Catching "Bull" Bluegills...

If a survey amongst anglers was taken as to what species was their very first fish, odds are the bluegill would be the hands-down winner. These feisty critters are popular with fishermen of all ages, and for good reason. Bluegills are scrappy fighters on light tackle, plentiful in good numbers here in Wisconsin, make for excellent table fare, and are usually willing to cooperate with anglers (regardless of age or ability).

That doesn’t mean catching decent-sized ‘gills worthy of a trip in the livewell is a cinch. Small ones come easy, but getting the big bulls takes some research and work to find. For starters, bluegill lakes do have characteristics in common. First, while some quality bluegill lakes are truly shallow, the presence of deep water is usually a necessity when looking for an ecosystem to sustain numbers of large ‘gills.

A strong predator base is a second critical factor. Bluegills have a tendency to overpopulate and remain small unless predators like largemouth bass, northern pike, or muskies are present to thin their ranks. Biologists will tell you that angling pressure can also impact whether big bluegills are present.
Finding big ‘gills begins with a quality lake map. When starting out, look for shallow, weedy bays with deep water in close proximity. Start by fishing the inside edge, especially earlier in the season; if you are not finding quality fish, use a MarCum underwater camera or your Humminbird sonar to search for deeper submerged weed beds and begin exploring. Depending on water clarity, productive weed beds may be relatively shallow or quite deep.

Every weed bed has an inside edge, outside edge and a top edge. Add to your understanding of the layout of weeds by slowly moving around the edge watching your Humminbird sonar and GPS. Note the turns and points that serve as fish holding areas and use the wind. A high-quality sensitive rod like a 5’ to 6’9” St. Croix ultra light in their Panfish series is an absolute delight to use when chasing big bluegills; light bites are telegraphed more noticeably by using a good, quality rod. Spool up an Abu Garcia Cardinal spinning reel with 2-6 pound test Sufix monofilament fishing line and you’re almost ready to go.

Try targeting shallow fish by casting and swimming light Mister Twister or VMC jigs or use a slip-bobber rig. Your odds of success will exponentially go up by tipping your jigs with a small chunk of nightcrawler, a whole wax worm, or a few maggots – bluegills, especially the “bulls”, have a soft-spot for live bait. Begin by casting parallel to shoreline weed edges or structure and once fish are found, switch to a slip-bobber rig. To avoid line damage (since using such light line), try using a small rubber-core sinker or soft split-shot to balance the float so the rig is properly balanced and subsequently will detect light bites.

Bluegills are fine quarry for fishermen and fisherwoman of all ages. Please practice selective harvest and respect the resource – future generations are counting on all of us! I’ll see you on the water…

Tight lines,