Bluegill bonanza

How to catch panfish as big as dinner plates

Trophy bluegills, like this 2-pound-plus catch, are among the wariest and most difficult to catch of all sportfish. It can be done, however, by employing the right techniques in the right waters.
Trophy bluegills, like this 2-pound-plus catch, are among the wariest and most difficult to catch of all sportfish. It can be done, however, by employing the right techniques in the right waters.

Catching bluegills isn’t difficult. These scrappy panfish are not especially wary, and small ones will forgive even the most slipshod angling techniques.

Catching big bluegills — those that weigh 1.5 pounds or more — is a different story altogether. When a bluegill reaches the size of a man’s hand, the fish has been around long enough to be considerably more guarded than its smaller counterparts. By the time it’s the size of a dinner plate, the bluegill is one of the most cautious creatures in fresh water. Only the most skillful anglers are savvy enough to entice it to bite.

It can be done, however, especially if you follow these tips.

Fish the right waters

The primary key to catching trophy bluegills — and I can’t stress this enough — is fishing the right body of water. You could fish many lakes that produce thousands of 1-pounders annually without ever catching a 1.5- or 2-pound fish. Trophy bluegill waters are special waters with an excellent forage base and near-perfect balance of predators (like largemouth bass) and prey (bluegills and other small fish).

One way to pinpoint trophy waters quickly is to phone the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and ask to speak to a fisheries biologist familiar with your local bluegill waters. A few questions presented to the right individual could help you find several choice locations.

Social-media sites such as Facebook can also help. Look for friends posting photos of extra-large fish, and see if they’ll share where the fish were caught. If the friends are stubborn, a bottle of bourbon or a new fishing combo will sometimes loosen their tongues.

Fish quietly

Small fish tolerate an amazing amount of disturbance — a paddle banged against the boat, a fallen tackle box, squeaky boat seats. But big bluegills won’t abide the slightest bit of commotion. At the first hint of danger, they disappear into the depths. It’s important, therefore, to be attentive to noisy distractions. Wear soft-soled shoes in your boat. Arrange gear so there’s little chance of accidentally creating a disturbance. Fish slowly and “quiet as a mouse.”

Fish at night

In some waters in summer, the largest bluegills feed primarily at night, just like catfish. You can sometimes catch them on spinners, small topwater plugs and other noisy or vibrating lures. But live baits like small minnows or nightcrawlers usually are best for enticing heavyweights after dark. Lively 2- to 3-inch minnows are especially good because bluegills exceeding 1.5 pounds often turn from a diet of invertebrates to a diet of small fish.

Fish on the bottom

Big bluegills tend to take a position below the rest of a school, usually on or very near the bottom, even in shallow water. A tightline bait rig is one of the best for catching these bottom dwellers. Thread a small egg sinker on your line, and,below it, tie on a barrel swivel just large enough to keep the sinker from sliding off. To the swivel’s lower eye, tie a 2- or 3-foot leader of light line tipped with a long-shanked Carlisle hook. Add a small minnow, cricket or other live bait; then cast the rig and allow it to settle to the bottom. When a fish takes the bait, the line moves freely through the sinker with no resistance to alert fish to a possible threat.

The best lures are ones that also can be worked on or near the bottom. My favorite is Road Runner’s Natural Science Trout & Panfish spinner, which I’ve used to catch several bluegills at or exceeding the 2-pound mark. The 1/32-ounce size is small enough for small-mouthed bream to inhale, and the spinner blade rotates quickly, even when the lure is retrieved at the snail’s pace usually needed to entice these persnickety panfish. I’ve found few lures as effective for trophy bluegills.

Fish naked

No, not you. Your fishing line. When heavyweight bluegills are persnickety, one of the best ways to tempt them is stripping your terminal tackle away to the bare essentials — nothing more than a baited hook. No sinkers. No floats. No swivels. No terminal tackle of any kind except a quality-made, sharp-as-the-dickens No. 4 or 6 Carlisle hook on which is impaled a lively cricket, small minnow or small piece of worm. Without any weight except that of the hook, the bait sinks very slowly, fluttering about as it does. Hog ’gills find such baits irresistible. You’ll have to watch your line very closely as the bait sinks, looking for any slight movement indicating a hit. But when regular tactics fail, this one can save the day.

Fish fresh

If the tactics here don’t produce, employ some fresh, new ideas. Use a different bait, try a new rig, or visit another fishing locale. Trophy bluegills are among the wariest and most difficult to catch of all Arkansas sportfish, but innovation often leads to success.

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