When The Panfish Drive You Crazy

[Mobasser]

On one of the smaller lakes I fish, one of the most consistent fish catchers is a 4" plastic worm, fished as a light T rig.                                We've always been taught that if you can find the bait, the bass won't be far behind.                         I think this is true. The main forage are small bluegill here. The bass love them, and the bluegill love the plastic worms, or at least they think they do.                        The gills have taken a pop at the worms so many times, I can tell right away if it's a bass or a bluegill. With the bass, it's a " tap" , almost always on the fall, followed by a slow swim off.                    The bluegills, on the other hand, grab and run, then drop the bait. Some run a few feet, others drop it quickly. Others just peck at the worm with several small pecks, then move on. If you've made a cast, and your line tightens up real quickly, chances are it's a pesky bluegill.                                As kids, my brother and I would entertain ourselves on summer days, by dropping night crawlers off a dock, and watching the bluegill attack. Once one of them got a piece of the crawler, they all moved in for the kill, ripping the crawler to pieces. The crawlers never made it to the bottom.                                          And, to top it off, the bluegill like the larger worms also. I dug out some old 8" Producto worms I had and they grab the tail and try to run off with these larger worms too.                Pesky little guys, and, just part of summer worm fishing. But, the truth is there usually are a bass or two hanging around where these smaller gills are, waiting for the right opportunity to get a meal. I've found the forage, and the bass are close by.                                                    It usually just takes ignoring the bluegill for a bit, before a bass strikes. If you can learn to tell the difference in these types of strikes, I think you'll catch more bass.                               What's everyone think here?                                                                                                                                 

[garroyo130]

If there's that many bluegill around im usually switching to a small swimbait or a crankbait. Bluegill dont seem to strike those at all.

[Bankbeater]

The warmouth are the worst.  They hit like a bass, and when you set the hook they come flying out of the water. 

Usually if the panfish are near the bank then the bass are  out in the middle more.

[Mobasser]

12 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

If there's that many bluegill around im usually switching to a small swimbait or a crankbait. Bluegill dont seem to strike those at all.

I would do this, but there's way too many weeds for a crankbait or much else. I'm almost forced to fish a t rig.

[JustJames]

I would switch to UL setup, pair with trout magnet and enjoy an hour or two of fun. For real, if I can find bluegill or crappie right now, I would stop hunting for bass.

[JS8588]

20 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

I would switch to UL setup, pair with trout magnet and enjoy an hour or two of fun. For real, if I can find bluegill or crappie right now, I would stop hunting for bass.

 

At my local spots I'll watch guys throwing spinnerbaits,  bass jigs, etc on MH gear & then complain about getting skunked. 

 

I'll fish 1/8th oz spoons, small lipless cranks, and small swim jigs on medium light spinning tackle and always walk away having caught at least a few bluegill. 

 

Looking forward to wetting a line for an hour or two after work this evening.

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

What's everyone think here?                                                                                                     

 

I think Charlie Brewer was right ?

 

Just ignore the “machine-gunners” and wait for the single ‘tap’ and “slow motion” swim-off  ?

[Mobasser]

Just now, Team9nine said:

 

I think Charlie Brewer was right ?

 

Just ignore the “machine-gunners” and wait for the single ‘tap’ and “slow motion” swim-off  ?

Yes, Charlie Brewer was 100% right.

[scaleface]

I'm stupid . I feel the rat-a-tat-tat I set the hook .

[islandbass]

6 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I'm stupid . I feel the rat-a-tat-tat I set the hook .

I think you should go through the motion to set the hook, so not stupid. 

 

Not necessarily to catch them if there is no intention to but for me, it is to yank it away before they get to the hook. Letting it be greatly increases the chance of them getting the hook deep in their small mouths and it can be very difficult to remove a deep hook from them that they’d probably die from that. 

[E-rude dude]

Up north the main forage is blue gill. I mostly fish plastic craws on t rigs. The blue gill still bite it but for some reason on my lake if a few gills hit it a bass will come eat it.

[RichF]

The gills seem to stay away from my big 3/4 oz jig;)

[papajoe222]

They can be pesty, but the flip side of the coin is; If the bluegill are active, so are the bass. I just keep fishing, usually deeper or where there's some kind of change, either in cover, or the bottom composition. 

[Bluebasser86]

Saturday they were running off with a 7" stick worm, 11" mag straight tail worm, 1/2oz jig, didn't matter. If it wasn't them, it was the dang catfish eating everything, even trying to eat my frog. Lake is loaded with trees so you have to pull it away from them or they'll pull you into a snag in a heartbeat, it was really frustrating. 

[Hammer 4]

True story. Some years ago, I was fishing a city park pond, which has/ had some nice bass in it. So the bluegill spawn was in full bloom. I'm throwing a 6" hudd in rainbow trout.

There was a neat little mini point I thought may be hold a bass or 3, so I cast to it, which is about 30 yards from where I'm standing, so I can't see in the slightly stained water.

Anyway I start my usual slow, bottom bouncing retrieve and I feel a Tic.. and I sweep set, only to find a chunk bitten out of the dorsal fin of my bait about 1 inch long. 

So just for fun I toss my bait back out there and again another tic, same thing except this time one of em took a chunk out of the tail, which is weird considering the size of the hudd tails. So, I have a 20.00 bait ruined lol. Needless to say I changed casting locations. Just goes to show how aggro those bluegills can be.  

[CrankFate]

I’d change baits. The bass don’t usually get worked up over what the BG are eating. We’re not waiting out the blackfish while the bergalls peck away. 

[RTipton]

23 hours ago, Bankbeater said:

Usually if the panfish are near the bank then the bass are  out in the middle more.

I think this is absolutely right. If the bream have time to go after my lure, then they arent getting harassed by the bass at that moment. When the bass are shallow chasing the bream, I dont typically get a lot of those tail biters. 

[FishTank]

Change baits.  

 

Another idea and may be an old wise tale but I tried when I was kid and it worked.....  Popcorn.   Throw some in crumbled up and bluegill will go crazy for it.  Bass will ignore it.  The idea is the oil and butter will attract bluegill but not bass.  Then you are free for a little bit to pursue bass while the bluegill are busy .

[DitchPanda]

What about a swim jig? Much larger and harder for gills to get a hold of...also comes thru weeds pretty well. Also it imitates a gill very well...and that's what your bass are likely eating with that many gills in the area

[Ratherbfishing]

WHEN the bluegill drive me crazy, I simply try not to set the hooks on the rapid tap tap tap bites.  This is hard to do, though, and the bluegill can still yank the tails and pincers, etc. off of soft baits-even without my help.

 

Sometimes I will tie on a straight tail worm or something that else that doesn't have any appendeges.  The bass may still like them but bluegill tend to leave them alone more.  And when the pesky bluegill do grab them, there isn't anything they can yank off.

[throttleplate]

2 hours ago, Ratherbfishing said:

WHEN the bluegill drive me crazy, I simply try not to set the hooks on the rapid tap tap tap bites.  This is hard to do, though, and the bluegill can still yank the tails and pincers, etc. off of soft baits-even without my help.

 

Sometimes I will tie on a straight tail worm or something that else that doesn't have any appendeges.  The bass may still like them but bluegill tend to leave them alone more.  And when the pesky bluegill do grab them, there isn't anything they can yank off.

 

wife caught this guy on a 4/0 ewg hook and a 5 in senko. That same day i lost 6 wacky rigged 5 in senkos to the gills. They pulled the worms off the hook and left me with the o-rings only.

 

[MAN]

In that very same situation I always quickly put on a small hook and catch a perch then rig them up to be freelined.  Cast out beyond the perch schools...and boom goes the dynamite.  Bass on.!   

 

But I'm in it to catch bass, and don't care how I do it.  No strict lure only codes here. 

[HaydenS]

What do you think m80's are for?  Just toss 'em , when you feel some bluegill. Jk.

[Ratherbfishing]

16 hours ago, throttleplate said:

 

wife caught this guy on a 4/0 ewg hook and a 5 in senko. That same day i lost 6 wacky rigged 5 in senkos to the gills. They pulled the worms off the hook and left me with the o-rings only.

 

 

Wow, at LEAST you caught some nice bluegill.  I rarely hook any bluegill when they torment me.