Reply With QuoteThey will but rarely. Try beetle spins with an ultralite. Its more fun and they usually produce bigger fish just not as many as crickets normally do.
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Keeper
Will big Bluegills bite a small live minnow?
I was wondering how to try after some larger gills. Has anyone ever fished for gills or redear with small minnows? Crickets are just landing me fish after fish in the same medium size range, thought I would try something new, thanks
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They will but rarely. Try beetle spins with an ultralite. Its more fun and they usually produce bigger fish just not as many as crickets normally do.
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Bill H. PTC USN Ret
Chesapeake, Va
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I think the size of the bluegill you catch is more dependent on where you're fishing rather than your bait. The smallest bluegill I ever caught was taken on a maggot, and the biggest bluegill I ever caught (11.5") was taken on a maggot. The pond where I caught the big one just has a lot of big gills in it.
Look at a bluegill's mouth. Although they will grab big baits occasionally, their typical fare is small. I think they're more bug-oriented than trout.
Keep the crickets and try a new lake/pond.
Keeper
The two largest bluegills I have ever caught were on small minnows in a strip pit, along a weed line about 4 feet deep.
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I have caught some nice ones on minnows, but not many. Sometimes it's hard to get a hook set, because they have a hard time getting them in their mouth. I wouldn't take minnows to target just gills.
Guppy
TRy leeches
I have gotten some of my biggest gils using leeches. But they might be hard to get here in florida. Most of my panfishing was in NY/PA.
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Nightcrawlers are my bait of choice for gills. The size of the fish you'll catch is a matter of location rather than bait - just as deathb4disco said. If you fish a spot that has a gazillion 3" gills hanging around, you're only going to catch 3" gills. I wouldn't wast my money on minnows if I was going after gills - like was mentioned above, gills will have trouble getting both the minnow and the hook into their little mouth and you'll end up, feeding fish instead of catching them.
Now, I get tons of gills on crappie tubes, and beetle spins (using twister grub bodies). I catch the bigger gills when I'm trying to find where the crappie are holding.
Slabmaster II
I've caught gills on minnows while crappie fishing but like the others said I wouldn't waste minnows on them maybe try fishing deeper.
Crappie Wall Hanger
It would be a slow bite if you target gills using minnows.
But, I've been getting some nice gills on 2.5" paddletail grubs that look like a minnow and with the small jighead, the gills have to eat 2"s of the grub to get to the hook. If they can get the bait in head or tail first, just as long is the hook isn't too big.
I would stay with worms, crickets, grasshoppers, grubs, maggots, for live bait.
Is you're looking for something on a cast and reel, any plastic tubes or grubs from the 1"-2.5" is work. Even adding a beetlespin in the mix will work just great.
But, I've found that gills like eat artifical minnow baits before they will eat a live minnow. I know it sounds weird, but it's my oppservation.
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