Bluegill, redbreast sunfish and warmouth are among the species that go by the generic name of bream (aka brim). Whether anglers are catching them for fun or for the dinner table, bream are a worthy and challenging target. Add a fly rod to the equation and the fun increases. Bream don’t get particularly large, but all are feisty fighters. The Florida State bream records are kept by subspecies. For example the record bluegill is 2.95 pounds; the record redbreast sunfish is 2.08 pound; and the record warmouth weighed 2.45 pounds. The biggest in the bream family are the redear sunfish (shellcracker). The record redear is 4.86 pounds. That would be fun on a 5-weight.
Rob Henn is an avid central Florida fly rod angler who often targets bream on fly. The methods he uses in Florida will work in most other bodies of water. Henn views fishing for bream on fly as a great sport for anyone that likes to fish.
“You don’t need the high end rods or reels to catch bluegill, ”instructs Henn. “You usually don’t need to make long casts and drags aren’t needed. Any reel will work because all you need it to do is hold your line. I usually use them, but anglers don’t even need a tapered leader, since a straight length of 10-pound mono will work just fine. Bream fishing is simple, easy and most importantly fun fishing.”
Henn prefers a 5- or 6-weight fly rod when fishing for bream. “I complement my rod and reel with a floating weight forward line and a 8- to 9-foot tapered leader. I tie my own leaders that start with a butt section using 4 feet of 20- to 25-pound mono. I add 2 feet of 15-pound mono and finish with a 2- to 3-foot section of 6- to 8-pound tippet.”
Bream are not very leader shy, so I forgo using fluorocarbon, especially when using poppers. Fluorocarbon is heavier and will make a popper sink.” Continue reading – http://www.examiner.com/article/summer-bream-on-fly?CID=examiner_alerts_article