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Do you want to learn how to catch a lot of bluegills? Bluegills are widely available and tasty. This makes bluegill a popular fish among fly-fish anglers. If you want bluegill fishing tips to improve your fishing skills, then after reading this article, you will have learned what to do to catch and take more bluegill home.
Table of Contents
How To Catch Bluegill
1. Drift Fishing
Drift fishing is used to catch bluegill. When drift fishing, you move the boat over different habitats as the bait moves over the area. This fishing method covers a lot of water and is a very effective fishing method. It usually results in you catching a number of different fish.
2. Fly Fishing
Fly fishing is also used by anglers to catch bluegill. Use flies that resemble insects because bluegill eats insects. Many fly patterns work when fishing for bluegill as they are not as picky as trout.
3. Bottom Fishing
Bottom fishing is another effective fishing method used to catch bluegill. When bottom fishing, cast the bait so it slowly gets to the bottom. Bluegill tends to strike the bait as it slowly sinks to the bottom. Use a little weight to ensure the bait slowly sinks to the bottom.
4. Bobber Fishing
When implementing bobber fishing, put s bobber or float to the line which will keep it above the bottom. Anglers usually implement bobber fishing around structures or weeds to avoid snags. Bluegill finds it irresistible when the bait is just hanging below a bobber.
Use a small bobber as the bluegill will feel the resistance with a large bobber and just spit out the bait. Let your bobber be about 1 to 3 feet deep which will usually work for catching bluegill.
Bluegill Fishing Tackle
A medium-action fishing rod paired with a lightweight spinning reel will get the job done when fishing for bluegill. Using a lightweight monofilament line with a bobber or float will get bluegill to strike.
Bluegill Fishing Tips
1. The easiest time of the year to catch bluegill is when it is spawning. During this time, it strikes at anything that encroaches on its spawning site making it vulnerable. if you don’t remember any other bluegill fishing tips, this is one of the best bluegill fishing tips to remember.
2. Even though bluegill is vulnerable during the spawn, bluegill in the shallows is also very spooky. This makes it harder to catch them. Use baits that you can present quietly that will prevent them from getting alarmed and leaving their nests.
3. To catch bluegills on the outside beds of a colony without disturbing the interior nests, cast a fly rod with artificial flies along the edges of a spawning colony. Different sizes of woolly worms or woolly buggers are flies that can be used.
4. Worms, grasshoppers, and crickets are some of the best live baits to fish nesting bluegill. Set the bait 1 to 3 feet below a tiny bobber. These are some of the best baits for bluegill and this is one of the best bluegill fishing tips to always implement.
5. Bluegill that is not spawning can be found in deeper waters. During summer, they will be in deeper water on large lakes. However, they will remain shallow in ponds to get oxygen.
6. Wax worms and mealworms are the best live bait for catching bluegill in the winter. Small jigs, tiny spoons, and artificial flies are also used to catch bluegill in the winter.
7. The largest bluegills are found in farm ponds that receive less fishing pressure. This article on how to fish in a pond will help you become successful in fishing from a pond.
8. Bluegill will usually be found where there is fresh water and a lot of aquatic vegetation. Target aquatic vegetation and fresh water and you will be richly rewarded with bluegill. Put this in your bag as one of the best bluegill fishing tips to take with you in your fishing career.
9. Slowly descend your lure as it gives the bluegill time to react. Give it time to notice your lure as it descends. Don’t hurry to the bottom.
10. Bluegills have a natural diet and the best live bait for bluegills is cricket. When everything you tried didn’t get you the bluegill, try live crickets.
11. When you are fishing on a large lake and the weather is hot, it is better to go deeper in search of bluegills. They will go down to cooler temperatures where they still get oxygen. Using a slip float will allow you to go deep for the bluegills.
12. Bluegills will hang around docks for cover to provide protection from predators and avoid the heat. However, when the water is high and the dock is low, it can be challenging to reach them. Some will even go to deeper areas where they can’t be targeted with casting. In such situations, the only option is to shoot them.
13. Bluegill mainly feed during daylight hours as they are sight feeders.
14. Use an ultralight rod, reed, tackle, and a 2 to 6-pound test line. You will feel the bluegill bite more effectively and catch more bluegill with the use of a light line. Additionally, when fishing clear water, a light line is harder for the bluegill to detect it.
15. Always keep the live bait or lures small if you want to catch a lot of bluegills. Go with hook sizes from No. 6 to No. 10. Also use hooks with long shanks that will make it easier to remove the hooks from the bluegill’s mouth.
16. Spring and summer is the best time to fish for bluegill. At this time, they will be in about 2 to 6 feet of water under cover. There can be about 50 nests in a spawning bed during the spawn.
17. Bluegill will be found in deeper waters after the spawning period traveling in large schools.
18. You can find bluegill in the same locations in late summer and target them in shallower waters near weed beds, brush, and other types of cover. Early morning and evening are the best times to fish during summer, but as the water cools in the fall, you can be successful in fishing bluegill during midday.
How To Catch Bluegill In Florida
When fishing for Bluegill in Florida, concentrate on water that has a depth of 6 feet or less and use live worms or crickets. Fish for bluegill at the bottom using these baits or suspended using a float. Other baits such as sand maggots, grass shrimp, and grubs can also be used to catch bluegill. Use a small hook, preferably #6 or #8 with a split shot sinker about 6 inches up the line.
How To Catch Bluegill With Lures
When fishing for bluegill with lures, a 1/8 oz. “beetle spin” with a white or chartreuse body on ultralight tackle is very effective. Small spinners, curly tail grubs, and popping bugs are also used when fishing for bluegill. Look for docks, fallen trees, weed lines, and other structures that Bluegill can use as cover.
If you are targeting larger bluegills, then small plugs will work. Be careful and do not let your lures move too fast as Bluegill is not fond of anything that moves too fast. If you are fishing on a large river or lake, trolling lures will work great.
How To Catch Bluegill Without Worms
There are advantages and disadvantages when fishing with live bait. You have to keep them alive while fishing and there is always the mess you have to deal with like the soil for worms.
The good news is that you can fish for bluegills with live bait or artificial lures. Jig, bugs. small spinners and curly tail grubs are some of the best lures to use when fishing for bluegill.
Best Bait For Bluegill
1. Wax Worms
Wax worms work well as bait for bluegill although they are expensive.
2. Meal Worms
Mealworms are also good bait for bluegill.
3. Crickets
Crickets are very effective as bait for bluegill in the summer and late fall.
4. Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers, crickets, and mealworms are good baits for bluegill.
5. Nightcrawlers
Bluegill likes nightcrawlers and worms which are good baits for bluegill.
6. Red Worms
Red worms work well as bait for bluegill, crappies, sunfish, and perch.
7. Crickets
Crickets are also used as bait for bluegill.
8. Leeches
Leeches work well as bait for bluegill and other fish.
9. Goldenrod Grubs
Goldenrod grubs, like wax worms and mealworms, work well as bait for bluegill.
10. Minnows
Minnows, especially flathead minnows, are a good bait to catch trophy bluegills.
Best Artificial Lures For Bluegill
1. Poppers
Poppers are one of the best lures for bluegills as they like them.
2. Plastic Minnows
Plastic minnows are very effective in catching bluegill.
3. Spinnerbaits
Spinnerbaits are effective as lures for bluegill.
4. Jigs
Jigs are also a good lure for bluegills.
5. Soft Plastics
Soft plastics also work well as a lure for bluegill.
The Bottom Line
Bluegill is one of the most popular panfish species. It is abundant, tasty, and popular with fly-fishing anglers. In this article, we share bluegill fishing tips to help you learn how to catch and take more bluegill home. We hope that you will learn something that can elevate your fishing for bluegills whether you are a beginner or an experienced angler.
You can learn how to catch more fly fish after reading this article about fly fishing tips. If you also fish for walleye, then you can catch more walleye after reading this article about walleye fishing tips.
