Thread: Blue Gill/Panfish Rigs

Originally Posted by Dgonzo85

Hi,i got these two fishing poles and both reels are spooled with 4lb line with 7' light action rods.What rig can i use from shore to catch blue gill and pan fish?Are there any still fishing rigs i can use instead of using a bobber?What lb line should i use?Where i fish,Lake perris,i've seen this guy with a bag full of blue gills he caught from shore but i couldn't see his rig setup.I did see he was using light action outfits.He was using crickets for bait.

I'm jealous, you get to fish one of the premier bluegill/panfish lakes in the entire country. I've seen some photos of fantastic gills/redears coming out of there. I'm not opposed to artificial baits because they do produce but I'm old school. I fish here in Indiana for redear and bluegill by fishing directly on bottom with good red worms. I'll use a small sinker and a #4 Aberdeen long shank wire hook and let it sit on bottom. On a typical day, I'll have this setup on two poles and the other pole will have a slip float either suspended at a certain depth or laying over on it's side indicating it's on bottom too.

I find that fishing on bottom allows me to catch more redear, which is what I'm targeting anyway, and the bluegill I do catch, seem to be bigger than most. I'd fish Lake Perris the same way if I were you, throw it out in 8-10 foot of water and get ready! Tip-put two lively red worms on the same hook, BIG redear and bluegill are greedy. Crickets don't hold well enough on the hook IMO, so I seldom use them.

Originally Posted by redearhoosier

I'm old school. I fish here in Indiana for redear and bluegill by fishing directly on bottom with good red worms. I'll use a small sinker and a #4 Aberdeen long shank wire hook and let it sit on bottom. On a typical day, I'll have this setup on two poles and the other pole will have a slip float either suspended at a certain depth or laying over on it's side indicating it's on bottom too.

I find that fishing on bottom allows me to catch more redear, which is what I'm targeting anyway, and the bluegill I do catch, seem to be bigger than most. I'd fish Lake Perris the same way if I were you, throw it out in 8-10 foot of water and get ready! Tip-put two lively red worms on the same hook, BIG redear and bluegill are greedy. Crickets don't hold well enough on the hook IMO, so I seldom use them.

Its a pretty safe bet that the larger bluegill are in deeper water. Fishing on or near the bottom, in 6-14 feet is the thing to do in the warmer seasons, say, late in the spawn and into summer (even deeper in the winter).
Regardless, they arent usually inthe shallows during daylight, unless there is plenty of shady cover. It's best to look for deeper water where it draws close to weeds and cover close to shore.
From the bank, early morning and late evening is your best bet for catching the big fish as they transition to evening feeding in the shallows.
I like to use a slip float, too, suspended about a foot off the bottom around structure or deep pockets.

Nice.Thanks.Ill be fishing for bluegill at perris lake in the summer more often.

The southern pro tiny worms have been working well for me on the bluegill, especially last year. I havent been out much this year, but they usually work.

Im also interested in the Berkley Gulp products. Ive yet to use any of them.
http://8f253ang9l8p0u956gu508l622.hop.clickbank.net/

Lake Perris 03/28/11 124th belly spinner chub jig with a cricket. We fish UL jigs all year long - just change the depth.

Attachment 58264

Originally Posted by LedHed

Lake Perris 03/28/11 124th belly spinner chub jig with a cricket. We fish UL jigs all year long - just change the depth.

That is a gorgeous gill. You mostly use 2# line?

dbd

Like the Yo Zuri Hybrid green 2lb - use to use Tecton.