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: 1681

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Try this for the black cricket supplier. Dump all your unused crickets at the end of the fishing trip in your yard somewhere. They supposedly only live a 12 day life span anyhow, and feeding and watering them till next trip is usually an effort in futility. I started freeing mine and I'm starting to see tons of black crickets everywhere now. Then send the kids or grandkids or neighbors kids out on a science gathering mission. There are usually 2 or 3 under anything you can turn over . Instead of paying them to do it, charge them 3 cents a cricket for the cricket hunting fee. Even if they don't catch gills as well as the store bought kind, THEY PAID YOU!
Jeff, I'm thinking the gills see your backward bouncing cricket jig as a tiny crawfish. Do you usually fish in 10 ft water or less? I think of crawfish as shallow water fish food. I don't know why I think that, I could be wrong.

I'd be interested in seeing your cricket jigging in action. How about a video of the hooking, the tackle, the casting, the tells (I've never fished a jig).
Yes, that's the reason that I started hooking them backwards. But with the Bluegill that I have cleaned and checked their stomach contents, almost all of them had the remains of something very dark, probably aquatic insects and worms and most definitely damselfly and dragonfly larva, which I think the backwards crickets might resemble more so than crawfish. I don't think I have yet to see any crawfish remains in Bluegill stomachs. I have seen them in Redear Sunfish though.
I've never been much into autopsies but I might start. Now what about the depth of water you usually fish and that action movie I heard you were gonna' star in? "CRICKET AND THE JIG HER LOW".
We usually fish no shallower than 8 feet, especially now with all the summertime weeds and moss. The "average" depth where I have caught most of the large BGs is maybe about 12 ft. But we fish on down into 20 to 30 ft sometimes too. As for a video, it would be fun to make one, but I do much of my fishing from a float tube, so it will be a little tough to do.
Ok Jeff, I understand hard to video by yourself and fish too. I just posted a new discussion you might find interesting. How To Make A Hat Cam.
Oh Man, just get Ultra-lite about 6-lb test line,a small Thrill cork, a small sinker add cricket and HANG ON FOR DEAR LIFE!!!!!!!!
Scott, stick the end of the bream hook in his HINNY-HOLE and thread it through him and imbed it into his HEAD from the inside ,this is a Guarenteed set up, i use it in the river lake and boy do they pound him!!!!!!!!!

RSS

Latest Activity

Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Wanaque river Crappie

"Below is a sample of what I call a cricket spin…my belief is that the rubber legs a ways…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

1st2026Pickerel 43.7 WATER TEMP

"Pickerel and Bluegill are my only open Water 2026 fish so far, Jeff.! Hope to get on the Perch,…"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Grabbed a paddle tail swimbait in 44.7 degree water

"I wanna stay on this and see and hope activity improves."
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Kept Twenty-Three Fish on Sunday……3/20/2026

Nice mess of medium gills and some tuxedo crappie…
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Monster River Crappie….How Do You Do……3/23/2026

"Released to fill the thrill again!"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Crappie Was Still The Top PlayerToday…..3/23/2026

"It was 64.2 on Monday but it has fell back to 60 today after two nights in the…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Wanaque river Crappie

"I love this…….we throw a cricket spin more often than a beetle spin but both are very…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Grabbed a paddle tail swimbait in 44.7 degree water

"My surface temps are right around 60 degrees today, down a few degrees from Monday before the cold…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

1st2026Pickerel 43.7 WATER TEMP

"Nice….you’re still bundled up but it was cold down here this morning…"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Wanaque river Crappie

"Yes Jeff ! Using old school nostalgic Baits ramps up the enjoyment for me! Brother Greg too."
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Crappie Was Still The Top PlayerToday…..3/23/2026

"Nice! What water temps you getting?"
yesterday
John Sheehan posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

My First Crappie With a Spawning Scar……3/23/2026

This is an indication to me that these fish are getting very tight to shallow wood so I wanted to…
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

My Very Next Cast Was a Nice Black Crappie at Sunrise….3/23/2026

I felt real good about the fishing ahead of the cold front but kept waiting for the big winds to…
Wednesday

© 2026   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service