Knowing the day-to-day activities of bluegills from pre-spawn to post spawn can be the difference between bringing back an ice chest full of the tasty fish and going home empty-handed. Each spawning cycle coincides with the full moon. During the spawn, male bluegills can be easily taken using weighted flies, but not because they’re hungry: because they’re determined to defend their nests against intruders -- and a male bluegill sees a fly as just another of those intruders. He strikes at it in order to scare it away; if that doesn’t work, he picks up the fly in his mouth and moves it away from the bed. Once the fly’s in his mouth, all you have to do is set the hook.

A few days after the fry have hatched and become large and strong enough to fend for themselves, it’s a completely different story. At this point, the male bluegills leave the spawning area and head for deeper, cooler water to rest and to feed as they recover from those long days spent protecting the beds.

Flyfishermen can take advantage of this renewed appetite by using wet flies and nymphs in the deeper water near weedbeds or thick cover. However, use caution when fly-fishing near thick cover: Bluegills know instinctively how to fight when hooked.

As soon as they’re hooked, bluegills usually make a run directly away from you, but normally for only a short distance. Once the line tightens and they’re jerked off course, bream invariably turn at a right angle and use the broad, flat side of their body as leverage against the line. The fish dart in different directions, dive straight down or burst up toward the surface; some even turn and run directly at you, which can get them enough slack in the line to dislodge a poorly-set hook.

Although it may be one of the smallest of freshwater game fish, the bluegill may the strongest, most determined fighter of them all, ounce for ounce. Many veteran flyfishermen have said that you’d never be able to land a 5-pounder, and having personally caught a number of bream in the 2-pound range on fly tackle, I would definitely have to agree.

Contrary to what many believe, fly-fishing isn’t reserved for the elite of society: It can be an inexpensive hobby that anyone can enjoy. However, fly-fishing is far different from angling with conventional tackle. With ordinary tackle, the angler casts a weighted lure or bait, which in turn pulls the fishing line along as the terminal tackle moves through the air. The opposite is the case when it comes to fly-fishing: You cast a weighted line, which pulls a usually weightless leader and fly behind it. Because of this very basic difference, fly-fishing requires different rods, reels, lines and lures.

Surprisingly, getting geared up with basic fly-fishing tackle is no more expensive than preparing for conventional tackle. Although a number of other accessories and options are available, all you need is a rod, a reel, fly line, leader and flies. Of course, it’s possible to spend a small fortune on those, but moderately priced setups are on the market, too.