Bluegill Fishing

[Big Stick Joe]

Hey guys, my son is 5 and he is a little inpatient to try and bass fish so I want to teach him how to fish bluegill, well the only problem is I've never fish for bluegill. So I wanted to get all of your thoughts in this. What size line, what technique, what are the best baits/lures (also include size for lures) when is the best time? Best locations from the shore etc etc. any help will be great.

Thanks guys.

[jslacker]

Try fishing for something else, you'll catch tons of bluegill lol. Worms work the best for me for bluegill...

[Bluebasser86]

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.

[Big Stick Joe]

Real worms or plastic? If plastic, what size?

[NoBassPro]

for lures the sk bitsy minnow or 1/16 oz beetle spin type lures can't be beat if he is up to that. Pretty much cast and straight retrieve works, if he prefers the cast and wait, the worm and bobber is the way to go.

[Big Stick Joe]

Thank you NoBassPro and a huge thanks to BlueBasser86! your post was just what i was looking for, good on you. one question, you said something about a split shot, will that weight cause the bobber to sink? and just to clarify, i place the split shot right under the bobber? I can't wait to take him out, he always ask when we drive by a pond if we can go fishing, he will be excited. I hope i do make a life long fishing partner with him. Thanks again!

[swarrin4]

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.

[Bluebasser86]

Thank you NoBassPro and a huge thanks to BlueBasser86! your post was just what i was looking for, good on you. one question, you said something about a split shot, will that weight cause the bobber to sink? and just to clarify, i place the split shot right under the bobber? I can't wait to take him out, he always ask when we drive by a pond if we can go fishing, he will be excited. I hope i do make a life long fishing partner with him. Thanks again!

The small split shot should be around 6" above the hook to help keep the worm down. Small split shot shouldn't sink a bobber as long as you are using very small weight and a bobber that isn't tiny. A split shot in BB size should work fine.

A bobber like this is perfect, goes under easy and isn't blown around by the wind as easy.

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Premium-Balsa-Spring-Pencil-Float/product/104137/54810

I would suggest live nightcrawlers but small pieces of Gulp nightcrawlers can work very well also and are a little easier to deal with but are kind of expensive for catching bluegill.

[00 mod]

crickets for sure!

Jeff

[mikey5string]

If hes anything like I was or like all the kids ive seen/taken fishing. They CAN NOT let a bobber sit still. They are always reeling it in! ; )

Maybe get a small grub on a jig and put that under the bobber so he can get bit while hes reeling it in.

At 5, he might be a little too young to learn to cast a spinning reel. Maybe just get him one of those push button jobs. They dont last very long but you can teach a kid to use one pretty easily.

[Big Stick Joe]

i have a spincast for him with 6 lb test i think. i re-spooled it for him this past Jan. I remember at wal-mart seeing pencil bobbers. I'll go there and pick them up along with the right hooks. I will try nightcrawlers 1st and see how that goes. At this time i'm nursing a knee injury so this gives me plenty of time to prep everything. Thanks everyone.

[clayton86]

I use the gulp maggots or spikes what ever you wanna call them when I take my 3 year old hes got a cane pole and his sponge bob pole hes good with both when hes focused on fishing and not giving away snacks without a hook to the fish lol. I tried night crawlers but same thing he either threw them in the water or ran around putting them in bushes lol. thats him in my avatar last summer gill fishing he had just turned 2 in that pic. i just set him up with a pencil bobber and a small circle hook hes a catching machine when he wants to be.

[HeavyDluxe]

Believe it or not, we've actually been targeting sunnies lately. They can be a ton of fun on on light tackle.

The methods above sound about right. My 10, 8, and 4 year old and I all fish for them the same way now. We fish 'bobberless' almost exclusively because the big sunnies in our water seem very shy of a float. We use #8 aberdeen hooks right off the StuffMart shelves, and bait them with just about anything we can find. Lately, we've found that they really seem to like chunks of old, beat up Yamamoto Senkos that I've been keeping in the tackle box.

We bite off a chunk, cast it out, close the bail and wait for the ticks on the rod.

The most fun has been seeing the other things that occasionally come in at the same time - like a couple smaller bass, pickerel, and even a small northern. But, the main attraction has always been the sunnies as they are fun and non-stop once they start feeding.

As noted above, we typically find dropoffs a little way from shore - particularly near some sort of cover like lily pads.

[B@ssCrzy]

When fishing for panfish docks and close to shore have been the ticket during the middle of the day. I fish a reservoir so the drop offs are typically close to shore. I always fish with worms, but normally full worms are too big for the sunnies I catch so I cut my worms into pieces. If I use the full worm I find that they strip the worm without getting hooked, but if I use small pieces I can knot the worm up so that the hook is almost buried in the worm ensuring that if they pull on the worm they are going to get hooked. I also find that I prefer redworms to nightcrawlers due to smaller size. I am not going for big fish, just numbers, so my kids get "hooked" on fishing themselves. The other thing I do for my kids enjoyment is to put the fish in the livewell. We then release them when we are done, but it gives them something to do when the bite is a litte slow. They will go and look/play if they get bored, and keeps them excited throughout the day. I might suggest that you go out at least once or twice to spend some time finding the fish yourself. That way you don't go out and catch nothing. That would be a killer. Good luck.

[bassman1997]

Nightcrawlers on a #6 size hook about 8 inches under a small bobber. Make sure the hooks are for panfish, also.

[Jig Meister]

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.

Wow, wish my dad was your dad. He has never taken me fishing, or anything outdoors.

Thank goodness for my older brother, who taught me how to fish, hike, and everything out doors.

Your approach to the whole situation is 100% the way to go about it, good post.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

4-6 lb line, #8 Aberdeen hook (long shank aids releasing), float/bobber 12" above the hook, worm pieces or better yet wax worms threaded onto the hook (this help keep nibblers fron stripping the hook and gets the point in their mouth), 5' +/- ultra light spinning or spincast setup. Target boat docks and lily pad edges. If the sunnies are there and active they'll bite almost immediately. If not move the bait 2' and pause search this way until you find them. When you get bit cast back to same spot. These are schooling fish so you swill likely get multiple catches in one spot. Also, they shool by year class so if you catch tiny ones that's all you'll get in that one spot.