Thread: How to find decent Bluegill?

Seat time on the water, fishing reports on line, Facebook groups, bait shops. Heard they ran out of crickets here last week at a local bait shop, I do not think they were selling them for the fishermen to eat . Oh, and good electronics will speed up the learning curve.

Follow Ledhed around, he could show you how. Give ya a lesson or two.

All kidding aside, what Stan said is true. Time on the water teaches best. You already have an idea of how to find them, just try something different til you get confident in a presentation. After that it’s just eliminating inactive water. I started crappie fishing, I started with one jig,then got a lighter one just like it. I’m a plastics guy so I’m not much help for using crickets and worms, but I know they work well most everywhere. I also fish alone a lot and notice different things that slip by when I’m talking or whatever when I have a guest. Keep after them, it’s not that hard. I figured em out. Some.

All depends on the body of water you are on.......some lakes are great for big bluegill while many are not. I am not familiar with the waters in KY but in TN big bluegill...meaning 9 inches or better.....are becoming very hard to come by. As others have said time on the water...an si sonar is a huge help. Big bluegill...outside of the spawning time......can be tougher to pattern than bass. One tip I can give for finding big bluegill in the summer is to be on the water about 1.5 hours before sunset. For years and years when I would fish from sunup until sundown I would find them on the banks at that time with the feed bag on. I have been telling myself for years I need to be on the water at those times again but due to the distance I travel, and getting older, I have not forced myself to do it. Another tip I use for summer bluegill is to fish the bluffs on a lake about 30 feet deep. A good tip for winter bluegill is to fish a tailrace. Below many of the TVA dams they stack up there in the winter.


Regards

Ha ha! skeetbum is right! I have had the good fortune to have fished with LedHed several times since 2009, and I have learned a thing or two about catching large Bluegill from him. The one thing he says about where to find decent Bluegill is to FISH WHERE THE BASS ARE. Big Bluegill will be in the same structure that the bass are in. We have seen bass fishermen fish in an area for a while, then leave. When we trolled into that spot we would get hooked up, then stop there and catch more casting and working jigs.

i used to ketch summertime big bluegill in similar fashion to what was mentioned earlier . steep rocky bluff ,deep water and slow fall a tiny jighead with a earthworm on it to DEEP water down the rocks , just hopping it slightly .
same technique on timber in deep water as well .often times the bluegill on timber are right above crappie depth wise .
deep water boat docks also produce nice bluegill in the summer months .
some spots they stay rather deep in the middle of the day around brush and rocks as well .
my 2 cents

Homework - everything Stan says + google map (switch to satellite and toggle back and forth from 2D to 3D). Like Tim mentioned - you have to find a lure/bait that you have confidence in and work it. You have to fish the right water as Randy stated. The fertility & management of the lake will determine the quality of fish. We use to catch bigger fish in the evening bite - haven't been able to do that for awhile. Lake Perris doesn't open until 6 now so we miss the pre dawn bite. I agree with everything Ketchn said - solid advice - actually all the posts (IMO) are relevant to finding better fish.
This applies for SoCal and my style of fishing;
I focus on the food chain (all year). Watch for bug hatches and birds (for baitfish activity). At LP if the Grebes are active they are chasing down Shad or Shiners and if the Swallows or Gnat Catchers are up - there's a bug hatch going on. The majority of the bigger fish that I find come from 17 to 28 FOW (except for winter) in these staging areas. Troll the deeper water (pre & post spawn), outside of the beds, for big hens (please release). I'm also looking for a mud bottom close to a solid bottom in that depth range.
We have to pay attention to water level and surface temp and in my case the wind. More than 3mph - have to sit at home and surf the internet......
I use 2lb test copolymer line (because of flooded timber and brush piles) with 1/48th to 1/24th jigs.

thanks for asking the question. I learned a lot from the answers ! I don't have all the experience on the blue gills as the others but I am making progress on my catching of some gills. I started by spending some time on my water ( Lake Monroe, Fl ) . It is a shallow lake ( 6-12 ft deep ) I look to see where the others are fishing and see if I can find out what they are fishing for and why that area. ( some times I'll boat to the area and just ask the other fishermen, lots are happy to share info) From there I keep trying different things to see what I like best. For bluegills I use worms on a small hook and a split shot slowly dragged over the bottom. I look for a bottom with lots of shell mixed in with the mud in 4 - 6 ft of water. I have been doing pretty good with that. Last week I was invited out with skeetbum and learned a whole new way to fish the river. ( need to work on that some more )

My advise , spend time on the water and don't be afraid to talk to the other fishermen. on the water or at the ramp. Don't ask about their "spot" , just general info , Nobody wants to give up their spot !

Thanks for asking the question. I do a lot of reading on here and have learned a lot. I take what I have read and try to apply it where I am fishing. Some of it works and some of it doesn’t, for me. Like everyone has mentioned, time on the water with a lot of trial and error. There is a heap ton of knowledge right here in this forum.


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