THE BASICS FOR BLUEGILL: PART 2
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| Tiny grubs like the three pictured here are super bluegill baits. A crappie grub is pictured at the top for purposes of comparison. |
By Stan Fagerstrom
If you read my last column you're aware I said a light spinning outfit was a dandy way to take bluegill. I also said that once you locate a school of the little buggers you might wind up catching half a hundred without moving your boat.
It's plain, old fashioned fun to catch bluegill with a spinning outfit.
Ultra light spinning gear is made to order for that purpose. A light action rod of 5 1/2-feet to 6 1/2-feet equipped with a lightweight open-faced spinning reel is the way to go. Load the reel with 4-pound test line and you're ready to do business.
Want some specifics? I got 'em. You'll look long and hard before you find someone who knows more about fishing rods than Gary Schaefer, New Product Development Manager for G.Loomis. I find that Gary's thoughts regarding ideal bluegill rods are similar to my own.
"My favorites," Gary says, "are the G.Loomis SR661 in GL3, the SR720 in GL2 and the SR781 in IMX. We have rods that are longer but the rods I mentioned are all one piece and very manageable for both bluegill and crappie. My all time favorite among all these rods in the SR781 IMX."
If you examine one of these rods you'll find it is 6 1/2-feet in length and is rated to handle 2 to 6-pound line and weights from 1/32nd-ounce to 3/16th-ounces. Those specs are just about perfect for bluegill fishing.
As I've mentioned before, the next best thing to having opportunity to handle one of these rods is to check out their specifications in the G.Loomis catalog or on the internet. What you'll see in either place is information you can depend on. I personally favor using the catalog because it's so easy and convenient.
You won't catch those 50 fish I mentioned without moving the boat unless you know what lures to pick and how to use them. The most effective small lures I've found for 'gills while using a spinning outfit are miniature plastic grubs. I use these lures behind tiny leadhead jigs in the 1/32nd-ounce to 1/16th-ounce class. The size jigs you'll need depends on the depth at which the fish are holding. If they are fairly deep, use the 1/16th-ounce head. If they are up near the top, switch to the 1/32nd-ounce head.
Whichever leadhead you use, check its hook size carefully, A Number 10 hook is ideal for darn near all kinds of bluegill fishing. It's small enough to catch average or larger bluegill, but it's too big for those teensy little guys you don't want to mess with in the first place.
I like to carry at least three basic colors in miniature plastic grubs I throw for bluegill. They are black, white and yellow. I've caught fish on other shades, but these three will usually get the job done. How you manipulate the grub is as important as the color you select. If one color doesn't get results, switch to something else. Let the fish tell you what they want.
As I've mentioned, once you've got a bluegill school pinned down, stay back and cast to it. Let your jig sink, then start a slow retrieve. Make little flips of the rod tip as you reel.
For more than three decades I lived smack on the shore of Silver Lake in Southwest Washington State. The lake was loaded with bluegills. I don't know how many thousand I caught there over the years, but it was a bunch. I often fished with a barbless hook to save time and to make it easier to handle the little scrappers.
One shore I fished from now and then was elevated so I had opportunity to observe how bluegill went about taking a lure. I found what they often do is slide up behind a lure. They may follow along with their little blunt nose just a couple of inches behind it. If the lure darts forward like it might be getting away the bluegills zip in, then turn and take the lure going away. That's why I stress the importance of flipping your rod tip during the retrieve.
It's also important not to fish your tiny jig and worm too fast. If you're not getting hits up near the surface let the jig sink and work it back as slowly as you can without hanging up. The deeper the bluegills are, the more difficult it is to detect strikes.
Learn to be a line watcher. If you sense a difference in the feeling being transmitted up your line, or if you see the slightest little twitch in your line where it enters the water, set the hook.
You shouldn't have difficulty finding miniature curly tailed plastic grubs that are such super baits for bluegill. Stay with the really small sizes. If you're fortunate to get into spots where the bluegills run larger, and I've not found those places often, you may be able to go up in grub size a bit. But always remember that the bluegill has a very small mouth.
Keep the size of the bluegill's mouth in mind when you select the miniature leadhead jigs you'll use with your tiny curly tailed worms. Even jigs as light as 1/32nd-ounce won't work worth a toot if they come with too large a hook. Again, a Number 10 hook an ideal size.
In my next column we'll take a look at fly fishing for bluegill. It's a super way polish your fly fishing techniques and have lots of fun in the process.
To Be Continued... |
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| If you're going after bluegill with a spinning outfit, small jigs like those shown here are ideal to use with it. These 1/32nd-ounce leadheads have Number 10 hooks and that's a good size for bluegill angling. |
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