So you want to catch the biggest bream swimming in your favorite Arkansas lake or pond? That certainly won’t be easy, but it’s sure to be a fun challenge.
When a bluegill or redear sunfish gets to be the size of a man’s hand, it’s been around long enough to be considerably more cautious than its smaller counterparts. By the time it’s the size of a jumbo tortilla, it’s one of the most alert creatures in freshwater. Only the most skillful anglers are savvy enough to entice one to bite.
If you want to give it your best shot, nevertheless, try the dozen tips that follow. A combination of these fishing techniques will put jumbo bluegills and redears at the end of your line more often than not.
1. Fish quiet
Small bream tolerate an amazing amount of disturbance — a paddle accidentally banged against the boat, a fallen tackle box, squeaky boat seats. But big sunfish — 9-inch-plus fish — won’t abide the slightest bit of commotion. At the first hint of danger, they disappear into the depths.
Be especially attentive to noisy distractions when fishing for big bream. Wear soft-soled shoes when fishing from a boat. Be sure all gear is carefully arranged so there’s little chance of creating a disturbance. Fish slowly and “quiet as a mouse.”
2. Fish thick hard-to-reach cover
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Big bream hide where few anglers fish, growing fat in nearly impenetrable sanctuaries of dense brush and vegetation. By using a long pole to fish jigs or live baits in the heart of seldom-fished cover, you can often catch several trophy-class bluegills and redears, even under the toughest fishing conditions.
Head for the thickest, out-of-the-way cover you can find — dense stands of willows, midreaches of lily-pad beds, hard-to-reach pockets in big brushy treetops and so forth. Then position your boat so you can reach far beyond the outer edge of cover. Fish without a bobber, pulling the bait up tight against the tip of the pole, then releasing it when you’ve worked the pole to a small opening. A 10-foot pole works OK, but a 12- or 16-footer gives extra reach, eliminating excessive boat movement.
3. Try a belly boat
Trophy bream not only hide in dense cover; the really big ones are often found in out-of-the-way waters where vehicle access is difficult or nonexistent. Belly boats provide an ideal means for sampling such waters, which, because they’re lightly fished, often harbor larger-than-normal populations of jumbo sunfish. Put a belly boat in a small backpack with a small tackle box full of hooks, sinkers, bobbers and jigs. Grab your ultralight rod and reel, and you’re ready to hike in for adventure.
4. Tempt ’em with topwaters
One- to 2-inch topwater plugs resembling natural bream forage such as grasshoppers, small crayfish, little frogs and tiny shad are excellent for catching cagey bream lurking beneath lily pads. Cast the bantam plug to an opening in or beside the pads; then let it sit, with only an occasional twitch to ripple the water’s surface. A curious sunfish, if one is close by, will soon rush in to hit the lure.
5. Give ’em a spin
Small spinnerbaits cast and retrieved very s-l-o-w-l-y are great search tools when fishing unfamiliar waters and trying to pinpoint locales harboring oversized bream. My favorite is Blakemore’s Natural Science Trout & Panfish spinner. The 1/32-ounce size is small enough for dimple-mouthed bream to inhale, and the spinner blade rotates quickly, even when the lure is retrieved at a snail’s pace. I caught my biggest bluegill — a 2-pound, 4-ounce whopper — on one of these spinners.
6. Fish at night
In some waters in summer, the largest bluegills and redears feed primarily at night, just like catfish. Catch these fish on lures like small spinnerbaits, or use a hook, weights and bait with no bobber. Use one or two split shot to carry the bait down; then keep a finger on your line to detect a pickup while tightlining.
7. Fish deep
If your catch consists primarily of little bait-stealing bream, move to deeper water nearby. Small bluegills and redears aren’t particularly angler shy, but heavyweight fish prefer deep, dark, cool sanctuaries where they feel secure from surface disturbances.
8. Fish light
Though it seems contrary to commonsense rules, big bream are more likely than small fish to gently nip a bait rather than smacking it with a hard-hitting strike. That being the case, lightweight, sensitive equipment is a must. Use an ultralight spinning outfit or graphite jigging pole with a soft, sensitive tip. This allows you to lift up slightly and watch for the slightest bend in the tip that indicates a fish has taken your bait. Though few anglers use it, 1- or 2-pound-test line will produce many more big bream than heavier line.
9. Fish on the bottom
Big bream, especially big redears, tend to take a position below the rest of the school, usually on or very near the bottom, even in shallow water. A tightline bait setup is the best choice for taking 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 cricket hook. Add your favorite 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.
10. Fish in waders
Giant bluegills and redears often hide in areas inaccessible from a boat, especially on lakes with lots of shallow, flooded timber. To catch these fish, dispense with the boat and don a pair of waders. Walk slowly and quietly in shallow, brushy backwaters, using a long pole to place a bait in front of feeding fish. Watch closely for swirls in the water indicating actively feeding fish.
11. Fish smart
The primary key to catching trophy-class bluegills and redears is knowing the right body of water to fish. To pinpoint these waters quickly, phone the Fisheries Division of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and ask to speak to a fisheries biologist familiar with waters where these species occur. A few questions presented to the right individual can help you find several choice locations where there’s a good chance of boating a lot of big bream.
12. Fish fast
If you’ve followed all the tips outlined above and still aren’t catching big fish, keep on the move, trying new locations until you find your quarry. A common mistake is staying in one place too long. If big bluegills and/or redears are present and feeding, they’ll usually let you know right away.