I don't know if this has anything to do with their biting or not, but what few panfish I have caught lately- on still or clear water - were on one of two fly patterns:
First: A Rubber- foam "spider" (thanks to Rick Zeiger for that pattern!) that's minimally modified -- the second set (of 3 per side) of legs being a generic krystal- flash substitute while the front and back are red rubber legs... fished on or in the surface film with a 'tripple twitch and pause' retrieve. Second: A mini (size 12 or 14) chartreuse-bodied wooly bugger with a fire-orange marabou tail, peacock neck feather as a collar, and golden badger palmered hackle wound tip-at-tail to stem-at-hook-eye... fished in a vertical jig- like retrieve. For what it's worth, try adding snippits of mini rubber hackle (I think one brand calls them "centipede legs") to your body dubbing to make a zillion leg-like protrusions. Really, anything that will add motion seems to get their attention. Clear water, in my experience, tends to be slow- flowing or still- water, so the motion factor tends to need all the help I can give it... I'm still learning, don't get me wrong, but what I have observed so far is that motion, at least for panfish, is one of - if not THE - biggest factors for getting attention from the fish. Soft hackle never was my thing, per se, but lately I can really see and appreciate the simple effectiveness in it. Rubber hackle/ rubber legs are a panfish's best friend, or so I've seen. Anyhow - motion works wonders, in my opinion. Best of luck on the water, and please let me know what you discover, Pete
