Bluegill Tackle?

[Fish_Hunter]

whats up guys, do most of you use the same tackle when going for crappie and Bluegill. Will the same lures and setups work, or do the bluegill typically like more live bait presentations.

[Tony]

yep slip-floats all the way.for gills i use smaller hooks even tiny ice jigs all year with maggots or waxies or nightcrawlers . for crappie just minnows. i find ALL fish like live bait

[John Sheehan]

Tony- I've been ice fishing more this year than ever before and was thinking of using ice jigs with a float this year.On your recomendation I 'll do it for sure.All year huh!Hmmm!Why not!

[robsabloke]

Tony...

I use slip floats a lot too. They can be deadly when the fish are holding at a certain depth and you want to get down to that depth exactly with each cast. There are tricks to learn when fishing much deeper than the length of your rod. I fish over 25 feet at times, with a 6 foot rod. Most people make the mistake of trimming their 'Stop Knot' to close to the main line... if you leave the knot longer it wraps around your spool much easier and doesn't get caught up when you cast. Another little secret is to not pull the Stop Knot too tight... you want it Snug but not so tight that you can't adjust it. You should check the depth every once in a while to make sure you are still at the depth you want to be.
If you know how many inches per handle turn your reel retrieves the line, you can count the handle turns between your stop knot and the hook and figure out exactly how deep you are fishing.

Great way to fish... there is nothing like watching a float slide away under the surface...

Tight lines

Rob

[John Sheehan]

Thanks for the post FH ! Having another pole rigged with a small jig ready to throw after getting the fish into a feeding frenzy with livebait is an option. Once when turning my nephew on to a floating dock stacked with Bluegills, I was testing out marabou jigs against the worms I was using at first and that he continued to use.I caught more because I could get the lure back into the water after taking the fish off the hook while he was baiting up again.Its a little faster presentation that can result in more fish if they aren't being picky.
If you use only one pole then you can bait a small jig and when they are really hittin' see if they'll hit the plain jig .Sometimes they don't care .Save on bait too!

[Fish_Hunter]

thanks guys for the info. appreciate it.

[steve b]

When I've specifically targeted Crappie, its been on others boats and we always used minnows,also pick up the odd crappie on lures meant for bigger things and surprised that a Crappie would go for it, same with white bass. With Bluegills, lures will have to say under 2 1/2", exceptions rare. Have lots of little cranks/plugs here that I love, also tends to keep the size of caught fish up. Bait will catch more/faster, but you'll not have control of size. I need to learn more myself of slip float fishin'. Lots of potential there, maybe easier for wifr, etc.. steve b

[robsabloke]

My gear for Bluegills is much lighter than for Crappie. The Crappie in our lakes like the boulders and brush areas. Since they tend to like Minnow imitations fished close to those areas, I use 6 lb test for the Crappie and a lite rod... size 6 hooks.
For Bluegills I use 2 lb test (1 lb when I can find it) and ultra light rods... Hooks for the Gills are much smaller because of the considerably smaller mouth on a gill. Tiny jigs size 8 hooks.

If you find Crappie in 'Open' water you could probably use the Bluegill outfit... with the exception of a larger hook.

Rob

[Crab Meat]

!st let me say Hello to all of you and thanks for the info. I love to fish and many years ago decided bule gill are the best fish for the reat when the gills aint hot. Here In SO-CAL I fish Lake Perris when I can. Yes I like 2lb & 4 LB mono in clear or green. the water is clear and line can be a turn off. Slip bobber very small, just enought split shot to get to depth 2 -4. I used to use a #6 hook but down to #8's & # 10's.ALWAYS Aberdeen! In blue or blk. I've used crickets with good results, red worms too. But the best has been a SMALL mini jig 1/16 or smaller in firecracker tipped with a mealy, the small ones. Smoke sparkle did not produce. I like UL Crappie rods the longer the better, usally 12 -14 feet althought I do Have a 20. But when you get down to it I find that a cane pole works good. The last few years have been tuff and I do not get to fish as much as I used too.

I have tried these same things on Lake Skinner with little sucess. So starting soon I hope too takle that place. Its a chalenge due to frequent draw downs, and the stocking of strippers which in my opinion ruined a good fishery. Now they have zebra mussles too. Hope to report on this lake prior to the 1st of the month if things get better.

Read with great intrest the entry about using Green with Black head and chart. & Blk mini jigs. Have fished with maggots but the small mealies work better for me.
Want to try white and green power mealies.

[John Cachel]

I fish serious for bluegills and use live bait most of the time. I also casting small jig/twister or Jig with Gulp maggot for bluegills plus some crappies!
When I fish for crappie and I like to use minnows or 1/32 oz various color of tubes! I caught bluegills many time when I fish for crappies!
2 to 4 lbs test line for bluegills. Use 6 lbs for around or in the covers as fallen trees, heavy weeds or lily pads!

4 to 6 lbs test line for crappies.

[creekx]

Last year I started using the drop shot rig for bass,an I bought a rod just for that purpose as it turns out it is now my favorite rod and technique for big bream.

[Stuart Melheim]

When I am not using my fly rod I like a ultra light spinning rod with 4# mono or fluorocarbon line and a tiny split shot. I get my bobbers in the in the fly fishing section and the rubber bobber stops I have very good luck using the pink Gulp maggots. Crickets are a excellent bait but you better be paying close attention.
Stuart