Best fly-fishing lures for warm-water species

Kevin Kurz has been to some of the best fly-fishing locations in the world. But he knows there are hidden gems right here in his backyard.

Kurz, who owns K&K Flyfishers in Overland Park, will tell you that you don’t have to fish cold-water rivers and streams to get in on some great fishing.

“We have a great resource for fly fishing right in this area,” Kurz said. “I love to fly fish for trout, but I also love to go after bass, big bluegills, crappies and catfish around here.”

Here are some of the flies Kurz suggests for catching those warm-water fish:

▪ BASS: Kurz’s favorite is a Harvey’s popper, a dry fly made by a Springfield, Mo., fisherman. “He hand-makes those flies, and they’re just magical for bass,” Kurz said.

For sinking flies, Kurz recommends a starlite leech. “They originally were meant as a steelhead fly, but they work great for bass, too,” he said.

Then, there’s the standby, the Clouser minnow, a minnow imitation that has been popular for years.

▪ BLUEGILLS: Kurz likes panfish poppers, cork flies with rubber legs, to fish on top. For sinking flies, he often uses smaller versions of the woolly bugger.

▪ CATFISH: Several flies will catch big catfish, Kurz said. He uses various crawdad imitations to catch big channels. He also uses black woolly buggers and starlite leeches.

▪ CRAPPIES: Small marabou jigs and down-sized versions of he Clouser minnow are effective, Kurz said.

▪ CARP: The newest sensation? The meatball, which sounds more like something you would find in an Italian restaurant than a fly shop. The dark-brown fly slowly sinks and has already caught big carp in Johnson County creeks.

The suspending damsel also catches big carp in the region. Both flies were designed and tied by Zach Janssen, a high-school student who works for K&K.

This story was originally published September 27, 2014 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Best fly-fishing lures for warm-water species."