Thread: Help!

Hey guys, my 10 yro grandson is coming for a visit next week and I want to take him Bluegill fishing. Problem is, I've never done it - I fish for crappies and walleye's almost exclusively. Yea, I've caught bluegills by accident, but never actually rigged and fished for em.

Figured I'd use crickets or wax worms on small hooks under floats. But need some advise.

What's the best way to bluegill fish?
What kind of habitate do you look for?
How do you hook a cricket?
Any other advise will sure be appreciated.

i always hook mine in the back behind the head in the hard part of it "shell". use #5 hooks. i always start fishing around trees,docks,rock structures etc. If bream are there they will "take it" pretty quick. I like shallows 1ft to 5ft. i play with the depth until i find them. Crickets and red worms is what i use when i go some days they like one better then the other. Good luck they are a blast to catch.

Originally Posted by crappiepastor

Figured I'd use crickets or wax worms on small hooks under floats.

That's a winning combination. Bread is also a very good (and cheap) bait. Just pinch a piece onto the hook.

What type tackle will your grandson be using? If he's not very experienced, I'd recommend a cane or telescopic pole from 10-13' long. Otherwise, a good spinning or spincast outfit should be fine.

Originally Posted by crappiepastor

Hey guys, my 10 yro grandson is coming for a visit next week and I want to take him Bluegill fishing. Problem is, I've never done it - I fish for crappies and walleye's almost exclusively. Yea, I've caught bluegills by accident, but never actually rigged and fished for em.

Figured I'd use crickets or wax worms on small hooks under floats. But need some advise.

What's the best way to bluegill fish?
What kind of habitate do you look for?
How do you hook a cricket?
Any other advise will sure be appreciated.

Use a slip float... I find it much easier for kids to cast them as you don't have as much line hanging to get tangled. We almost always use jigs I tie unless going after redear. Sometimes we tip them with wax worms or red worms. Cricket's also are deadly, but bluegill pick them pretty easily. I find kids do much better hooking fish w/ worms and waxies. We are still finding gills on beds in my area and I will always hit those first. My second area would be deeper water out from the beds, then I would go to wood, docks, etc. Like was already said hook crickets behind the head in the soft neck area and take the hook out through the crickets rear. Have fun!

He's ten? Remember that quantity is going to ace quality here. Fish the weedlines, even dinks are going to excite him. Have fun, wish my grandson were ten.

Originally Posted by alumacraftjoe

Use a slip float... Sometimes we tip them with wax worms or red worms. We are still finding gills on beds in my area and I will always hit those first. My second area would be deeper water out from the beds, then I would go to wood, docks, etc. !

For bull Bluegills you cannot go wrong with a #6 or #8 hook fished below a weighted float. Tip with waxworms or a red wiggler. Fish weed edges and around shaded docks. Look for bedding areas. Start fishing about 2 feet below the surface and then see what pattern develops. For deeper areas use a Modified Kentucky Rig.

Ship is right...use a weighted bobber...that makes it a lot easier for the kids to cast.

Double your fun get a flash light catch grass hoppers in tall roadside grass the walking will ware him out so he will sleep the nite b-4.