My future bluegill setup!

[Maison]

Ok guys, I've been Bluegill fishing for a while with my bass pole setup with a 10 pound testline and been looking stuff up and this is a terrible setup. So im going to buy a whole new setup and i'd appreciate if you tell me if this is good before I buy it, so here it is!
Rod: Light Graphite Shakesphere Uglystick
Reel: Light spinning reel
Line: 4 pound Fluorocarbon test line
People say this is a awesome setup for bluegill fishing but I dont know in experience so please help me out! :D

[Bluegill Chaser]

I see everyone mentioning ultra-light or medium-light rods, why is no one mentioned light rods? I've always thought of them as panfish/trout rods and I've been extremely happy with a 6'6" light action rod paired with a Shimano spinning reel I bought on sale using 4lb flouro.

[Maison]

Yeah, my rod im looking at is 4' 8" so.... Ill keep looking

[IceWarriorGill]

Hey Maison, If you're goin for true monster Bull Gills and you tend to do alot of Shoreline fishin (fishin from shore)--you may want to consider a 7 foot rod as recommended by Walt and one that is medium light action!!! I recommend Medium light versus Ultra Light action as I've been burned too many times by Bull Gills which bend the Ultra light "noodle" rod and pull drag into heavy shoreline brush--if you put too heavy a drag on the ultra light action rod then they break your line almost immediately and there's no backbone in many of the ultralight rods to bring them in if you find yourself in a place with heavy shoreline brush or other underwater barriers!!! On the other hand, a good Medium Light Action rod (depending on the model of course) should have plenty of sensitivity to feel the lightest of bites and will have plenty of backbone to land that Monster Gill or occasional 20+lbs Catfish that finds its way onto your line (I've caught a 40lbs Flathead Catfish on my Medium Light Berkley Cherrywood Rod with 4 lbs test line with drag set properly--I was on a boat in the middle of a pond at the time so the Big Guy luckily had no major obstacles to hang me up or break my line!!!) Hope this info helps!!! Tight Lines!!!

[Jim Gronaw]

Hey Maison...as you get into panfishing, you will find that there are a variety of rod and reel combos that are better suited for different needs and situations. I currently own about 15 'panfish' rigs that vary in length and lb test to accommodate a variety of situations. Consider...

Short ultra light out fit...4 1/2 to 5 1/2 ft graphite rod, small-spool (diameter) spinning reel with good drag , 4 lb quality mono or 6 lb Fireline Crystal with a 6 lb fluoro leader. Good out fit for close combat stuff with few or no submerged hazards to get hung up in or lose a fish...good small water/pond setup.

Medium length spinning...7 or 8 ft graphite rod, Wally Marshall Crappie Series at Bass Pro has a good selection from 30 to 50 bucks. Small spinning reel with larger diameter spool may hold 6 or even 8 lb test to hoist slabs from submerged cover. You can cast a 1/16 oz jig a long way with a good rig like this if you scale down to 4 lb test.

Longer, Euro-Style rods of 9 to 11 ft for either long pole dabbling in shallow, woody structure or serves well for long distance casting from shore. Again, a larger spinning reel with a good drag system and capable of holding alot of line is good. Longer spool designs allow for more thin mono and longer cast ...a soft action rod with Fireline Crystal or Trilene Sensithin in 4 will toss jigs and live baits a long way. Ultra thin tip on many of these rods simply 'load up' on a strike from a winter crappie or bluegill hovering over structure.

Basically, these are the 3 catagories of outfits I use for panfishing. Hope I didn't confuse you!

[mike rowden]

Jim, I'm sure glad you gave all that information. I am new at this and have had many questions answered on this site but still not catching every time out. I use a 7ft. Eagle Claw ultra light. Is that too soft?

[bryan morris]

I used shimano reel 2500FD one spool 6 pound p-line one spool 12 pound p-line

l used a 7' ML rod

can be used for bass and blue gill

[John Sheehan]

I like the ugly stick I have for light crankbaits...but its not my choice for worms or small baits and hooks

[George Hogoboom]

I prefer a 7 to 10 ft. ultra light rod with the reel and line you are fixing to get.Nothing better than a good sized Bluegill on a long light rod for fun action!!

[Dan Gwaltney]

Whatever will get your lure of choice out to where you want it, and give you a good tussle in the bargain is a good rod. ;-) My favorite is a 12 foot crappie pole with some guides and an ultralight spinning reel. One that I plan to reactivate is my very first rod, which I bought with my very first paycheck. It is a solid glass rod with very little taper, and it is square, rather than round, and has an offset handle. I bought it out of ignorance in about 1960 or 61, but it turned out to be a keeper. It is heavy in weight, but very light in action. As soon as I get some new guides and some sort of a reel on it, I'll post a pic. The point is though, you never know how a rod will work out for you until you try it. You'll probably buy a few duds, but you'll soon learn what to look for when you're shopping, and just what sort of action suits you.

[Rocky Martin]

I am in the process of having two rod makers create a 20 and 25 foot old style rod. The older cane/rod and that type of pole used to screw the sections together with brass couplers into the ends of each section of rod. I have talked two American rod and material makers into trying to make a prototype for me. I'll let you know how they work in the future. I know they were great fun in the past. I used this type of rod when I was a kid and caught many may nice fish. They are simple and extremely easy to use cast and great on windy days.
Da-Roc
Rocky Martin

[Jeff]

It depens on how you want to fish. If you fish with a bobber then you can get by with about any type of rod as long as it can handle fairly light line. I drift fish often with jigs or live bait. That requires a rod with much better feel [Sensitive]. Most ultra light rods don't provide enough feel for this. I agree with others that a medium light rod is a better choice. I use a St. Croix Avid 6'6" medium light rod for this and I can feel every weed, rock, bottom, stick, and light bites. The only problem is it is very expensive.

[Mark McKinney]

i use a 5' fenwick hmg ultra light rod with a abu garcia 300 reel and it is very sensitive rod one of the best sey up i ever used,and the ugly stik ultra lights r a very good rod reel for the money we use them alot wading the creeks