"The Basics for Bluegill" ll

[Stan Fagerstrom]

"The Basics for Bluegill"
By Stan Fagerstrom


Part Two


If you read my last column you’re aware I said a light spinning outfit was a dandy way to take bluegill. I also said once you locate a school of the little buggers you might wind up catching half a hundred without moving your boat.

You won't catch those 50 fish without knowing what lures to pick and how to use them. The most effective small lures I've found for 'gills are miniature plastic curly tailed grubs used behind tiny leadhead jigs in the 1/16th-ounce to 1/32nd- ounce class. The ones you'll need depends on the depth at which the fish are holding. If they are fairly deep, use the 1/16th- ounce head. If they are up near the top, switch to the 1/32nd-ounce head.


Note the tiny jig and grub that this bluegill grabbed.


Whichever leadhead you select, check its hook size carefully. A number 10 hook is ideal for darn near all kinds of bluegill fishing. It's small enough to catch average or larger bluegill, but it's too big for those teensy little guys you don't want to mess with in the first place.

I like to carry at least three basic colors in miniature plastic grubs I throw for bluegill. They are black, white and yellow. I've caught fish on other shades, but these three will usually get the job done. How you manipulate the grub is as important as the color you select. If one color doesn’t get results, switch to something else. Let the fish tell you what they’ll take.

As I've mentioned, once you've got a bluegill school pinned down, stay back and cast to it. Let your jig sink, then start a slow retrieve. Make little flips of the rod tip as you reel. For more than three decades I lived smack on the shore of Silver Lake in Southwest Washington State. The lake was loaded with bluegills. I don't how many thousand I caught there over the years, but it was a bunch. I often fished with a barbless hook to save time and to make it easier to handle the little scrappers.

One shore I fished from now and then was elevated so I had opportunity to observe how bluegill went about taking an artificial lure. I found what they often do is slide up behind a lure. They may follow along with their little blunt nose just a couple of inches behind it. If the lure darts forward like it might be getting away---they dart forward. Then they turn and take the lure going away. That’s why I stress the importance of flipping your rod tip during the retrieve.

It's also important not to fish your tiny jig and worm too fast. If you're not getting hits up near the surface let the jig sink and work it back as slowly as you can without hanging up. The deeper bluegills are, the more difficult it is to detect strikes. Learn to be a line watcher. If you sense a difference in the feeling being transmitted up your line, or if you see the slightest little twitch in your line where it enters the water, set the hook.


A lightweight spinning rod and an open faced reel loaded with with 4 to 6-pound line provides a dandy outfit for bluegill fishing.

You shouldn’t have difficulty finding miniature curly tailed plastic grubs that are such super baits for bluegill. Stay with the really small sizes. If you’re fortunate to get into some spot where the bluegills run larger, and I’ve not found those places often, you may be able to go up in size a bit. Always remember that the bluegill has a very small mouth. Larger worms just won’t get the job done.

Keep the size of the bluegill’s mouth in mind when you select the miniature leadhead jigs you’ll use with your tiny curly tailed worms. Even leadheads as light as 1/32nd-ounce won’t work worth a toot if they come with too large a hook. Again, a Number 10 hook an ideal size.

In my next column we’ll take a look at fly fishing for bluegill. It’s a super way to polish your fly fishing techniques and have lots of fun while you’re at it.