Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

went for some Blues 2day after work to a new spot. man it was on, they were hitting worms with vengeance. Not to big, but dam. going from working in the office to catching fish, I don't care what size they are. It was fun. Any way, How do you guys hook live bait. Sometimes they would tear off the squirmy ends of the worm, so i would go with smaller chunks and they would grab it and I had a hard time hooking some. Still fun, but how should I hook a worm so as to make sure the get the business end more often than not.

Views: 200

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Usually smaller fish will steal the worm off the hook, but if there are larger fish present try a lure with a sliver of live bait the smaller ones may steal the worm but the bigger fish will still have the lure to bite.
There are some special worm rigs out there... usually tandem hook types... I don't care much for those though...

If I'm after bigger fish I will use a slightly longer shank hook and when I tie it on I'll leave the tag end of my line a little longer than usual... then I thread the worm onto the hook and up the shank making sure to pass it over the hook eye and tag end of my line... this helps keep the worm threaded properly and harder for the gills to take bits off the worm... This makes an enticing presentation especially if you leave the worms tail dangling an inch or so from the hook barb so it still wriggles...

You also may want to look at the type of hooks you are using... You may have more success with hooks that have the barb 'Offset' slightly (That is to say... not straight in line with the shank of the hook)... sickle style hooks are good for this... and as mentioned on this forum in an earlier post... some guys swear by the circle hooks...

Tight Lines
Rob
Fifty years ago my grandfather told me that "they can't tell its a worm unless it looks like one."
I am sure that is because as a kid my tendency was to the thread the worm up the entire hook. Grandpa caught lots of fish and I was not a slow learner so I generally leave a little piece to wiggle off the end of the hook. It seems to have worked. I know that is not always quite that simple and that there times when a small chunk (especially of nightcrawler) will do the trick. When using earthworms (which I pefer) I still follow grandpa's advice however.
The right size hook and contact with the business end of the hook through the line/rod are keys. I have also started tipping the hook shank with a piece of Gulp or Mister Twister with Exude, nipping the piece so it is small, but remaining as a dangling attractor when the worm is gone. Retrieve slowly after the bob-bob-bob stops, and a strke often occurs.


I like to hook the worms midsection. When little ones steal bait, I go to a 1/3 fat crawler, and embed the hook in full, with only a bit of dangle. Little ones pay attention, bigger bulls often push them away.
I've have the same issue. Increasing hook size doesn't help me in the lake I fish at since small yellow bass just grab a hold of it. What I did was change to meal worm from earthworms since the yellow didn't like it as much. Using a slip sinker, I try to locate the outter edge of the school of bluegills. I've notice the large ones are out deeper.

RSS

Latest Activity

Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Nesting Pair of Ospreys......

"Yeah most nests are not this close to the water and this river is remote with alligators and large…"
12 hours ago
John Sheehan commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Nesting Pair of Ospreys......

"Guess the Osprey knew it was a great spot too. The Cormorants up here are murder on the stocked…"
13 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Nesting Pair of Ospreys......

"This was a great fishing spot for me until the osprey nested……I’ve seen chicks…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

So many spots to place your bait...

"These cypress trees are now in the water….still producing great fishing…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

The big Cypress downed by a Hurricane.....

"This is a good example John…..I posted this picture in 2012 and a couple weeks ago I caught…"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Found a Few Hibiscus not Quite Bloomed…..7/5/2025

"Thanks John…..being in the south we’re always drawn to cypress trees and the…"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Found a Few Hibiscus not Quite Bloomed…..7/5/2025

"Nice info, Jeffrey! Up here my main Crappie habits have been wood cover near deep water and willow…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

My Dad Doesn't know Where to Cast Next.......

"This is my dad who loved fishing…..this cove is similar to the one with all cattails but in…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Found a Few Hibiscus not Quite Bloomed…..7/5/2025

"I think all fresh water fish like to relate to cattails…..the most cattails I’ve ever…"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Found a Few Hibiscus not Quite Bloomed…..7/5/2025

"Up here the Pickerel can be found by Cattails and other tall reed areas. The first spawning…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Found a Few Hibiscus not Quite Bloomed…..7/5/2025

This is always a great spot with cypress, cattails and now a blooming hibiscus..next time I’m there…
Saturday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Fish Attractant in the Coastal N.C. Marsh…..7/4/2025

"Thanks John…anytime you get close to them there’s hundreds of different insects…"
Saturday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Joe Struck Copper on a Sand Bar….7/5/2025

The wind was building on the main river so we splashed back to the ramp after 42 gills, 1 bullhead…
Saturday
John Sheehan commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Fish Attractant in the Coastal N.C. Marsh…..7/4/2025

"Good work on finding fish habitat!"
Saturday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Pretty Masked Copper Shallow ……7/5/2025

Preparing for next week’s buck moon on 7/10……
Saturday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Saturday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Saturday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Up early this morning, heard we were going to have a tropical storm in the Carolina’s…so Joe and I went and burned some crickets…"
Saturday

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service