Not all fly fishing takes place high in the water column and not all crappie are located deep in submerged timber. Like most fishing pursuits on the fly, you can find much joy and surprise in exploring the overlooked. You can indeed catch these overlooked gems with a variety of flies and often as readily as with conventional gear.

There's a unique charm to farm pond fly fishing that sets it apart from other angling experiences. These ponds are typically smaller in size and true to this blog’s ethos, are often overlooked by fly anglers.

Limited to only a handful of patterns, which have proven themselves time and again to be effective at catching a wide variety of fish species? Below is a short list and potential fish species you could catch with them.

With rushing waters and dynamic currents, spillways are a haven for any angler seeking diverse species and exciting new experiences.

This post is dedicated to all the sleepers. The bycatch you had no intention of catching and definitely didn’t have in mind when you got your gear together earlier that day. But you know you absolutely loved it! Just like racing a Buick Grand National or Ford Taurus SHO, they surprised you at the stoplight. The surprises that happen while fly fishing become the memories you talk about for decades.

Grass carp, also known as white amur, are a species of freshwater fish that are often found in large rivers and lakes. They can be challenging to catch on the fly, but with the right techniques, locations, and gear, it is possible to successfully land these elusive fish.

Their drab silver color, rubbery downturned mouth, and ability to thrive in rather nasty environs result in poor perception among anglers. What the drum lacks in looks or acrobatics they more than make up for with long runs and pulling power that can rival bass or trout, making them still plenty exciting to catch.

Why write a piece about the Chain or Grass Pickerel instead of the Musky or Northern Pike? Because for those who enjoy the margins, the outliers, and the fringe elements of fly fishing, there’s always room for new adventures. That’s why this blog exists.

“Just getting to the side of the mountain where we would start our hike required a two mile canoe trip across a very deep reservoir. After the canoe trip came the climb, it was only a mile in length but an 1,000ft increase in elevation. The lake was so clear that you could see the trout shoot up like a missile from eight feet deep to take the fly.”

While panfish are not often the sole focus of fishing adventures, varieties like Crappie, White Bass, Green Sunfish, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, and many more will quickly take you back to where it all began. They were the gateway drug that got you started down this path to begin with and they will be just as much fun at age 80 as they were when you were 10.

Buffalo are often hard to locate and even more so, hard to convince to take a fly in many situations. This poses a challenge, especially for the fly angler experienced in the pursuit of predatory species like bass or trout. There’s very low odds you’ll ever convince a Buffalo to aggressively take a double barrel popper or when you’re stripping in a streamer. Therein lies the appeal to the multi-species fly angler who thrives on that challenge.

Jon appears to have hiked countless miles in the remote wilderness to find these sweetheart spots that are otherworldly. These secluded, off the beaten path creeks and streams are where most of us fantasize about releasing that golden hour catch. Or perhaps where that perfect dry fly take happens. This video here is pretty much the most perfect example of that possible by the way.

“Carp are my obsession and what I’ve been learning how to catch over the past 6 years. Carp are unbelievably smart. They fight like crazy and are a challenge like no other I’ve encountered. Early last year I was challenged by a close friend to catch and land a carp over 10# on a new tenkara rod. A challenge I accepted with a smile all the while worrying about on the inside.”

This all serves as an interesting introduction for an interesting guy. Cody Gould is not only a Taxidermist but has also developed additional talents to augment his primary skill. Working as a fishing guide, a talented wildlife artist, and photographer, he wears many hats that brings depth to his work. I was fascinated by a recent sample of his work and thought his story good inspiration for each of us.

“I think my art is unique because I fish a lot. I know what the water should look like. I know the anatomy of the fish I am painting. I know how a fisherman should be holding the rod or rowing the boat. I’ve lived it so I know in my mind what makes the work authentic and genuine. Its pretty easy to tell if an artist who paints fishing scenes or fish, has fished enough to know what he is doing… I see bad examples of it all the time…”

“But at the end of that yellow brick road, a large lagoon, is literally teeming with tarpon at all times. Pods of 10, 50, or 100 were all over! So many fish it’s overwhelming because… where do you cast!? And it wore me out! On my “worst day,” I only brought 6 tarpon to hand, of the dozens that I hooked. On my best, 40 tarpon to hand and too many misses, spits, takes, shakes, drops, and breaks to count.”

Fly fishermen without local access to trout streams took to practicing sight fishing on these “trash bass” near home. What many learned quickly is that carp were often more difficult to land on a fly than anticipated. That frustration eventually became respect for an intelligent, wary fish that more than delivered a bend on the rod. They became a challenge to test their mettle as a fly angler. They became THE fish they were out to catch that day, not just an afterthought to cast at because they were surface feeding or cruising the shallows.

For the avid fly fisherman, a challenge for both your senses and your angling skill. The opportunity to bring native Brook Trout to hand is a blast on the fly to begin with. Getting into some larger ones, even better. Now picture yourself at midnight on a gorgeous Maine river in the summertime. The light of the moon and the sound of the water captivate your senses until an 18” Brookie makes this experience euphoric.

The entire sport of fly fishing is something which requires a lifetime to develop competence, not expertise. There are plenty of experts in their chosen waters, species, and conditions but there really aren’t fly fishing experts that can be dropped anywhere on the globe simply knowing what to do. This rich pursuit of fly fishing is understood by many artists. Some are anglers themselves and that brings a depth to their work that is not easily replicated. A favorite artist of mine who understands this is Andrej Krysov. If fly fishing is an art form already, his work certainly elevates it.

“This notion works with traditional gamefish species because we are usually blind-fishing for predatory fish. Carp are different. Most carp need to be fed a fly that appears easy to eat while they are in a feeding situation. This defines the water we need to be looking for. Rather than looking for carp, an angler must look for carp in a FISHABLE situation.”