NWI-Bassin' Posted June 30, 2013 Posted June 30, 2013 I recently got back into fishing after 6 months of giving up . But theres this lake 10 minutes away from me with nice sized bluegill as weel as smallies and an occasional large mouth . Well , I need a rod for catching bluegills and crappie too. Any recommendations?My guess would be an UL but im not sure. Also , what are a few of your top baits for catching Bluegills.. Thanks! Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted June 30, 2013 Global Moderator Posted June 30, 2013 Pretty much any UL or light action rod will work for bluegill and crappie. I prefer a longer rod with a parabolic bend to help fight fish on the light line it takes to cast light baits. Most any small lure will work well for gills and crappie, and the occasional bass. My favorites are a 2" grub on a 1/32oz jighead, a 2" tube on a 1/32 or 1/16 ounce jighead with a small jig spinner arm, or a small jig like a Lil' Nipper in a 1/32 or 1/64oz suspended under a bobber and fished with small twitches. Quote
Super User Tuckahoe Joe Posted June 30, 2013 Super User Posted June 30, 2013 My wife and I crush bluegill with pieces of worms on size 8 hooks under a bobber. Its usually literally a fish every cast. She also caught a pretty nice size one on an SK Bitsy Minnow last time we went out. Quote
Bigbass37 Posted June 30, 2013 Posted June 30, 2013 There is a rebel crank bait that looks like a cricket.......I think its called the crick hopper. This is an awesome bait to catch bluegill and the bass. Sometimes even big bass. You can reel it really slow and it just makes a ripple across the water. Its a key bait! 2 Quote
NWI-Bassin' Posted June 30, 2013 Author Posted June 30, 2013 Pretty much any UL or light action rod will work for bluegill and crappie. I prefer a longer rod with a parabolic bend to help fight fish on the light line it takes to cast light baits. Most any small lure will work well for gills and crappie, and the occasional bass. My favorites are a 2" grub on a 1/32oz jighead, a 2" tube on a 1/32 or 1/16 ounce jighead with a small jig spinner arm, or a small jig like a Lil' Nipper in a 1/32 or 1/64oz suspended under a bobber and fished with small twitches. What size rod should i be using as well as line.? Quote
Hyrule Bass Posted June 30, 2013 Posted June 30, 2013 There is a rebel crank bait that looks like a cricket.......I think its called the crick hopper. This is an awesome bait to catch bluegill and the bass. Sometimes even big bass. You can reel it really slow and it just makes a ripple across the water. Its a key bait! im a fan of the crickhopper, bluegill will eat it off top or hit it on the retrieve, plus bass love it too. but theres also another lure that Rebel makes that i like for bluegills even better. Its the Rebel Tad Fry. i kill the bluegills on one. but honestly, live crickets are probably the best bluegill bait ever, even better than night crawlers which is what i use most frequently... Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted July 1, 2013 Global Moderator Posted July 1, 2013 What size rod should i be using as well as line.? Whatever length rod you feel comfortable with. I have several UL and L rods for different applications. My favorite is actually a 6' 8" L dropshot Crucial rod. It launches little baits and is extremely sensitive. For a purely fun fight I have a 6' Avid UL that makes almost any size fish feel like a monster. I'd suggest something in the 5' 6" to 6' range for most applications and a good, limp 4-6 pound mono. 1 Quote
Super User tomustang Posted July 1, 2013 Super User Posted July 1, 2013 I use a 7' ultralight moderate action rod, it's has a much better reaction for the smallest fish which makes them feel a lot bigger. 1/32-64 bright jig head with 1"-2" dark grubs are my go to. Also tie on flies. I use 4lb to 6lb mono/copoly line Quote
Super User Tuckahoe Joe Posted July 1, 2013 Super User Posted July 1, 2013 im a fan of the crickhopper, bluegill will eat it off top or hit it on the retrieve, plus bass love it too. but theres also another lure that Rebel makes that i like for bluegills even better. Its the Rebel Tad Fry. i kill the bluegills on one. but honestly, live crickets are probably the best bluegill bait ever, even better than night crawlers which is what i use most frequently... Reading this last night reminded me that I had one of these in my trout box that I never use. Went out this morning and before I headed back to my car I decided to toss it in the spillway where there's always a ton of bluegill. Maybe it was just dumb luck but it seemed like it attracted the bigger fish. The average panfish I get out of this creek is about half this size. Also got a red-breasted sunfish about the same size. Quote
wademaster1 Posted July 1, 2013 Posted July 1, 2013 Light or ultra light are my favorite rods for panfishing......live bait: crickets, nightcrawlers.......artificial: Rebel Crickhopper Popper and any small cranks... Quote
Hyrule Bass Posted July 1, 2013 Posted July 1, 2013 Reading this last night reminded me that I had one of these in my trout box that I never use. Went out this morning and before I headed back to my car I decided to toss it in the spillway where there's always a ton of bluegill. Maybe it was just dumb luck but it seemed like it attracted the bigger fish. The average panfish I get out of this creek is about half this size. Also got a red-breasted sunfish about the same size. nice, you should try the rebel tad fry as well. when the bass arent participating i have no problems going after bluegills, the tad fry is an awesome bait for them... 1 Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted July 1, 2013 Global Moderator Posted July 1, 2013 nice, you should try the rebel tad fry as well. when the bass arent participating i have no problems going after bluegills, the tad fry is an awesome bait for them... I've caught tons of gills, crappie, sunfish, bass, even some catfish on that tiny little bait. A little light for casting very far but with some good, light line it does alright. 1 Quote
NWI-Bassin' Posted July 2, 2013 Author Posted July 2, 2013 What size reel? I'm looking at a shimano sahara .1000 or 2500. Going to put it on a bass pro micro lite. 6 foot or 6 1/2? Quote
Super User tomustang Posted July 2, 2013 Super User Posted July 2, 2013 What size reel? I'm looking at a shimano sahara .1000 or 2500. Going to put it on a bass pro micro lite. 6 foot or 6 1/2? Go with the 1000, it is good enough to have 110 yards of 6lb line and 140 yards of 4lb, plenty of line capacity Quote
NWI-Bassin' Posted July 2, 2013 Author Posted July 2, 2013 Go with the 1000, it is good enough to have 110 yards of 6lb line and 140 yards of 4lb, plenty of line capacity What about the sedona . it's cheaper and has good reviews. Quote
Super User tomustang Posted July 2, 2013 Super User Posted July 2, 2013 What about the sedona . it's cheaper and has good reviews. It's a nice reel too, it is bulkier and a bit heavier. What you can do is try them both with the microlite rod in-store and see what balances out better for you. My preference is more of comfort and would go a longer way than saving $30. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted July 2, 2013 Super User Posted July 2, 2013 The longer the rod, the further the cast. I have no brand preference on panfish rods or reels. I have a couple cheap ultralite combos. I do like spooling them up with Mr. Crappie 6lb mono. I don't like flouro on the small spools. A lot of guys here will use Fireline Crystal with or without a leader. I don't panfish enough to care about expensive line. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted July 2, 2013 Global Moderator Posted July 2, 2013 What about the sedona . it's cheaper and has good reviews. I use a Sedona 750 on one UL, a Symetre 1000 on another, and a Stradic 1000 on the other UL. They all work just fine for panfish. Landed a flathead that was almost 10lbs on the little Sedona last year on 3.5lb test. Quote
hooah212002 Posted July 2, 2013 Posted July 2, 2013 Pflueger Trion is a great choice for an UL reel. Currently on sale at Dicks (mine anyways) for less than $20. Quote
Super User Tuckahoe Joe Posted July 2, 2013 Super User Posted July 2, 2013 nice, you should try the rebel tad fry as well. when the bass arent participating i have no problems going after bluegills, the tad fry is an awesome bait for them... I like the looks of it. Maybe I'll pick one up next trip to Bass Pro. Quote
Hyrule Bass Posted July 2, 2013 Posted July 2, 2013 I've caught tons of gills, crappie, sunfish, bass, even some catfish on that tiny little bait. A little light for casting very far but with some good, light line it does alright. yeah, ive caught bass on it as well as panfish. never got a catfish on artificial yet though. it does take small line to get it out there though. when i first got it, i started throwing it on 8lb trilene xt as it was the smallest i had at the time. ive since changed that line with 6lb sufix siege, havent thrown the tad fry yet this year, but i probably will this weekend when i go to smith mtn lake. the thing is though, most people would probably look at the lure and laugh thinking what am i gonna do with that, fish seem to love it though. Pflueger Trion is a great choice for an UL reel. Currently on sale at Dicks (mine anyways) for less than $20. the trion is what i throw my rebel tad fry and other small lures with. i have it on a 5'6 light rod, its a great little combo and ive handled bass up to 4.5lbs with it, and 3lb channel cats. one of my favorite little reels right there... I like the looks of it. Maybe I'll pick one up next trip to Bass Pro. i believe i got mine at wal-mart if you want to check there. do you go to the BPS in Hanover at Anne Arundel Mills? i met Roland Martin there once signing autographs. me and my uncle go there 3-4 times a year. We ate lunch at the DuClaw Brewery there, food wasnt that great, but the beer was pretty good... Quote
NWI-Bassin' Posted July 2, 2013 Author Posted July 2, 2013 It's a nice reel too, it is bulkier and a bit heavier. What you can do is try them both with the microlite rod in-store and see what balances out better for you. My preference is more of comfort and would go a longer way than saving $30. i like the sahara more but the bail wire seems pretty flimsy. Quote
Super User ww2farmer Posted July 3, 2013 Super User Posted July 3, 2013 My go to panfish set up is a Shimano Convergeance 6' UL spinning rod, with a Shimano Sedona 1000. Spooled with 4lb Nanofil, and I use 4lb fluoro leaders. I am really glad I bought this set up this winter. Makes a tough day of bass fishing seem less brutal when you can go out and catch decent sized bluegills till your sick of it. If any one has a better way of loading the boat with nice panfish than drop shotting 1" gulp minnows on a #8 VMC spinshot hook, I have yet to see it. It works, and works beyond well in 1 foot of water or 30+ feet of water, from ice out till ice up. On a slow day with that set up, it's 25-30 fish an hour, and I have caught them on every drop for hours on end on the best days. I know of no better way (from a boat, it might not be the best shore fishing presentation) to catch them. It's also a great way to get kids hooked on fishing as the action is non-stop. Quote
Super User Tuckahoe Joe Posted July 3, 2013 Super User Posted July 3, 2013 i believe i got mine at wal-mart if you want to check there. do you go to the BPS in Hanover at Anne Arundel Mills? i met Roland Martin there once signing autographs. me and my uncle go there 3-4 times a year. We ate lunch at the DuClaw Brewery there, food wasnt that great, but the beer was pretty good... Yeah that's the BPS that's closest to me although I wouldn't call an hour and 15 minutes close. I'll check in WalMart. I'm in there every night after work anyway and I know they carry a few Rebel products. Quote
Hyrule Bass Posted July 3, 2013 Posted July 3, 2013 takes me an hour and a half to get there, thats why i only go 3-4 times a year. but its much closer than going to richmond... Quote
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