What bait for tiny pumpkinseed that won't keep coming off (kids!) 2024

bitsandbass reply :

When I use Powerballs for trout, they are rock solid. I can use them on the same hook for multiple fish. I can even reuse them the next trip. They are more like rubber which is great because they dont come off the hook.

Is there something like that for tiny pumpkinseed or bluegill, that I can put on a #14 hook, that wont keep coming off? I love fishing with the kids, but putting on bait every 5 seconds gets old fast haha.

Thanks.

JacobPollitz reply :

I would just rip of a tiny price of plastic from a soft bait and super glue it right below the hook point

bitsandbass reply :

On 7/2/2019 at 10:54 PM, JacobPollitz said:

I would just rip of a tiny price of plastic from a soft bait and super glue it right below the hook point

Good idea. Would a yum dinger work? I assume it has to have some sort of scent no? They wont just eat plastic right?

looking45 reply :

check out the Zman plastics. You should be able to catch 12-15 fish or more on one boat

bitsandbass reply :

Also, what size hook should I use to avoid gut hooks.

I have a few #14s. They are tiny. And a few #6s, but nothing in between.

Should I get some #10s or will the #14s work? Im just worried they will wolf down the #14s.

WRB reply :

Use a tiny 1/32 oz crappie jig, you don't need bait.

Tom

MAN reply :

I go perch jerking 3 times a week. This has been an issue with me as well. Putting on a piece of soft plastics doesn't work where I fish. I have been cutting up a fresh perch into little little slivers and will at least get a couple of perch per sliver. I am thinking tomorrow about going to the asian market and getting some squid peices. Cut those into little slivers.

bitsandbass reply :

On 7/2/2019 at 11:43 PM, WRB said:

Use a tiny crappie jig, you don't need bait.

Tom

The pumpkin seed in my local pond are tiny. Fit in the palm of your hand. Would a jig work for these?

I dont want the kids to get snagged on the bottom though......

Goal would be to let the kids cast it out, and bait and wait. My son is already doing a pretty good job with a yum dinger & beetlespin. But when the bite is slow, its nice to put them on something/anything, and there are always pumpkin seed around.

WRB reply :

Use a bobber about 18" to 24" above the jig and the kids can figure how move it to attract more strikes. You can add a little scent attractant to the jig to get the panfish to start feeding. The 1/32 oz should work for bluegill and larger size pumpkinseeds, they have either size 10 or 12 hook. Turner Jones micro jigs are only 1/64 oz but may be too expensive.

Tom

Choporoz reply :

Haven't found a durable bait for kids yet.....I resign myself to threading parts of worms the entire time.

Two tips:

- jigs work, but as with hooks, shorter shanks work best for gills - my crappie jigs have longer hooks and kids don't get reliable hooksets

- slip bobbers are awesome

bitsandbass reply :

On 7/2/2019 at 11:56 PM, WRB said:

Use a bobber about 18" to 24" above the jig and the kids can figure how move it to attract more strikes. You can add a little scent attractant to the jig to get the panfish to start feeding. The 1/32 oz should work for bluegill and larger size pumpkinseeds, they have either size 10 or 12 hook. Turner Jones micro jigs are only 1/64 oz but may be too expensive.

Tom

Thanks Tom. Do you mind linking one from Cabelas or BP? There are so many. Thanks man.

bitsandbass reply :

I found some Powerbait Crappie Nibbles?

Are these like rubber? Or do they just dissolve off the hook over time?

Siebert Outdoors reply :

piece of raw bacon works good and extremely tough.

JediAmoeba reply :

Small pieces of gizzard on small circle hooks that are suspended below a bobber works great for my kids. They catch the occasional bullhead too.

WRB reply :

1/32 oz marabou crappie jig in chartruese/black/charteuse should work good for bluegill.

Lots of suppliers including BPS/Cabela's.

Tom

Choporoz reply :

https://www.sliderfishing.com/product.sc?productId=70&categoryId=20

Fishingmickey reply :

I used to use little bread balls. Get some soft white bread. Pinch off a piece with out crust and roll it into a ball. Pop it in your mouth and wet it just a bit so it is smooth then bait the hook. It works really well for small blue gill and perch. I also used them to catch Golden shiners too.

MAN reply :

On 7/3/2019 at 12:14 AM, bitsandbass said:

I found some Powerbait Crappie Nibbles?

Are these like rubber? Or do they just dissolve off the hook over time?

It depends on the batch you get its hit or miss. Some of the jars I bought were playdough consistancy and would stay on the hook for 1-2 perch. And several jars are very dry and just inserting the hook will split the nibbles. I don't bother with them anymore.

Pickle_Power reply :

I would try Gulp! 1" minnows. They are really durable, and should entice any panfish. Thread one onto a 1/32 oz jig, and suspend it 1-2 feet below a float, depending on the depth of the area you're fishing. You can always cut the head end off of the bait to make it even shorter, if 1" seems to be too large for the fish.

It's key to use a very small float. That may be more important than the lure you're using. If your float is too big, you'll spook fish, and they will feel too much resistance on the bite; they will let go before your little ones can get a good hook set.

Don't leave the Gulp! baits on the hook after fishing. They will dry out so hard that you'll have to cut them off the hook with scissors. And the bait will probably cause the hook to rust.

MickD reply :

If you conclude you need bait Gulp little grubs like waxworms work great, and are pretty tough, are clean to handle, don't mess up the boat. What more could one ask for? Really, they do work well.

Munkin reply :

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/berkley-gulp-alive-angle-worm-soft-bait-15bkyuglplvnglwrmlur/15bkyuglplvnglwrmlur?camp=CSE:DSG_92700040934556316_pla_pla-4582627028710782&msclkid=028e4a3af1091161b72f17212b91f0c0&gclid=CMG45qqkl-MCFYb8swodhMgHQQ&gclsrc=ds

I use the little Gulp worms for my daughter.

Allen

Hutch13 reply :

Berkley PowerBait Floating Power Trout Worm are really good and would work on a #6 hook. Pink shad works best where I fish. You can use 1/2 or even 1/4 of a worm and catch pumpkinseed or bluegill . The Johnson Beetle Bou Marabou Jigs 1/32 oz. are pretty good too. I like the Red/Chartreuse/White.

jimmyjoe reply :

On 7/2/2019 at 11:57 PM, Choporoz said:

slip bobbers are awesome

^^^ Yup. That's my go-to panfish setup.

On 7/3/2019 at 12:16 AM, Siebert Outdoors said:

piece of raw bacon works good and extremely tough.

And that's what's below the slip bobber! For another viewpoint, try http://www.wayneswords.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=410:bluegill-tips-&catid=46:bluegill&Itemid=11 jj

thinkingredneck reply :

I tie a jig with rubber legs and a red marabou tail. 1/80 oz with #10 or 12 hooks (not sure). Simple and effective. You can tart them up, but no need. I am convinced that red works best for Bream, and you need some rubber legs. Those are key strike inducers. You can also soak them in Gulp juice, once your kids use up the bait! Hang them under a small bobber or slip bobber.

Sam reply :

On 7/2/2019 at 11:43 PM, WRB said:

Use a tiny 1/32 oz crappie jig, you don't need bait.

Tom

BassWhole! reply :

A black bead head nymph with some smelly jelly on it bellow a bobber.

Bluebasser86 reply :

Blue Fox big crappie jig is my sunfish getter of choice if I need something like that. Not sure if you can still find any of them though.

Brad Reid reply :

I'll be 67 in a few weeks and your OP reminded me of what was a popular "bait" when I was a kid with a cane pole or a Zebco reel fishing for bluegills in Texas stock tanks: a sliver of pork rind.

You can buy a little piece from a butcher, people use it to flavor soups and stews. You won't need much and it can be frozen between fishing days.

Thawed out, use a razor blade to slice off the appropriate size for your hook. You may need a tiny needle to make a pilot hole in the rind then run your hook through it. It can be tough to get the hook through it, like pushing through leather.

Some rind, some fat is best.

Forget about EVER getting your hook back out. You won't be able to and neither will a fish. You'll have to cut the hook off at the end of the day. Ha!

Brad

haggard reply :

Trout Magnet in green/black with the included 1/64 oz jig heads, ultralight rod. Might help casting to add a small split shot a foot up from the lure.

Fishes in trees reply :

The few times that I've seriously went bluegill/assorted sunfish fishing, I bought a bunch of crickets. I used a small long shank sproat style hook, the pre-rigged ones you find in Walmart. I put a small drop of super glue on the shank of the hook and just stuck the live cricket on the hook. After 6 or 10 crickets the hook shank would get kind of gummed up and just tie on a new hook.

The rest of the presentation consisted of a 6'6" ML spinning rod with 6 lb test, a foam weighted bobber and a 1/16 egg sinker on the line. (The loop on the pre-rigged hook kept it from sliding down too far). I could have used a split shot, but the egg sinker was what I had.

You had to experiment with leader length from the bobber. 6' was about the maximum you could throw, I had my best luck (using the bobber) at 2 1/2 to 3 feet. Once you had the school stirred up you didn't need the bobber, just throw in the direction of the school and something would hit it on the drop. Me and a few buddies, fishing in a strip pit with limited bank access, caught several hundred fish.

Anyway, no reason why you couldn't adapt that system to fish with kids. You do it, my tolerance for fishing with kids is VERY limited, I've learned my lesson and I just don't do it anymore.

redmeansdistortion reply :

Trout Magnets work great for panfish, never had much luck with them for trout though lol.

Wildbillb reply :

Small 1/64 jig with a small twister tail. Put a bobber about a foot above. Just have them cast it out and reel it back slowly to the boat.

FishDewd reply :

Power shot rig using the smallest dropshot hook you can find, and a 1/16-1/8 oz weight hanging below. A small piece of nightcrawler as bait should catch several perch no problem. The reason you lose nightcrawlers is from hooksets. With setup you reel in and lift, and most of the time get the worm back. This is my go-to perch rig around pond edges and creeks, and it is deadly effective with a tiny dock demon pole where I can fling the line out underhanded. Don't need anything else but that.

Bob C reply :

I've used Gulp 1" minnows in the past with good results. The ones I bought this year are so soft and mushy they will fall apart putting them on the hook. Appears to be a different formula or possibly a very old batch.

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What bait for tiny pumpkinseed that won't keep coming off (kids!) 2024

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