Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

First time poster, long time reader. Love bluegill fishing and it is mostly all I do. I currently use a 7 foot light action bass pro micro light for most of my fishing. I do not use slip floats usually but would like to use them more. Problem is, it seems the guides on this rod are not right for the bobber stops to go through them on the cast. Can someone recommend a rod for this purpose? I am in the market now as I just recently had a long time St. Croix 5 footer break in the door of my truck. I loved that rod and had it for many years. Tiny but a great till and crappies rod that held a lot a of great memories. I do have a 5 foot ugly stick but am not realy happy with it and had earmarked that for my eight year old as I figure even he cannot break it, haha. I have looked at the St. Cross series but not sure if I want to spend that much. So looking for a 5-7 foot, UL for slip float fishing. Any thought?
Thanks,

Dave

Views: 2720

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Here's a thought:
A 7' fly rod, with snake guides.
The guides should pass a stop knot with ease.
Use electrical tape or Velcro straps to mount a reel on the handle.
If you have a bunch of money burning a hole in your pocket, you can get a fly rod mated to a spinning reel seat from a custom maker - some manufacturers are probably offering it, too.
A Tennessee style handle is pretty common in this application.
The fly rod also gives a lot of whip to help launch light rigs and small slip float rigs.
There are several guys here who can do this sort of thing, in fact.

always wanted to try fishing with a flyrod and spinning... i just dont think itll be as sensitive.

It won't, but it'll lob a small bait or rig a nice long way.
For you, sensitivity is important cos you fish far and down, or vertical, most of the time.
With a buggy whip rod, the aim is mostly to fish "fine and far off."

Carl Hendrix does it, come to think of it. And he seems to do pretty good...

and one of the main reasons i love the fly rod is the bend... it is awesome for catching gills. carl does a roll cast with the quill either he is extremely gifted or this requires alot of practice and or both. i want to get that down because it looks like a blast. will i get that feeling with a spin reel attached? i dont know yet will have to give it a try. sensitivity on a float set up well it may not be needed if it is a dedicated setup. the length and bend are there thats for sure

I'd use the smallest reel I could, and affix it as far back on the grip as practical.
A limp and limber line probably helps.

put one of my Lews 100s and taped it on th handle even with the small first guide it casted fine. i love catching gill of this fly rod.they always put a big beautiful bend in the rod havnt been able to fly fish sin ce last year because of arm and shoulder pain. so cant wait to start catching them on this rig. itll be fun. thanks for the tip

Hunt around for some 1/2" Velcro.
The strips could be used in lieu of tape, and the longer cinch wrap type could also do the job.

Or you could hunt up some reel wraps..http://www.coldsnapcover.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_i...

I have seen guys use O-rings also.

what a great idea

after doing a little testing and benchmarking in the backyard i came across a problem with this rig and slip bobbers... the bobberstop every 10 casts or so would lodge in the guides of the flyrod....

so now personally i wouldn't recommend as a slip float setup. fixed floats yes and i think it would be a ton of fun.

As a diehard slip floater, I can attest that some rod guides simply aren't slip knot friendly. And once the knot snags a couple times, it becomes frayed and bunches up.....further compounding the problem.

A REALLY old fashioned way to tie bobber stop knots is with monofilament. It won't fray. It's the first one I knew and I keep a small length in my box just for that. It can be a bit bulky for the really micro gear, as it doesn't compress like the braided Dacron.
Others I've heard of but not tried:
- Silk... an even older thread for stopper knots.
- Dental floss... Cheap and plentiful

This year was the first time I gave the little rubber "football" stoppers a try. I like them - a lot.
I've noticed they come in tiny and really tiny sizes, though.
If you find the latter, stock up. They can be re- used, too, but it's a fiddly bit of work to do it!

RSS

Latest Activity

dick tabbert commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
12 hours ago
dick tabbert commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
12 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Callen and Lucas Are My New Fishing Buddies…..Wyboo Creek, SC…..6/29/2025

"All of my grandchildren’s cousins……..as hot as it was in South Carolina them…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
yesterday
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Callen and Lucas Are My New Fishing Buddies…..Wyboo Creek, SC…..6/29/2025

"That's great! New fishing buddies. I love to take kids. Good for you!"
yesterday
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Monday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"My North Carolina coangler snagged a few Solid Largemouth This Weekend……"
Monday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Monday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Kids kept me the dock all four days of our family trip to Lake Marion…loved it, making memories in the bluegill classroom, that’s who I am."
Monday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

ULBASS

"Crawler pieces, Colorado spinner  and 2" paddle tails caught small Perch and 7-8.5"…"
Sunday
John Sheehan posted photos
Sunday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Saturday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Calm this morning on the lake, finally able to cast to the channel on Wyboo creek. Caught some nicer gills near bottom"
Saturday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Friday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"On a family vacation to Lake Marion, South Carolina…heat wave continues but giving some extended family kids their first taste of fishing….."
Friday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Friday
Bruce Tomaselli commented on John Sheehan's photo
Friday
John Sheehan posted photos
Friday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Under a Dock….6/21/2025

"Appreciate it John…..fish was very shallow roaming looking for herring fry……."
Jun 24

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service