Summer Bluegill/sunfish Fishing 2024
The_fisherman reply :
Hi. We have several pond with murky water around the area I live. I've been catching bluegill/sunfish/panfish in June, but not nothing bites. Any advice on tackle, rig, bait, location, etc., would be appreciated.
P.S. I use black chartreuse grub with gold sparkles, red/chartreuse tubes, small artificial minnows (kind of like the fluke) - everithing is 1 1/2 inch. Some times I rig it with split shot, sometimes with jig or spinnerbait. And also I've tried powerbait.
Catch and Grease reply :
I am by no means a experienced bream angler but I do go every now and then... I may be complety wrong but it seems like the blue gill start biting when its the middle of he day and hot outside..... That would be my only tip haha
aavery2 reply :
can of worms, small hook and a split shot, you will catch as many as you want
Jar11591 reply :
On 7/27/2014 at 3:26 AM, Catch and Grease said:I am by no means a experienced bream angler but I do go every now and then... I may be complety wrong but it seems like the blue gill start biting when its the middle of he day and hot outside..... That would be my only tip haha
I agree with C & G. I've done much better with Bluegill and Pumpkinseed during the middle of the day when the sun is shining. And nothing beats a tiny piece of night crawler on a long shank hook.
Jigfishn10 reply :
When the dog days of summer hit and the bass bite is tough, I would tie up some Royal Wulffs and take my 5 weight fly rod and would have a blast catching em.
Kevin22 reply :
I just got done fishing for a week targeting panfish. 3 man limit using a drop shot with a gulp mini earthworm wacky rigged on a #10 fly hook. Just drop the weight to the bottom and shake the slack until you feel the fish suck it in. Caught a 3 man limit of bluegill (only keeping the 8"+) and several nice crappies doing that.
The best bite was first thing in the morning, just as the sun was coming up. Then they went deep mid day, out to 12-20'.
Hyrule Bass reply :
4th of july weekend i went to smith mountain lake, and discovered my new favorite bream bait as far as artificial go. Trout Magnets. the bream were killing them, even caught a bass on it. i was using white, pink and yellow trout magnets. even tried silver and gold colored hooks. the bream didnt care about any of that though. im going to get a true ultralite rod and reel and use smaller line on it to cast those things further. theyre perfect for panfish
STPC reply :
I don't think there is anything more productive for bluegill than a small cigar float, 3/32 split shot and some gold Aberdeen hooks. Just find out how deep they are and hope you have brought enough crickets. Like C&G said, the warmer parts of the day are when I have had the most success as far as numbers go; however, b/w 7-9pm during the summer is when I have caught some of my largest.
I love bass fishing and all, but when the bite is dead, I'd rather catch some bream. At least they will keep me entertained for hours on end.
The_fisherman reply :
On 7/27/2014 at 6:34 AM, Red Earth said:Trout Magnets.
How to fish that thing? Like a regular jig or just cast and shake it?
Catch and Grease reply :
Idk about you guys but I loooove using these things called glow bugs at night.... Its this little fly looking bug lure that sits on top of the water and glows the bream will Crush them! At least the couple times I've went out night fishing then they have!
Idk if the actual name is glow bugs, my friend gave me some in a zip lock bag and called them that so I assume that's what their called....
Kevin22 reply :
I should have stated in my post that we did find tons of fish shallow midday. All small. 6-7" fish. Lots of guys fishing for them and keeping them though. We stayed out in 8-10' early then moved towards the 20' range (almost the middle of the lake) as the sun got high. Most people just went down the shoreline filling livewells with 7" fish and bragging at the resort of all the fish they caught.
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 7/27/2014 at 7:41 AM, The_fisherman said:How to fish that thing? Like a regular jig or just cast and shake it?
well, techinically i guess the hooks are small jig heads. but you can basically fish it anyway you want to.
you can let it fall to the bottom(if it gets there without being ate) and hop it along the bottom or drag it. you can swim it, you can yo-yo it, really doesnt matter. it was perfect size for bluegills mouths and none swallowed it amazingly...
Lund Explorer reply :
Rat Finkies in Glow colors with a wax worm.
The_fisherman reply :
Okay, went fishing today. I used worms and a bunch of soft plastics. Not even a single bite within 8hrs! Any ideas?
ww2farmer reply :
I took my kids bluegill fishing today. #8 VMC spinshot hook, 1" Berkley gulp minnow, 1/2 oz.......yes 1/2 oz. drop shot sinker (kids need a heavy sinker to keep the bait down) We dropped to marks we saw on the graph in 12-18' feet of water, and from Noon-4 pm this afternoon we had a 50 fish limit of nice 8" eaters, and threw back 3 times as many shorts. I don't know of an easier way in open water. Even when they are shallow, you just cast the drop shot up shallow, it will out fish a bobber/worm 10:1. And it works from ice out to ice up.............provided you are around fish. If 5 and 9 year old girls can handle it, you know it's simple.
The_fisherman reply :
I bank fish small ponds and it's not not deep at all. And i live in NC. Water almost boiling during the summer. I was using 2" grubs and minnows. As well as bread, sausage, nightcrowlers, etc.
STPC reply :
On 8/1/2014 at 7:45 AM, The_fisherman said:I bank fish small ponds and it's not not deep at all. And i live in NC. Water almost boiling during the summer. I was using 2" grubs and minnows. As well as bread, sausage, nightcrowlers, etc.
^^^I don't see any crickets in your list! Crickets, man, crickets!!!
The_fisherman reply :
i guess I should try it and call it summer fishing last resort.On 8/1/2014 at 9:10 AM, STPC said:^^^Crickets, man, crickets!!!
Kevin22 reply :
I found the bluegills yesterday in 8-12 FOW. Drop shot with the gulp mini earthworms produced again. Caught probably 60 as fast as I could drop it down.
BasshunterJGH reply :
I've been having quite a few 50+ fish panfish days this summer and they seem to bite best in the middle of the day. I use panther Martin spinners; slip bobber rigs w/ almost anything from the fridge, bread, pickles, hot dogs, corn, etc. and worms. I also catch a lot of catfish on those setups. BTW I've been fishing in nebraska and coloardo. Much better pan fishing then Ca where I live.
The_fisherman reply :
Ok, if I use the same bait and gear you people use, why in the world nothing bites? I can't figure it out! May be longnose gars ate them all. We have a lot of gars in our ponds.
Kevin22 reply :
You haven't found the fish. Panfish aren't everywhere.... like bass, they only hang in certain areas.
Superdumper reply :
Rebel cricket crank!!!! With four lbs test it's a blast. And bass well jump on it too!
Nicky Greece reply :
On 7/27/2014 at 6:28 AM, Kevin22 said:I just got done fishing for a week targeting panfish. 3 man limit using a drop shot with a gulp mini earthworm wacky rigged on a #10 fly hook. Just drop the weight to the bottom and shake the slack until you feel the fish suck it in. Caught a 3 man limit of bluegill (only keeping the 8"+) and several nice crappies doing that.
The best bite was first thing in the morning, just as the sun was coming up. Then they went deep mid day, out to 12-20'.
This is a great method! Otherwise I will use a #8 or #6 baitholder, a split shot 3-4 inches above that, than a light bobber about 1 1/2 feet above that... Catch them all day long! I guess I should add either a piece of crawler or redworm on the hook...
Crestliner2008 reply :
We've been doing well drifting over the 23' main lake basin. The gills suspend about 3' down and the crappie are right there underneath them. We got 77 today between the two of us. Two dozen were large gills. Most productive, casting or drifting, was a 1 1/2" clear sparkle tube.
Slipknot_Fan666 reply :
There's a little grasshopper crankshaft that you can get from Wal-Mart and it never fails to catch bluegill for me.
The_fisherman reply :
There's a little grasshopper crankshaft that you can get from Wal-Mart and it never fails to catch bluegill for me.
Any particular color? Or as long as it looks like a grasshopper it will work?
Slipknot_Fan666 reply :
Any particular color? Or as long as it looks like a grasshopper it will work?
I believe it only comes in one color. I got mine in a three pack from Rebel I believe. It had a popper, grasshopper crankbait, and crawdad crankbait. I have it on my dad's ultralight and they tear it up.
BasshunterJGH reply :
Got into some very fat bluegill this summer! Caught em on panther martins. I put bread on the treble I don't know if it helps much I think makes them hold on longer though.
BasshunterJGH reply :
Fat!
BasshunterJGH reply :
Another one of my favorites. She was almost as wide as she was long!
desmobob reply :
My favorite "relax" kind of fishing is float tube fly-rodding for bluegills and pumpkinseeds with a 2-wt. fly rod. With a yellow foam spider on a floating line or a small wooly bugger on a sink-tip or sinking line, you can have a ball wherever you find them.
I always carry an old Mitchell 310 UL spinning reel spooled with four-pound test mono on a TFO Gary Loomis signature edition UL spinning rod in the bass boat, along with a selection of small Beetle Spins, jigs, grubs and spinners. When the bass fishing is slow, or I want a change of pace, I start fishing for the panfish. I've caught some big surprises on those Beetle Spins!
Tight lines,
Bob
Hyrule Bass reply :
Rebel cricket crank!!!! With four lbs test it's a blast. And bass well jump on it too!
even better is the Rebel tad fry, i dont think they make them anymore though, not sure. its really small with only one tiny treble. imitates a tad pole and has a little bb rattling in it. i got one a few years ago and havent seen them since.
Any particular color? Or as long as it looks like a grasshopper it will work?
i believe he is referring to the rebel crickhopper. its a cross between a grasshopper and cricket, and yes they make them in multiple colors. the mostly all green one has been the best for me for over 20 years. but if they fish wont bite nothing youve listed, especially the live bite, its unlikely to work. my best advice would be to find different water to fish, sounds like that pond there is dead...
FrogTastic reply :
If you're looking to catch big bluegills, check out my guide. It's called Frogtastic's Guide to Bullgill Fishing. Yes, bullgill. It means bull bluegill
SirSnookalot reply :
Some great bluegill information, don't think I could spend hours exclusively fishing for them.
The_fisherman reply :
Never had luck with Beetle Spins. May be I didn't fish it right?
John G reply :
Go to WalMart and buy a loaf of their cheapest white bread. Make little bread balls just big enough to cover your hook and hang on!
BasshunterJGH reply :
I've done that before! Works great.Go to WalMart and buy a loaf of their cheapest white bread. Make little bread balls just big enough to cover your hook and hang on!
bassacre reply :
Crappie nibbles weightless on the smallest hook you can find. Peel off 10 or 12 foot of line on a 5 or 6 foot ultralight and swing it out there. Watch it drop, the line will jump if a bream picks it up, if not pull it up and cast again. Really fun for fishing bream bed honeycombs.
new2BC4bass reply :
Never had luck with Beetle Spins. May be I didn't fish it right?
I don't think there is a wrong way to fish Beetle Spins. Personally I almost always pulled off the twin-tailed grub and replaced it with a small Mr. Twister ribbon-tail grub. Make sure you are using a small enough lure. They will hit a larger bait, but can't get it in their little bitty mouths. No idea how they think they can swallow a 10" worm. 
new2BC4bass reply :
Hi. We have several pond with murky water around the area I live. I've been catching bluegill/sunfish/panfish in June, but not nothing bites. Any advice on tackle, rig, bait, location, etc., would be appreciated.
P.S. I use black chartreuse grub with gold sparkles, red/chartreuse tubes, small artificial minnows (kind of like the fluke) - everithing is 1 1/2 inch. Some times I rig it with split shot, sometimes with jig or spinnerbait. And also I've tried powerbait.
I bought a 7'2" Light Fenwick River Runner strictly for panfish. 1/32 - 5/16 oz. 4-8# line. Also a 7' 6" 3wt. flyrod. Find the fish and they will hit anything they think they can eat. I've never tried dropshotting, but it sounds like a lot of fun for panfish.
2farmer, thanks a ton for the information. Fishing locally sucks even for panfish. Where I take my grandsons is heavily pressure with people keeping about everything that hits. Maybe I can get them into an area not so pressured and get them hauling in some fish. I know they would become fishing partners if I can just get them catching something.
*Hank reply :
Drop shot rigged nightcrawler always works.
Catch 22 reply :
Back when I had a pond I would bring home road kills and hang them on a pole above the water line .Once the maggots developed and started falling into the water the gills would swarm the area for a live meal. It was fun to watch.
Dye colored maggots are a well known bait by ice fishermen.
C22
Hyrule Bass reply :
Some great bluegill information, don't think I could spend hours exclusively fishing for them.
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