How To Catch Big Bluegills
Most of us have started our "fishing careers" with bluegills and no matter how big the game fish we're going after today are, most of us find the catching of a 1-2 pounder bluegill quite apleasurable experience. Depending on what kind of bluegill you're going after, bluegill fishing may be easy or challenging.
Catching big bluegill, isn't that easy though, it takes quite a little bit of finesse. And here, I'd like to add that the record for the biggest bluegill ever caught hasn't been broken in 62 years. The biggest bluegill was caught in 1950 by T.S. Hudson, in Birmingham, Alabama. It weighted 4 pounds and 12 ounces, quite a monster among the bluegills.
To catch big bluegill there are many aspects to consider, but in this post I will try to reduce them all to a number of 4.
When
The best time to catch a pie-pan-size bluegill is the midsummer, due to the fact that they like the warm water, there's a wider variety of food around, and because it's their spawn time. By the way, the bluegills spawning season starts in the second half of May, or even earlier, if it's a warm spring, and can last the whole summer. In general, bluegills appetie seems to be peaked in waters with a temperature between 65°F and 80°F, and the best time for that temperature is June. So, this would be the best time to try your luck and skills for catching a big one.
When it comes to winter fishing for bluegills, the best periods are at the first ice, and right before the ice-out.
Where
Bluegills can be found in a variety of waters. From small lakes, ponds or creeks, to powerful rivers and water reservoirs. However, you should know that in lakes where largemouth bass are in high numbers so that it affects their population's general growth, it's more likely to catch bigger bluegills.
Big bluegills, in general, prefer to dwell, feed and spawn in deeper waters than the smaller ones. You will find them at the deepest edges of the spawning beds. And even if they usually spawn in shallow waters, for the whole duration of the summer, it's not a bad idea to go after the big ones in waters up to 30 feet deep. If you're having trouble locating them, you can always use a Hummingbird fish finder, especially if you're using a bass boat.
Bait
Maybe the greatest thing about bluegills is that they aren't really picky when it comes to food. They are omnivorous fish, eating almost anything they come across. Although they prefer live food, in case this is scarce, they will also feed on the vegetation. Generally, they like bright colored food. Bright green, white, yellow, orange, red seem to be colors that pinches their appetite. Also, the bait in your hook has to be fresh, so you should examine it once every 2-3 casts and replace it if it's worn off.
Bluegills can be caught with various types of bait, ranging from the common earth worms, grasshoppers, crickets, corn or bread, to sophisticated wet flies. However, the bigger ones seem to be more careful in choosing their meals, being somewhat smarter than the smaller ones.
To catch a trophy size bluegill, it's best to use heavier bait. And the most indicated baits are: leeches, "flower-of-maggots", big green-yellow grasshoppers, dough mixed with powdered milk, or small minnows. A friend of mine uses small bits of raw cow's liver and so far he scored quite many 2-pounders at this bait. However, many times this bait is taken by small largemouth bass.
Of course, you can use lures and artificial flies, but only if you would like a bigger challenge. Bluegills are more difficult to catch with artificial baits.
Gear
When it comes to the rod, bluegills can be caught with almost any fishing pole, starting from a cane or bamboo rod, to a fancy, carbon fiber one. In general, it's best to use a light rod, about 4 meters long, and also a light reel. It should be dark colored though, non-reflective if possible, to reduce its visibility in the water.
Bluegills have quite a sharp eye-sight and they are rather skittish, being easily spooked by a heavier line. Although most anglers use a 4-pound-test line for bluegills, if you're going after a trophy one, you should polish your skills a bit in recovering a heavier fish with a 2-pound-test line. Also, a fluorocarbon line is a great option to go with in waters a lot of vegetation, because it basically becomes invisible to the fish in this type of environment.
It's best to use a small hydrodynamical bobber to oppose as least resistance as possible, or no bobber at all.
Since the bluegills have a small mouth, you will have to use small hooks. However, if you're aiming for a bigger bluegill, they don't have such a small mouth so, a No. 6 or No. 8 hook would be the best choice. Aberdeen-type hooks are the most indicated for the fishing of bigger bluegills.
Finally, if you're fishing on a lake, using a bass boat, you can use a fish finder to locate bigger blueys. A cheap fish finder with Down Imaging, like the Humminbird 570 DI (portable) can improve your results by a lot.
Catching big bluegill, isn't that easy though, it takes quite a little bit of finesse. And here, I'd like to add that the record for the biggest bluegill ever caught hasn't been broken in 62 years. The biggest bluegill was caught in 1950 by T.S. Hudson, in Birmingham, Alabama. It weighted 4 pounds and 12 ounces, quite a monster among the bluegills.
To catch big bluegill there are many aspects to consider, but in this post I will try to reduce them all to a number of 4.
When
The best time to catch a pie-pan-size bluegill is the midsummer, due to the fact that they like the warm water, there's a wider variety of food around, and because it's their spawn time. By the way, the bluegills spawning season starts in the second half of May, or even earlier, if it's a warm spring, and can last the whole summer. In general, bluegills appetie seems to be peaked in waters with a temperature between 65°F and 80°F, and the best time for that temperature is June. So, this would be the best time to try your luck and skills for catching a big one.
When it comes to winter fishing for bluegills, the best periods are at the first ice, and right before the ice-out.
Where
Bluegills can be found in a variety of waters. From small lakes, ponds or creeks, to powerful rivers and water reservoirs. However, you should know that in lakes where largemouth bass are in high numbers so that it affects their population's general growth, it's more likely to catch bigger bluegills.
Big bluegills, in general, prefer to dwell, feed and spawn in deeper waters than the smaller ones. You will find them at the deepest edges of the spawning beds. And even if they usually spawn in shallow waters, for the whole duration of the summer, it's not a bad idea to go after the big ones in waters up to 30 feet deep. If you're having trouble locating them, you can always use a Hummingbird fish finder, especially if you're using a bass boat.
Bait
Maybe the greatest thing about bluegills is that they aren't really picky when it comes to food. They are omnivorous fish, eating almost anything they come across. Although they prefer live food, in case this is scarce, they will also feed on the vegetation. Generally, they like bright colored food. Bright green, white, yellow, orange, red seem to be colors that pinches their appetite. Also, the bait in your hook has to be fresh, so you should examine it once every 2-3 casts and replace it if it's worn off.
Bluegills can be caught with various types of bait, ranging from the common earth worms, grasshoppers, crickets, corn or bread, to sophisticated wet flies. However, the bigger ones seem to be more careful in choosing their meals, being somewhat smarter than the smaller ones.
To catch a trophy size bluegill, it's best to use heavier bait. And the most indicated baits are: leeches, "flower-of-maggots", big green-yellow grasshoppers, dough mixed with powdered milk, or small minnows. A friend of mine uses small bits of raw cow's liver and so far he scored quite many 2-pounders at this bait. However, many times this bait is taken by small largemouth bass.
Of course, you can use lures and artificial flies, but only if you would like a bigger challenge. Bluegills are more difficult to catch with artificial baits.
Gear
When it comes to the rod, bluegills can be caught with almost any fishing pole, starting from a cane or bamboo rod, to a fancy, carbon fiber one. In general, it's best to use a light rod, about 4 meters long, and also a light reel. It should be dark colored though, non-reflective if possible, to reduce its visibility in the water.
Bluegills have quite a sharp eye-sight and they are rather skittish, being easily spooked by a heavier line. Although most anglers use a 4-pound-test line for bluegills, if you're going after a trophy one, you should polish your skills a bit in recovering a heavier fish with a 2-pound-test line. Also, a fluorocarbon line is a great option to go with in waters a lot of vegetation, because it basically becomes invisible to the fish in this type of environment.
It's best to use a small hydrodynamical bobber to oppose as least resistance as possible, or no bobber at all.
Since the bluegills have a small mouth, you will have to use small hooks. However, if you're aiming for a bigger bluegill, they don't have such a small mouth so, a No. 6 or No. 8 hook would be the best choice. Aberdeen-type hooks are the most indicated for the fishing of bigger bluegills.
Finally, if you're fishing on a lake, using a bass boat, you can use a fish finder to locate bigger blueys. A cheap fish finder with Down Imaging, like the Humminbird 570 DI (portable) can improve your results by a lot.