Mulberry Fly
Mulberry trees are a one stop shop for all species in the late months of summer. If you can find these trees along the river bank, we guarantee that there will be fish below them when the berries are ripe. The sound of the berries “plopping” into the water act as a dinner bell for the fish below, and can create a piranha style feeding frenzy among multiple species. We have even caught carp on poppers below these trees because the fish are in such a hurry to beat each other to the sound of the berry hitting the water. We have always had luck using actually berries, but wanted to get these fish on the fly, so we created our own custom “mulberry fly” to attack these locations.
We had a difficult time fishing the mulberry trees from the boat, but spent the day battling the wind. So we unloaded onto the river bank to avoid the spooking the fish with the boat. Panfish and a few carp would come up and hit the fly at the surface, but the majority of the carp took the fly as it slowly sank. Don’t be surprised to see a few catfish under the mulberry trees. They know they have to beat the panfish to the berry and can hit with lightning speed once it drops in the water. Making a few casts in a row and letting the fly slap the water can entice a feeding frenzy before letting your cast sit and presenting the fly.
How to tie a mulberry fly:
VIDEO COMING SOON!!!
But for now, tying an oversized egg pattern works great. If you don’t have the right color material, you can color it in with a purple or black sharpie. Just make sure the fly fully dries before using. Normally the smell of ink can scare off a fish, but under a mulberry tree, they race each to the prize once it hits the water.
Please practice Catch & Release in urban settings to preserve these precious resources for other urban anglers.