Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

Hi Everyone,
Just had a quick question. I never thought about using crickets before for bluegill but what a great idea. I might have to try it next time I go. Just a quick question.
Where do you hook crickets?
I have never used them before but I am willing to trying it out and see what I can catch. Let me know
Thanks
Scott

Views: 1533

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Scott, crickets make excellent bait for bluegills and all types of sunfish. The gills, crappies, green sunfish, and the pumpkinseed seem to really relish them in the ponds and small lakes I fish in here in Northern Kentucky. The problem is, no matter how I hook them they don't seem to stay on the hook very well. I have tried hooking them on all parts of their small bodies but it has not really made much of a difference for me. Just have A LOT of them on hand. They are great bait and I have caught my share of large gills and the p-seeds with them. Good luck!
Thanks for this topic Scott,Jack and Brian. Never tried crickets. What size Hook do you suggest ?How about a long shank#12?
I've kind of gotten away from useing live bait like crickets but I'm not a dyed in the wool purest yet. Teachin my grandkids to fish has brought me back to the fun of simpler methods. When we fish with crickets I tie on a #6 or #8 sickle hook and hook the cricket thru the collar on the back of its neck. Like Brian said, bring plenty because you'll get your hook cleaned often. When the kids are cricket fishin with me the boat usually fills up with escapees and when they jump ship it brings lots of brim & bass close to slurp them off the surface. Keeps the kids from gettin bored. lol
Good info, as I am thinking of trying crickets this year too!!
Crickets rock! There are lots of ways to rig crickets. The couple mentioned already work well. Here's another to try that I got off a couple local bluegill sticks this year. Simply thread the bluegill on the hook starting at his rump and running the hook point through the body and out his head. The head is the toughest part of a cricket and so the hook holds extremely well by doing this. Very rare to ever have a cricket sucked off the hook this way. The cricket will die in short order, but if you're around a good group of gills, the bluegills will finish him off before the impaling does (LOL).

Adjust your hook size to the length of the crickets when riggin this way. I usually use a slightly larger hook than normal, typically a long shank #8, give or take a size depending.
I catch almost all of my bluegill on a marabou jig and a cricket. The breast plate of the cricket is tough, run the hook through the breast plate and out the back. The bait stays on just fine
Interesting! I wasn't aware of this. Jeremy R. Mayo should be all over this one.
Nobody brougt it to my attention but im goin rite now to the shed to get a cricket and a hook to give a photo demo. IM ALL OVER IT BRUCE! IM ALL OVER IT! Crickets Crickets Crickets.
Good for you, buddy. It was only a matter of time until this website turned to cricket impaling. It IS ratings week however.....
Whats a ratings week? Oh yea did I forget to mention Bruce that it was 74 degrees here today and me and the wifey went out to the dock at the local boat launch and caught us 17 nice gills. Woulda had more but we ran out of crickets! haha. True story. Soft slow bite off the bottom. 9in of swing from weight to line watch for a slidin cork. Bottom fishing leaves no room for the cork to go down. Paying very very close attention is the only way to catch em when its cold.
Greetings Jeremy, I have tried crickets many times with limited luck. I hate bait stealing! Many times I'll have just the head missing. Can't figure it out. I've not heard of fishing them on the bottom. My guess is so you can see better bobber movement. Let me know. Also, what is the best bobber for crickets? I usually catch 1 out of five with crickets and the go to worms or flys. I catch many more gills when I tip my fly with a spike. They stay on forever. The heck with the purist!
Thomas, I haven't seen anything from Mayo for sometime. He dropped his brand new I-Phone or something in the drink awhile back and his wife may have taken away all his electronics.

Let's see if he's just lurking! I'm gonna steal his bait and answer for him. Maybe he'll come out of hiding and nail me.

Fishing on the bottom with a float means the fish will swim away with the bait and the float will slide in the direction of escape. SET THE HOOK NOW! If you are going to mess with crickets, get over your hatred of bait stealing. It goes with the territory. There are more crickets. Most cricket thieves are small. The big boys suck 'em on in down south. I like the skinniest float I can get. Porcupine quills, available at most bait shops and even Bass Pro are great. So are the skinny red and white so called pencil floats. # 8 hook works good and a single "B" sinker makes a real slow descent for the cricket. You still have to get the crickets where the gills are, but when you do, you will see why we like them so much.

RSS

Latest Activity

dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

Goldfish jigs.

"Thanks John."
10 hours ago
dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

Goldfish jigs.

"I hope they work. I do have a couple of other colors which I'll post later. Thanks Jeffrey."
10 hours ago
dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
10 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

The Importance of Steady Water Levels During the Spawn….3/18/2024

This caught my eye at lunch this morning, one of my local rivers has remained at a steady level for…
10 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

Goldfish jigs.

"Very creative mind coupled with excellent craftsmanship…..these are fish catchers Dick!"
12 hours ago
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

Goldfish jigs.

"Excellent work, Dick!"
14 hours ago
dick tabbert posted a photo

Goldfish jigs.

My new tie. Made out of a 1/16oz jig with a #4 hook.
17 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Joe Got a Birthday Present at 8:55……3/17/2024

"Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour has a tournament on the Albemarle the first week of June…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Joe Got a Birthday Present at 8:55……3/17/2024

"These are Joe’s two biggest largemouth bass and I was the only person there for…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Son-In-Law's Personal Best Largemouth......6.5 Pounds.......5/12/2020

"This was Joe’s previous personal best largemouth…..although it may appear larger it…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Joe Got a Birthday Present at 8:55……3/17/2024

"Very shallow John….right where we were catching good crappie numbers…this is only…"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Joe Got a Birthday Present at 8:55……3/17/2024

"He was tickled…..he caught her at 9:00 this morning on an undercut…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Kept a Dozen Fryers…..3/17/2024

"Thanks Slip….this is perfect….mostly smaller males to scale and filet…..I can…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Joe’s First Bite This Morning……3/17/2024

"Thanks Slip…..this brackish water has such a great food supply so all of these fish are very…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's status
"Thanks Slip…….it was one of those spring trips you hope for……this was…"
yesterday
Slip Sinker commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's status
"sounds like a great birthday!"
yesterday
Slip Sinker commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
yesterday

© 2024   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service