an intermediate sinking line. Let it sink for several seconds, and then strip fast. Hard-hitting stripers might be the most fun on fly rod there is.
