Bluegill

[Topwaterdude]

I was wondering what's your favorite bluegill swimbaits?

[JediAmoeba]

Jackall Gantarel and Gantarel Jr.

[Cory430]

Gantarel Jr. 

[Jrob78]

Mattlures Hardgill and Ultimate Bluegill

[GreenPig]

6 hours ago, Topwaterdude said:

I was wondering what's your favorite bluegill swimbaits?

Renosky Keystone minnow?

[Harold Scoggins]

The Gantarel  and Gantarel Jr are definite favorites, however, don't count out the glide bait gill/shad imitators.

[Trappernewt]

4 hours ago, Harold Scoggins said:

The Gantarel  and Gantarel Jr are definite favorites, however, don't count out the glide bait gill/shad imitators.

Do you have a lot of luck with them? I have a few ganterel Jr’s and have had zero luck. I’d have imagined a northern would have smashed it but I can’t even get a follow. I have the ghost gill and spawn gill colors. 

[Harold Scoggins]

1 hour ago, Trappernewt said:

Do you have a lot of luck with them? I have a few ganterel Jr’s and have had zero luck. I’d have imagined a northern would have smashed it but I can’t even get a follow. I have the ghost gill and spawn gill colors. 

I think it may depend on the prominent forage in the water you're fishing. There are a couple lakes here where the only forage is gill and minnows and I can catch bass with the Gantarels. Then, there are other lakes where shad is the meal of choice and the Gantarel bite is far and few between. I think they really shine around wood, outside grass lines, and around docks. I threw the Deps Bull Shooter a few days ago and the smaller bucks lit it up. I'm looking forward to running that bait around some bigger fish. 

[Trappernewt]

@Harold ScogginsThe primary impoundments I fish are small, electric only and under 50 acres. The primary forage is bluegill and crawfish with small shiner populations. One particular lake is close to 70% hydrilla and other type of aquatic vegetation and has an average depth of around 9 feet. I threw a ganterel for 4 straight hours along the weed lines and reeds and never had a follow. This lake has a good population of pike and produces nice LM bass. I was just curious if I was doing something wrong. 

[Harold Scoggins]

7 hours ago, Trappernewt said:

I was just curious if I was doing something wrong. 

Without seeing the water or you fish, I wouldn't want to even guess. I've only been "swimbaiting" for maybe 15 years, so I'm no expert, and what I do know I've learned from others. Seek out and talk with those West Coast guys, they were figuring this all out before most of us knew what a swimbait was. Actually, if I hadn't been going through some storage tubs and found a couple of those Bull Shooters I picked up a couple years back, I wouldn't have thrown it at all this time of year. I just wanted to break one out and see how it swims. I've learned after a couple of summer failures and advice from more experienced swimbait anglers, that using swimbaits this time of year will mostly result in your confidence being hurt. (unless you're throwing something like a Hud that can hit the bottom) After listening to those big bait veterans, I started to focus my swimbait fishing to pre spawn/post spawn and the fall feed-up. You can use swimbaits during the summer, but the bite will be sparse and normally deeper. I've added weight to the front of a Gantarel to take it deeper before, but you had better know the structure down on the bottom before going exploring or you may be donating your bait to "Davey Jones Locker." (done that) Keep in mind also, when throwing swimbaits, you're targeting a smaller percentage of a lake's bass population , the 5+ lb wall hangers. Not to say that the smaller bucks won't go after your swimbait, they will, but the majority of folks throwing swimbaits are looking for that one fish that rewards us with bragging rights. Swimbaits have their time and place. I'll tell you what I tell first time jig users, keep at it and the reward will be well worth the effort. I don't feel like I've been much help here, just don't give up on your Gantarel. I will say this, the first time you reel in a big girl with a Gantarel in her mouth, you'll be putting other swimbaits on your Christmas list.

[Trappernewt]

7 minutes ago, Harold Scoggins said:

Without seeing the water or you fish, I wouldn't want to even guess. I've only been "swimbaiting" for maybe 15 years, so I'm no expert, and what I do know I've learned from others. Seek out and talk with those West Coast guys, they were figuring this all out before most of us knew what a swimbait was. Actually, if I hadn't been going through some storage tubs and found a couple of those Bull Shooters I picked up a couple years back, I wouldn't have thrown it at all this time of year. I just wanted to break one out and see how it swims. I've learned after a couple of summer failures and advice from more experienced swimbait anglers, that using swimbaits this time of year will mostly result in your confidence being hurt. (unless you're throwing something like a Hud that can hit the bottom) After listening to those big bait veterans, I started to focus my swimbait fishing to pre spawn/post spawn and the fall feed-up. You can use swimbaits during the summer, but the bite will be sparse and normally deeper. I've added weight to the front of a Gantarel to take it deeper before, but you had better know the structure down on the bottom before going exploring or you may be donating your bait to "Davey Jones Locker." (done that) Keep in mind also, when throwing swimbaits, you're targeting a smaller percentage of a lake's bass population , the 5+ lb wall hangers. Not to say that the smaller bucks won't go after your swimbait, they will, but the majority of folks throwing swimbaits are looking for that one fish that rewards us with bragging rights. Swimbaits have their time and place. I'll tell you what I tell first time jig users, keep at it and the reward will be well worth the effort. I don't feel like I've been much help here, just don't give up on your Gantarel. I will say this, the first time you reel in a big girl with a Gantarel in her mouth, you'll be putting other swimbaits on your Christmas list.

Thanks for the advice.  I'm not going to give up.  I've never seen another angler on any local lake throwing a swimbait over 3" long.  Not saying that its not happening I just haven't seen it and I spend a lot of time on the water.  The state record LMB is 12.28# and it was caught in a pond.  The second largest LMB ever weighed for a record from a public lake/river is 9.62#. I have been using some larger swimbaits 5"+ for the last couple years and have had some success (Mattlures Ultimate Bluegill, Osprey) with my largest fish being 5.34#.  I do a lot better on large worms (Ol' Monsters Jelly Worms etc) and jigs as far as consistently catching LMB over 4#. Our trophy fish are few and far between here and anything caught over 5# is a nice fish. I figured that I didn't stand a good chance of catching much but I thought that I would at least catch a pike or have a follow.  I'm just interested in trying some different things that may give me a better chance at catching larger fish and I have tried several hard body swimbaits and haven't had so much as a follow. Ill do some more research here.  Thanks again.

[ChrisD46]

Fat Impact 3.3 alone in Sungill color

Fat Impact 3.8 as a trailer also in Sungill color

[roadwarrior]

Norman Fat Boy (Redear pattern)

 

[WRB]

Huddleston Hud Gill for soft swimbait

Black Dog wooden Shell Cracker for big bass, the G2 plastic for covering more water as a wake bait.

Pre and post spawn through summer transition is period for bluegill swimbaits when the bigger bass target them.

Tom