Perhaps it is only in the heat of cabin fever here in the frozen desolation of northern Illinois that one can truly appreciate the little panfish we can so easily take for granted. I'm sure that most all the anglers on this site cut their teeth with bluegill. The are quite possibly the best fish for doing so. They are abundant, readily willing to oblige your requests to put a hook in their mouth (they're not renowned for being picky,) and pound for pound, fight much harder than a bass. This is very important, as having a fish that fights as hard as one a much larger species teaches that most important lesson in angling...how to perennially overestimate the size of your catch. They are quite entertaining too. Simply go see the fish tanks at your local Cabelas during feeding time...a school of bluegill attack and rip apart worms with the fervor of piranhas attacking an injured, bleeding catfish, in a manner often more entertaining than bass eating goldfish. The greatest attribute about this pint sized powerhouse with its indomitable spirit is its loyalty. When bass are busy staring at your lures and guesstimating how much it cost while your are dying of dehydration above water from pitching and flipping so constantly (to no avail), that you have forgotten to drink water, bluegill are always at your rod tip.
Perhaps the only thing that matches their availability is the abundance of ways in which you can catch them...capture crickets, hook minnows, slip on a worm, ball up some Kraft cheese singles, drift a fly, or stop by a greasy fast food chain and thread on some pieces of french fries, there is simply no wrong way to catch them! They can even be quite sporting. Go after the big ones with little paddletail swim baits, or-my personal favorite-use a spinning rod like a fly rod. Yes, you read this correctly. I may occasionally use a water bobber, but tying on a a woolly bugger to the longest ultralight i can find, I'll cast it like a fly rod and strip it. Like I said, there is no wrong way...so have a little fun with it. My new method to catch the giants consists of taking a long rod, tying on a tiny tube, resting the bait on the surface and twitching it like a cricket. There is a certain strictness about bass fishing, a "do it this way and don't look like an idiot," attitude, but at the end of a long day, its nice to a act out your goofiest impulses and ideas and still catch fish. Especially on a fish that tastes better than the bass we devote so much energy to chasing, and that makes themselves so available that in the time it it would take to complete all 42 of your "last casts" before leaving, could provide you and a few friends with a decent meal!
So here ye, hear ye, I say cheers to that loyal little soldier, that pint sized powerhouse, that tireless masochist, and delicious slice of flaky heaven. May you swim strong and freely through the water in life, and battered and tender through the oil in death! I'll be seeing you soon enough!
