Usually I curse bluegill because they often take my bait as I real my line back in from deeper water, and I've never caught one of a decent size. All that changed last weekend in Missouri when Intimidating Minnow and I fished in an old quarry that had some nice bluegill keepers!
The trick to catching the bigger bluegill that I found worked best for me was to add a weight onto my leader line. This enabled me to sink my bait quickly past the small fish and into the holes where the bigger bluegill were lurking. In no time we had 19 bluegill, after a number of smaller ones were tossed back. We didn't keep track of who caught how many fish, so we're planning on a few mutual fish dinners this winter to even it out.
The fillets are pretty small, as you can imagine, but they are a great addition to the freezer. And as a non-game fish with no possession limit, the more the merrier.
Image credit: Intimidating Minnow
The trick to catching the bigger bluegill that I found worked best for me was to add a weight onto my leader line. This enabled me to sink my bait quickly past the small fish and into the holes where the bigger bluegill were lurking. In no time we had 19 bluegill, after a number of smaller ones were tossed back. We didn't keep track of who caught how many fish, so we're planning on a few mutual fish dinners this winter to even it out.
The fillets are pretty small, as you can imagine, but they are a great addition to the freezer. And as a non-game fish with no possession limit, the more the merrier.
Image credit: Intimidating Minnow