Spring seems to be taking her sweet time coming around in my next of the woods. In hindsight, I guess it is the same every year. Early spring brings a mix of somewhat warm days that may break 70 degrees mixed with cool, wet days in the forties and evenings that still hover around freezing. With these conditions, things are slow to warm up. The weather is changing but at an imperceptible pace.

On those warm sunny days, there is good fishing to be had. Fish return to the shallow water along the banks as they begin to scope out spawning areas and feed on all the organisms starting to wake up from their winter slumber.

Fishing on those cool, rainy days is a different proposition entirely. The places where you caught fish on that warm sunny day the day before yesterday are devoid of fish. Observations made over many years of chasing panfish with a fly rod have shown me that bluegills and other sunfish will move between deep and shallow water many times until water temperatures stabilize. The typical ups and downs of spring weather create wide swings of water temperatures in the shallows. They warm quickly on calm, bright sunny days but are just as quick to cool off during cold nights and stormy weather.

As spring progresses, those shallow-water fish won't go far when the temps start to dip. They usually retreat to the first drop-off and stage there. They desperately want to charge into skinny water and begin the annual ritual of spawning but must wait for Mother Nature to give it the go-ahead.

Once spring begins, it isn't easy to stay indoors regardless of the weather. Cool spring days may not be ideal for panfish, but plenty of other fish are there to chase. I spend my time split between wading trout streams, fishing a sizeable nearby river for American Shad, and plying saltwater for the first of the years' striped bass.

Recently I had an urge to get outdoors, but a run of rainy weather had our streams and rivers overflowing their banks. The tides were wrong, so stripers were out of the question. It looked like my only option was fish for panfish and bass in less than optimal conditions.

As I hiked my way to a favorite early season pond, I was dismayed to discover the trail covered with several inches of water. The entire area was underwater, so it was apparent the streams and rivers were not the only bodies of water that had overflowed their banks. I had come prepared for this. Instead of the standard calf-high rubber boots I usually wear, I was wearing waders. I planned to wade out through the shallows in an attempt to reach the first drop where I expected to find some fish. I was not expecting the wading to start 100 yards from the shoreline!

Once I reached the pond, the wading was difficult at first. The shoreline was coated with thick, sucking mud that had to be traversed until you got to an area with firmer footing. This area contains water around three feet deep, and the firm bottom is ideal spawning habitat. If all went well, the fish I was seeking should be on the deepwater edge of that flat.

I continued to wade out until the water threatened to come over the top of my waders. Once in position, I stripped off some fly line to make my first cast. Tied to the end of my tippet was a size 8 Royal Coachman Wet Fly. Winged wet flies were once popular amongst trout fishers but have seemed to fall from grace, replaced by more modern offerings. I am still a dyed in the wool wet fly fisherman, so there are still plenty of winged wet flies in my fly boxes. Usually, I would be fishing another favorite wet fly, the Pass Lake Special. This fly has a white wing as well, but it is made of hair instead of slips of a white feather, making it far easier (and quicker) to tie and a lot more durable. Recently a guiding client had gifted me two dozen of these big Royal Coachmans, so I opted for one of those instead.

My first cast was a long one as I attempted to get the fly out to the deeper water on the edge of the flat. The intermediate sinking leader immediately pulled the fly beneath the surface, and I counted to 15 before retrieving the fly. With my rod tip low to the water's surface to eliminate slack in the line, I began a slow hand twist retrieve. The fly only moved a few feet before it was stopped with a heavy thump. I gave the line a sharp tug to set the hook, and the rod bent deeply as I raised it. On the other end was fat bluegill during its best to free itself from its connection with me. This scene repeated itself over and over again until numb hands and the steady stream of cold water dripping down the back of my neck (I'm not too fond of hoods) drove me back to the comfort of a warm, dry truck.

Big wet flies, by big, I mean nothing smaller than a size eight, are perfect for this type of fishing. I typically use wet flies in size six or eight for this type of fishing. The larger flies attract the attention of big sunfish and keep the smaller ones at bay. These big wets are also readily taken by crappie, bass, and pickerel. There are only bass and sunfish on this particular lake, and a few bass came to hand that day as well. On the previous day, in similar conditions on a different lake, I lost half a dozen of these flies to toothy pickerel as I was fishing the edges of some sunken trees for crappie.

I am not real picky about wet fly patterns. As I mentioned previously, the Pass Lake Special is a favorite, but I am also fond of winged wet flies like the Royal Coachmen, the Hares Ear, the Cow Dung, the Blue Dun, the Fiery Brown, the list goes on and on. They will all work. Sometimes you may have to change patterns a few times if the fish seem picky, but that is seldom the case.

I usually use a floating line with a variety of sinking leaders, depending on water depth. An intermediate line would be ideal, but as the season progresses, I stop carrying the extra spool containing this fly line with hopes that I am going to find the fish in shallow water for good.

Catching these big bluegills from deeper water is a blast. They pull hard and fight intensely, refusing to give up ground. They fight harder than the bass several times their size that are often hooked alongside them.

I am anxiously awaiting the total onslaught of warmer weather and the return of consistent topwater fishing. It will be here before you know it, and I will be lamenting the transition from winter to summer, wondering what the hell happened to spring!