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Bluegills hang out around pretty much anything but anywhere that there will be aquatic and terrestrial insects is going to be your best bet, docks, weeds, brushpiles, coves with mud bottoms all seem to hold bluegill. As for bait and tackle, get a light spinning rod or spincast combo 4 or 6 pound line is probably ideal but the 10lb stuff that's on most spincast combos will work. Keep it simple, but some nightcrawlers or crickets or get some Gulp crickets or crawlers. Put those on a small aberdeen hook, a size 8 is about right, pinch on a small split shot or two, set it under a small spring bobber not a round one, the pole shaped ones are easier for fish to pull under so they're less likely to let go after they eat the bait. Make it about him catching fish. Take an ultralight and toss a little grub or something if you want to fish but him catching fish should be the most important. Take plenty of snacks and drinks and when he wants to go, go. Don't get frustrated if he gets impatient and don't get mad if he keeps getting tangled or snagged. You want to make sure it's a good experience for him because you're fishing for a big one here, a potential life long fishing partner and a way to connect with your son. This is what my dad did with me when I was little and to this day if we can't talk about anything else we can always talk about fishing.

I'm 74yrs. old and never owned a boat. We have 2 dealers in town who sell fishing boats but their inventory is sorely lacking. About 3 weeks back I was at a dealer that sells ski boats and personal water craft (whatever that is). I asked about fishing boats and one guy remembered that they had taken a Tracker in trade. It was a 17.5 Tracker Team Pro with a 60hp. Mercury 4 stroke and Min Kota trolling motor. It looked practically new with just a couple of spots on the carpet. Two days later I made them an OTD offer way under what they were asking. Now I have my first boat I've waited till I got insurance and tags before I take it out for fishing. I'm living with heart failure, neuropathy and bad knees but I have to at least try to see if I can manage the boat and a day of fishing. I'm retired, live alone and I'm absolutely debt free with a small but adequate retirement income. No family within 350 miles and no fishing friends If you can manage it I say go for what you want. We live only once and not for very long. Good luck....be happy.....get your boat and enjoy!!

Thank you everybody! Sounds like the veritas is the favorite. What are yalls thoughts on the Skeet Reese Victory reel?

Good story to read, makes me feel like I was a apart of it. Congrats to your wife!

excellent!!! awesome lunker. WTG Mrs. A-Jay!

I have been waiting to see something big caught from up there. I guess this is the year of PB's for the A-Jay family. Tell Lynn I said congratulations & WTG!

Anyone that mocks a guy for asking any question to better prepair him self should be caught and not released

Bluebasser is spot on. Light spin cast combo with a small bobber, small split shot a little ways above the hook(keeps the worm from blowing towards the surface) , size 8 hook(I usually use eagle claw with my son) and a piece of a night crawler. Just have the hook about 8-12 inches below the water and most the times they are easy to find. Most the times you can see them from shore. Good luck to you and him.

Either Megabass or River2Sea. Can't tell from the size.

I don't have the legs for a skirt.

Trouble with buying a used one you get old data, if you checkout Navionics website they have the Freshest Data and Community Layer programs, what this means is if you get a new chip you get free downloadable updates and a computer app for free, like buying a new chip everytime you plug your chip into your computer

If you search this topic you will read a lot of suggestions for top-water baits for night fishing. In my opinion there is nothing better than a slow moving, noisy, black jitterbug. You can retrieve it really slow and it makes tons of noise and calls fish up an in from far away. Weedlines, brush, laydowns, open water. It doesn't matter. If the fish are there they will hit the jitterbug. Nitro makes a great point about safety. He probably means wearing a PFD, but I'll add to that. It may sound foolish but when I fish at night I wear safety glasses. Fish will hit the jitterbug when it lands in the water or follow it all the way to the boat before trying to smack it. A missed hookset 5 feet from the boat often results in a lure with 6 hooks flying back at you. Don't take chances. Protect your eyes.

That's not true, mine breaks all the time, oh sorry, "brakes" all the time.

I just bought the material needed to make that setup A-Jay, hope they work well.

I'll go with a hunting story. Try climbing into your deer stand that is 20' off the ground, about an hour before daylight, sit down, it's completely silent, and pitch black, and wait for it........... a screech owl perched about 3' away from your head starts screaming!!!! Great time to have a safety harness on.

In any type of angling there will always be a segment of that particular faction that feel they are above it all and look down at other anglers, shore fishermen, or non fishing boaters. There are rude, crude and lewd people everywhere. I don't come in contact with any bass boaters but I come in contact frequently with saltwater boat fisherman,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,they are no better. We got guys out here with 200k boats and 1000 horsepower moving at nearly top speed almost with in yards of other boaters, with no regard or courtesy. They fish for bait with a few feet of a jettie, it's legal (illegal at a pier) but not very courteous to the shorebound guys. The list of I'm better than you" actions are uncountable. An arsehole is an arsehole whether he/she is fishing for bass, trout or kingfish.

If you are walking down the street and pass someone who says good morning, you will have forgotten it by the end of the day. But if, instead of saying good morning, that same person punches you in the face, you will remember that for the rest of your life. MORAL, bad really stands out! Hootie

In the dead of summer when the fish are no longer shallow, or the shallow bite stops, I head for structure in the deeper parts of my lake, looking for channel bends and shelfs, my go to bait is a 3/4 oz Strike King jig with either a Rage Craw or a Lobster.

depends on what lure im fishing i go through plastic the most then depend were im fishing if im fishing in a lot of junk a lot if clear water not too many

Also wanted to say bluegills are on there beds in slack water areas & old creek channels. My friend brought his 5 yr old son, & he was catching bluegill left & right with his zebco 202 with a bobber & crickets!

I was just there last weekend! Smallies, Largemouth, Goggleye, Musky. Done well using rebel swallow wee r craw in natural craw, senkos in watermelon & green pumpkin, 1/4 to 3/8 oz jigs in green pumpkin, & tubes in watermelon candy. Caught several smallies, & goggleye. Caught 2 largemouth, 2 musky.