What are your favorite lures for Bluegill and Redears?

[Jeff Soto]

While using ultralight rods and reels, what artificial baits do you use, and what are your favorites and why?

[Damon Toney]

Well, I prefer a bait harness. It's a combination of a hair rig that carp fishermen use and a crawler harness that walleye fishermen use. It bait and lure combined really.

[John Sheehan]

I'd like to see a pic of that rig Damon! I attach  a spinner ahead of a crawler chunk on  a #6,  8 or 10 hook and catch a good amount of Gills that way, as well as Yellow and White Perch  . I use float stops to cinch the spinner as far away from hook as I find is working best .Here's the style rig:

[Slip Sinker]

20151206-Favorite Panfish Baits

Over 90% of my panfish were caught with the tackle contained within this small Plano 3449 tackle box...

1. Drop-shotting and slip-floating the Gulp Waxie...
2. tipping GULP Waxie on the chain n crank
3. 2" Power Minnow
4. not shn "Spring Cricket"  (my tie) lost the last one on a toothy pred
5. and Dick Tabberts Jelly Jig

this is basically all i take with me nowadays either out in the kayak, boat or glove box

 

 

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Small Beetle Spins - size 1 and 2
Micro crawdad crank baits - 1-1 1-/2"
In line spinners - 1/12 - 1/20 oz
"Bean" size crank baits
Micro spoons

[Slip Sinker]

caught one of my top Rock Bass on a orange and black bodied Beetle Spin... great bait

[John Sheehan]

Hey Jeff - My biggest Lure Gills came on a # 2 Spinner and small Rapalas . Late Spring intoSummer .Fishing the spinner with pauses the Gills and Bass like to follow and grab on the fall. Favorite lures for numbers of Gills are a small feather or Squirrel tail jig but they usually have to be tipped with bait for Gills it seems  and Poppers on a flyrod in July and June .In streams I fish  ,Gills and RBS like to hit Burke/Crème bugs .Slim spoons also seem to need bait tipping to entice gills but the profile attracts them I believe .

  I don't see Redears around here in NENJ.

[paul sach]

Rapala mini crank baits, strike King mini cranks, snap beans, the smaller the better ... I've also started using Berkeley nanofil 2-4 lb test line and was amazed at the increased casting distance I'm now getting, no more birds nests, truly an amazing line for UL spinning ...also recently started to use twirl connectors instead of snap swivels much more natural lure action, been away on some health issues but been following this great site as much as possible ...hopefully I'm back fishing big bluegills here in south Florida ...
Paul

[Slip Sinker]

welcome back Paul... nice move on the Nanofil. tiniest of jigs cast a mile

[paul sach]

Oops, that's what happens when you only got one good eye left, you end up missing keys, that should have read swirl, like in Quickswirl swivel connectors, bear with me it may take time but I'll get better
..the connectors are very useful for people with eyesight problems ...Godsent for me ...

[John Sheehan]

I 'll have to look them up. Here they are :https://www.google.com/search?q=quickswirl+swivel+connectors&bi...   I'm curious which style you use and just how they help you .Glad they work for you and sorry to hear of your eye problem .

OH I see Paul this video explains how quick and easy a change of lure is  with the quickswirl connector :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyzocpw0qLY

[paul sach]

John.....very simple to use, just put then connector through the eyelet or lure ring and twist no resistance at all, when taking off invert the process ...I find they don't change the natural action of the lures, especially the ultra tiny mini cranks like the snap swivels do, what's your opinion of the connector ?
Paul
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[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

Crickets for bluegill , worms for red ears.  LOFR