Summer tip: bring Bluegill to YOU!

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Well... sorta. You still need a boat. But anyway... I found this in a book search online. I just hadda share:

 

"Catching bluegills during the spawn is easy - they are predictable, easily found and will hit almost anything. But once the Dog Days of summer come around, and the bluegills move to deeper water, they can be hard to find

Heres a trick to help stir up those bluegill and bring 'em to you Drop a rope of colorful pennants (the kind car dealers use) in an area likely o hold bluegill or perch. A weight on one enf will keep the pennants from drifting away and a jug float on top will mark the spot.

Now -  leave for an hour or more. 

The bright flags attract the panfish and keep them in the area until you return. Fish around the flags with small jigs or live bait, either anchoring over the flags or casting from a short distance away."

 

How about that!

 

[Bruce Condello]

I'd love to hear some discussion on this.  Maybe somebody needs to run a "test".  Very interesting.  I've never heard this before, but it sounds plausible.

[Bruce Condello]

"Quickie" structure.  I would assume you'd still have to be close enough to them for the bluegill to find the device.

[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

 Well, go ahead and sink some chemlite sticks on it too so they can see it from a distance, chemlite also should work down in those iceholes.

[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

   Next drop a hose to the bottom with the last12 inches being soaker hose and  hook up a cheap 12 volt air pump to increase the oxygen level in the column. With lights , oxygen, chum, colorful flag structure the only other thing you need is an underwater camera to watch them, what else could a bluegill need beside a big fat cricket on a #8 long shank hook.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Exactly! Who needs fishing when you can practically have them jumping in your lap!

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I think Bruce has hit on the core of this technique - "quickie structure"

It also seems to take advantage of another of the bluegills traits - curiosity. Bright colors, moving flags, and the simple fact that it is out of place, well - all this ought to be a draw for them. They are visually oriented, like all of the sunfish clan. Seems logical.

Where to get the flags is maybe an issue. Car dealers might have a stash of them lying around, but you dont see them used as much as when the book was written. They do appear from time to time, so just keeping your eyes open might turn some up.

And instead of just a floating jug, why make it into a slow release chum dispenser?

[Dwayne Denison]

Mike, sounds good, heck I will try anything to catch more fish. I love ideas like this. Do you happen to have name of book? sounds like one I need to add to my collection.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

The book is

"Freshwater Fishing Tips: 300 Tips for Catching More and Bigger Fish."

You can also see a portion of it on google books here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=-GFEaT0Y2n4C&pg=PA99&lpg=P...

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Michael,

About the book, you are probably right. Its weird to me to look at those pictures and realize they are at least 30 years old... and then some of us might consider them "old tricks."

 

I was talking about this to a buddy of mine and he said he has piled trash like cinder blocks and brush off the docks at his lakeside retreat. He also chums, using mainly dog food. He said the one thing that would bother him is the possibilty that people will set up on your "Pennant Fish Attractor."

As we talked about it, I asked what he imagined people will do when they see your pennant floats and you are gone for the hour or so required to build a population of brim around the rigs.

"I reckon anybody who sees the jugs floating will come to investigate - stuff floating on the water always draws attention, you know?"

"Thats right," Jerry replied. "Couldn't you just see a coupla dudes in their boat, anchored up on your spot when you get back? Somebodys' gonna be totin' an ass whoopin' about then!..."

I think I may have  a solution, though. Here in South Carolina, you must mark any jug rigs for catfishing with your name, address and fishing license number. They must also be color-coded, white for the first half and yellow for the second half of the month they are in use. Since it is not a violation to place attractors or chum ("You can '...feed 'em all you want!" to use Jerry's words), it seems prudent to use that to your advantage.

This is because it IS a violation to molest or otherwise disturb other peoples' jugs when you find them. So marking them as obviously yours and for your use, might keep any nosy opportunists away until you return.

I'd motor out and set a few of them over the side before the morning fishing session. Then, after an early lunch and a little nap, tool on out to them and see whats biting!

 

 

[jason grimm]

You might be a Red Neck, if your fighting over who's fishing jugs who's!

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

You might be a Red Neck, if your fighting over who's fishing jugs is who's!

Aint no doubt about it :-)

[bill]

Just offset your marker jug by, say, 50 yards due north of your planted flags.   Just set up over your flags and let the claim jumpers watch you pull in fish after fish whilst they get nothing.