07-24-2005, 11:52 AM
[cool][#0000ff]You are right about the baitstealing abilities of those bluegills. But, I only used one worm all day on Saturday. Why? Because after I went through that first worm, in about two minutes of tipping jigs with it, I switched to tipping my jigs with small pieces of perch meat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I had some perch fillets (skin on) left over from trips to Jordanelle last year, so I thawed a few and precut them into 1/4 inch wide strips, salted them and squirted on some crawdad oil the night before our trip. The best size strips are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, and you hook them once (skin side first) near the end of the strip. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Perch meat is legal now in Mantua, and is probably the best thing to use wherever it is legal. It is tough and almost all species love it. I had stretches on Saturday of over 20 fish on the same piece of perch meat before I replaced it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I used mostly 1 1/2 inch plastic minijigs, in clear sparkle, smoke sparkle, motor oil, root beer and white. I used small curly tail grubs in the same colors. But, many of my larger bluegills and perch (and my largest bass) took a black and chartreuse minijig with one of my custom colored heads...black with a chartreuse eye. You can see it in a couple of the pics.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]While I did get a few large 'gills by dropping straght down, and vertical jigging in deeper water, most of the chunkier ones hit casts out away from my tube. In fact, many of them hit almost as soon as the jig splashed down, or at least before it had sunk very far.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One of the keys to successfully fishing small jigs is to stop the cast with your finger and flip the bail immediately. Keep the line tight and watch the line where it enters the water. Many strikes (even from big fish) are mere ticks or twitches on the line. If you do not set the hook immediately, they spit it out and will seldom return. In short, you don't wait for a major chomp and surge...although some of them do hit that way.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When fishing shallow, or over weeds (in Mantua???), you need to use light gear and light jigs. I used an 1/16 ounce head for dropping down below me, in deeper water, but seldom used more than 1/32 oz. heads for casting. They sink slower and look more natural to the fish, and stay in the strike zone longer before "bringing in the salad".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did fish jigs below a bobber over the weeds several times. I used anywhere from 3' to 5' of line between bobber and jig, depending on the depth of water over the weeds. I did score some decent bluegills, several good sized perch and a couple of bitty bass on the bobber rig. However, I personally like the challenge of casting and finessing them in hand to fin combat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are quite a few small plastics that will get bigger bluegills and perch, as well as bass up there. Two and three inch Reapers, Pulse Worms and especially the Charlie Brewer Slider Grubs (with the little paddle tail) work quite well. Only problem is, with the Slider Grubs is that the small fish nip off the tail too often. But, in their sparkly green, smoke sparkle and brown pepper colors, the fish smack them pretty good, even when not tipped with bait.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did not take any with me to try yesterday, but I am betting that small spinners fished shallow, above the weeds, would also score some good fish. I have done well on small Roostertail like spinners in the past. Blacks, greens and browns...even white...with either silver or bronze blades will get thejob done.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You gotta figure that the larger gills have been around longer, and some of them have been hooked before...and either got away or been released. The bigger ones are either smarter or just more wary. While it is true that even the littlest and most inexperienced anglers can score the occasional bull bluegill, you have a better shot at bringing home enough for the fillet board if you finesse them a little.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I'd like to think that I am smarter than the average bluegill, but when you can look down in the water and see big ol' bigguns swimming around, ignoring everything you offer them, it humbles ya a bit. I readily admit to feeling a wee bit of frustration when they won't even sniff one of my custom baitbugs or hand colored plastic creations.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That's one of the things I find attractive about fishing for those little tykes. They DO fight harder than most fish their size, once hooked, and even though they can be gullible, there are plenty that act cagier than any old streambred brown trout. They got it all. If bluegill ever got over five pounds, few anglers could land them...and a lot of trout and bass fishermen would never chase their former loves again.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I had some perch fillets (skin on) left over from trips to Jordanelle last year, so I thawed a few and precut them into 1/4 inch wide strips, salted them and squirted on some crawdad oil the night before our trip. The best size strips are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, and you hook them once (skin side first) near the end of the strip. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Perch meat is legal now in Mantua, and is probably the best thing to use wherever it is legal. It is tough and almost all species love it. I had stretches on Saturday of over 20 fish on the same piece of perch meat before I replaced it.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I used mostly 1 1/2 inch plastic minijigs, in clear sparkle, smoke sparkle, motor oil, root beer and white. I used small curly tail grubs in the same colors. But, many of my larger bluegills and perch (and my largest bass) took a black and chartreuse minijig with one of my custom colored heads...black with a chartreuse eye. You can see it in a couple of the pics.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]While I did get a few large 'gills by dropping straght down, and vertical jigging in deeper water, most of the chunkier ones hit casts out away from my tube. In fact, many of them hit almost as soon as the jig splashed down, or at least before it had sunk very far.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]One of the keys to successfully fishing small jigs is to stop the cast with your finger and flip the bail immediately. Keep the line tight and watch the line where it enters the water. Many strikes (even from big fish) are mere ticks or twitches on the line. If you do not set the hook immediately, they spit it out and will seldom return. In short, you don't wait for a major chomp and surge...although some of them do hit that way.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]When fishing shallow, or over weeds (in Mantua???), you need to use light gear and light jigs. I used an 1/16 ounce head for dropping down below me, in deeper water, but seldom used more than 1/32 oz. heads for casting. They sink slower and look more natural to the fish, and stay in the strike zone longer before "bringing in the salad".[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I did fish jigs below a bobber over the weeds several times. I used anywhere from 3' to 5' of line between bobber and jig, depending on the depth of water over the weeds. I did score some decent bluegills, several good sized perch and a couple of bitty bass on the bobber rig. However, I personally like the challenge of casting and finessing them in hand to fin combat.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There are quite a few small plastics that will get bigger bluegills and perch, as well as bass up there. Two and three inch Reapers, Pulse Worms and especially the Charlie Brewer Slider Grubs (with the little paddle tail) work quite well. Only problem is, with the Slider Grubs is that the small fish nip off the tail too often. But, in their sparkly green, smoke sparkle and brown pepper colors, the fish smack them pretty good, even when not tipped with bait.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I did not take any with me to try yesterday, but I am betting that small spinners fished shallow, above the weeds, would also score some good fish. I have done well on small Roostertail like spinners in the past. Blacks, greens and browns...even white...with either silver or bronze blades will get thejob done.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You gotta figure that the larger gills have been around longer, and some of them have been hooked before...and either got away or been released. The bigger ones are either smarter or just more wary. While it is true that even the littlest and most inexperienced anglers can score the occasional bull bluegill, you have a better shot at bringing home enough for the fillet board if you finesse them a little.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I'd like to think that I am smarter than the average bluegill, but when you can look down in the water and see big ol' bigguns swimming around, ignoring everything you offer them, it humbles ya a bit. I readily admit to feeling a wee bit of frustration when they won't even sniff one of my custom baitbugs or hand colored plastic creations.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That's one of the things I find attractive about fishing for those little tykes. They DO fight harder than most fish their size, once hooked, and even though they can be gullible, there are plenty that act cagier than any old streambred brown trout. They got it all. If bluegill ever got over five pounds, few anglers could land them...and a lot of trout and bass fishermen would never chase their former loves again.[/#0000ff]
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