BLUE GILLS

Depending on what are you are from - they are also called brim, bream or coppernose. Whatever part of the country you live in, bluegills have different names. In some parts of the country they call the bluegill "sunfish" or put them in the "panfish" category.

The picture on the left is a huge bluegill that Cailub caught himself last year on his first open-faced (spinning) reel. It was a beauty and he was so proud. (we were too.) Monster bluegills are out there folks! The world record bluegill was 5 lbs 7 oz and was caught in South Carolina. Wow.

In the summer, they will bite on a lot of things. Use bait like worms, flies, live crickets, a kernel of corn, spinners and much more.

In the winter when we ice fish, we use wax worms and red worms when jigging and can catch them anytime of the day. Here's a quick bluegill fishing tip: If your fishing at dawn or dusk try using a bright and colorful bait like red or orange.

They run in "schools" of 27 (just kidding, normally it's 20 to 30 or so). They spawn in June and this is when the males are on the spawning bed, protecting the eggs. Some of the males will change their color to match the females, and then the "guarding males" aren't aggressive towards them. Slick. Then they enter the nests and spawn.

These fish are known for stealing bait off the hook, but I personally think that perch "rule" in this category.

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Depending on the size, they are often used as bait for larger predators like the musky, walleye and northern pike.

Do you want to learn how to catch them? Following are some bluegill fishing tips to net the big bluegill. Here are the items you basically need:

Rod and Reel
Night Crawlers
Fish Hooks
3 lb test line
bobbers
small split-shot sinkers

Don't forget your stringer and net. Get your children out and fish for blue gills on a lake where they are known to live. They will love it. Who knows, you may have the next professional "fisher person" in the rough.
Do you know what a spawning nest looks like?

Bluegills prefer clear and quiet water on a sunny day. (I do too!) After they are done spawning and the weather is warmer, you'll find them "hiding in the weeds" where it is cooler and abundant with food.

Because bluegills prefer to stay in shallow water (under 9 feet), it's easy to fish off the shore or bank. On the lake, you will normally find bluegills under a fallen tree and in weed beds.

In the spring and the beginning of the summer, they can be found in shallow water. Remember that the males are protecting the spawning bed, they bite on smaller lures at this time. When we are in the heat of the summer, fall and winter, blue gills are found in deeper water (over 10 feet).

The bobber you want to use for fishing should be light enough for the gillies to pull under, and large enough to keep your bait afloat. You may use one or two split-shot sinkers approximately 2 to 2-1/2 inches above the hook, (use a number 8 fish hook) so the fish can see it down in the water. If it is too light, you will have the bait floating, and if it is too heavy, it will pull down on your bobber (and we can't have that).

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The bobber should be able to hold your bait at least 2 inches off the bottom of the lake. After you cast and the bait is sinking to the bottom, make "jerking movements" as it cascades down. This gets their attention fast. By the time the bait reaches the bottom, most of the time you will already have a fish on the line.

If the bobber is jerking up and down a little, you have a fish nibbling. If the bobber starts moving away from you or the bobber is pulled under water; set the hook. (Pull up!) If you set the hook too hard, the hook will be ripped out of their mouth. Now walleyes are different, but I will get to that on another page.

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