Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

Which produces the biggest and most fish in your experience and or opinion?

Views: 4631

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I've got no ground to stand on here...... I've never used crickets!

I suspect however, that it's like anything else in that different conditions require different baits.

I fish wigglers all year, but it I like fishing crickets late Summer and early Fall along with the wigglers. I guess my thinking is once the grasshoppers are of bait size, I fish crickets to "match the hatch". I know a lot of people fish crickets from Spring to Fall.

It's pretty much a worm gig here in the Mason Dixon area and Delaware. Have to get down near the VA-N Carolina border before crickets become the main course. I have never used crickets so it would be cool to give them a try!

   Down here in the south we get 100 crickets for $3.50, our answer would be crickets and my second choice would be crickets and if I run out I would go get more crickets. Caught a 14 lb. catfish on a flyrod with a cricket fishing for bluegill. If yall up north never get to fish with crickets you need to take a trip south and experience  fishing for bluegill with crickets, and I will bet that some way some how yall will figure out how to ship crickets north of the Mason-Dixon line. Bluegill bite crickets like pit bulldogs at a postmans convention, so if you can try crickets.     LOFR

Every baitshop I know of up here sells crickets, I've just never tried them. You have to remember that during the course of a "normal" year, us northern folks fish all during the winter, too. Crickets don't lend themselves to temps in the teens! I've just always used waxworms, as they are available year-round and are good fish producers.

I used to use grasshoppers as a boy, does that count?

When you're fishing crickets on a fly rod, do you use one of those long-shank cricket hooks, or something shorter?

Can crickets survive a false cast, or do you roll cast them?

Thanks,

Jonathan

I started using crickets in the spring and fished them through the summer.  About the only time I use bee moths or worms is when I forget my cricket bucket or the bait shop is closed.  Gas stations don't sell crickets in my area.  In the colder parts of the year I'll use wigglers or bee moths, but once the water warms up crickets are king. 

Probably 90% of the blugill fishing that I do is with crickets. I get them delivered to the house for about $40 for 2000.  Some places around here are selling a tube (75 crickets if you're lucky) for $6. Some of the guys I have fished with use only small (3/4" or less ) plastic grubs.  Even going to 2 lb line , I can't catch fish with them. I put a lot of crickets in the cage when I fish. Hate chasing them around the cage when I run low. If they jump out of my hand onto the ground or the bottom of the boat, good for them, freedom. Wastes too much time chasing them . Redear are supposedly more worm eaters, but using both crickets and redworms/ nightcrawlers, I seem to catch more on crickets. To each their own but I do enjoy catching those big gills.

crickets work best for me i feed them potatoes slices the day before, if i can,t get crickets red worms with no weight or float,i have a 7' ultralite that works great, with cricks you also get other fish,

They also like orange slices.

I mostly dont like fooling with crickets, so I use worms.

nightcrawlers are my choice; i use a big wad and just wait; if the fish pick at my bait too much then i use less on my hook;  with a crawler i can catch just about anything that is in the water and thats what i like more than anything about fishing: variety. good luck guys

RSS

Latest Activity

John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's album
Thumbnail

Ice Fishing 2026

"13th year with the Hummingbird ICE 35 Flasher! Good investment!"
21 hours ago
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's album
22 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

We Finally Warmed Up This Week……2/13/2026

Finally lost a lot of the skim ice on local rivers…..birds were feeling it today…….we’re getting…
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Tungsten Jig Mealworm got hammered

"The rod I'm holding has a pounder rig tied to it. It caught the pseeds and most of the…"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Jiggin Rap Bass

"This got slammed"
Wednesday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Tungsten Jig Mealworm got hammered

"this was the most aggressive small jig biter"
Wednesday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Gregs shiner caught 14.5" Crappie

"About 10" 37-40 turns of the Auger, Jeff."
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Tungsten Jig Mealworm got hammeredn

"Looks like the bass were hungry…."
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Gregs shiner caught 14.5" Crappie

"Nice one Greg! How thick was the ice where you guys fished John?"
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Caught on the shiner/ice rigger setup

"Nice black crappie……looks like several species were taking the shiners….."
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Caught on the ice Rigger with Shiner

"Glad you guys got out John…..aggressive perch….."
Wednesday
John Sheehan posted photos
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

A Picture That Validates the River Guage…….2/5/2026

The normal water level would be the wet spot on the trunk…it clearly shows around five feet of…
Feb 5
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

echo Lake Reservoir Bluegill

"Classic summertime bluegill photo….we all want to get out real bad…..I’ve…"
Feb 4
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Still Trying to Process This Reading ..2/4/2026

We often drop one to two feet during thunderstorms and cold fronts but down almost five feet is…
Feb 4
John Sheehan posted a photo

echo Lake Reservoir Bluegill

Hit the 1/8th oz. Spinner Bait
Feb 4
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Cypress Reflection-8/30/2012

"I posted a picture in this area back in August of 2012……surface temperatures will…"
Feb 2

© 2026   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service