Bluegill fishing rigs

[AnimeFANatic]

Hey everyone, what rigs do you use for catching bluegill? Other than the usual bobber setup, which is the only one I'm really familiar with. I recently found out that BIG bluegill stay in deeper waters, but I am a bank fisherman so I'm not sure how I can reach them. Please share your rigs with me! :D

[chaunc]

Use a sliding bobber setup and a long rod. It will allow you to cast out farther and fish deeper from shore. Try sliding your stop knot up your line until your bobber doesn't stand up. Reel in and slide your knot down toward your bait about a foot and cast again. Keep doing this until you find out how deep the water is and then fish about a foot or less off the bottom. Doesn't take long to do this. Make sure you have enough weight on your line to hold the bobber low in the water. Makes it easier for the fish to pull it under. Just one of many ways you'll find that works from shore.

[dixieangler]

A weighted float (when using a float) might add enough weight to get a cast further out when fishing live bait (freelining without a float I use split-shot or small egg weight) but I add a small egg weight above a lure (like a beetle spin) for farther casts and to get the lure down.

[AnimeFANatic]

I use weighted floats, but they are not the slip sinker type so I can't get the bait down to the bottom. When freelining do you just put the bait on the hook and add a split shot and just cast the bait out? Do bluegill feed off the bottom? And when adding an egg weight to a lure such as the beetle spin do you have a snap swivel stopping the eggweight from hitting the lure? thanks

[dixieangler]

When freelining do you just put the bait on the hook and add a split shot and just cast the bait out? Do bluegill feed off the bottom? And when adding an egg weight to a lure such as the beetle spin do you have a snap swivel stopping the eggweight from hitting the lure? thanks

1st question: Yes. Split-shot or small egg weight about an inch or two above the hook but sometimes higher if I want the bait to move around a lot.

2nd question: Yes, but they will bite at any level of the water column.

3rd question: No swivels or snaps. I thread the egg weight on the line and again thread the end of the line back through the same entry hole so I can slip the weight up or down on the line (sort of a slip loop) but I usually just butt the egg weight down directly in front of the lure. It will not slide down over the armature/spinner of a beetle spin but it might on other lures and that's why I use a slip type loop on the egg weight so I can adjust the weight.

[fishindaddyo]

I like to swim sweet corn in on a snelled hook either with or without a "thill" type bobber. Without the hookup tends to be with larger 'gills. The biggest thing is to use fresh canned corn or frozen b/c it stays on the hook better and increases hookups. With day old corn it tends to fall off when splashing down or gets nibbled off by the smaller gills. I also like to add my weight before the snell so it gets the bait farther out and allows it to float off the bottom as I reel it back. remember this isn't crankin so take your time reeling back.

[AnimeFANatic]

3rd question: No swivels or snaps. I thread the egg weight on the line and again thread the end of the line back through the same entry hole so I can slip the weight up or down on the line (sort of a slip loop) but I usually just butt the egg weight down directly in front of the lure. It will not slide down over the armature/spinner of a beetle spin but it might on other lures and that's why I use a slip type loop on the egg weight so I can adjust the weight.

I assumed that when the egg weight is directly in front of the lure it would effect the action of the lure. Also another question about freelining, isn't it better to have the bait suspended or do they feed off the bottom just as well?

[dixieangler]

I assumed that when the egg weight is directly in front of the lure it would effect the action of the lure.

No. A beetle spin or other spinner or lure performs normally for me when I rig the small egg weight with the slip type loop I mentioned just in front of the lure.

Either way but it would largely depend on which way they are biting. They may want the bait suspended just above the bottom or directly on the bottom. I would start off directly on the bottom and if they don't want it that way, switch to suspending it above the weight.

[AnimeFANatic]

switch to suspending it above the weight.

What kind of rig would you use for this? A surf leader? Drop shot? 3 way swivel? And would you use a circle hook to prevent gut hooking since you're not using a float as an indicator? Sorry for all the questions

[dixieangler]

1st question: Yes. Split-shot or small egg weight about an inch or two above the hook but sometimes higher if I want the bait to move around a lot.

Aka suspended after adjusting:D