Fly rods range in length from 6 to 10 feet. An 8-footer is a good all-around choice for bream. Just keep in mind that your fly rod is the single most important piece of equipment in your arsenal. When purchasing your first fly rod, I’d suggest investing in the best rod that your budget allows.

Your fly reel, on the other hand, is not nearly as important as your rod. Conventional anglers have a hard time understanding this concept, as they rely heavily on their reels to retrieve the lure after each cast; flyfishermen, on the other hand, strip their fly back in by hand without using the reel, the primary purpose of the fly reel being to serve as a spool to store surplus line until it’s needed.

When it comes to fly lines, most are 90 feet long, and come in a variety of weights to match the rods. Bream anglers ordinarily pick rods and lines in 4- to 6-weight sizes, and the most practical all-purpose line for this fishing is a weight-forward floating version.

A 6- to 7-foot piece of any type of monofilament line can be used to create a leader between the fly line and the fly. Usually something in the 4- to 6-pound test size is about right.

Flies are a whole other can of worms (so to speak). Proclaiming to know the best all-around bream fly is like claiming that a specific caliber of rifle is the ultimate for deer hunting: There are far too many variables to take into consideration to assert either. Wet flies that sink, feathered dry flies that float, and cork popping bugs all occupy their specific niches in fly-fishing for bream.

Since bream have little mouths, it’s best to think small when selecting flies. Bream are aggressive eaters and readily strike a wide variety of flies. Some good choices include Wooly Worms, Improved McGintys, Copper Johns, Crazy Charlies, and a variety of foam spiders and small poppers. My favorite of all is a tandem rig consisting of a chartreuse popper on the surface and a black and white Bream Killer that’s on a dropper and sinks.

One of the best things about fly-casting for bream in the Magnolia State is that you can find excellent bream waters just about anywhere you go in the state. If it’s wet and a foot or more deep, chances are good that some bream swim in that water.

When it comes to identifying the best-fishing bream lakes in South Mississippi, whom should you consult? For one, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, which has compiled a list of top public pond picks based on biologists’ professional opinions and historical data. Their selections, in order: Lake Mike Connor in Covington County, Lake Ross Barnett in Smith County, Lake Jeff Davis in Jefferson Davis County, Lake Mary Crawford in Lawrence County, Lake Perry in Perry County, Black Creek Lake in Stone County, and the numerous Pascagoula River Oxbow Lakes found in Jackson County.

All of these are superb bream lakes, but for fly-fishing, one stands out above the rest: Lake Mary Crawford. Five miles west of Monticello just off U.S. Highway 84, it’s the cream of the crop. When the moon turns full in May, you can absolutely wear the bream out on their spawning beds in this 135-acre impoundment.