Big bluegills fall into three categories: Keepers, Nice Ones and Pigs. Let’stalk about how to catch pigs. You know the type – slabs that are wider thanthe span of your hand, with bullish heads and a fighting attitude that makesMike Tyson look like the Avon Lady.
There’s no better time to specifically target these monsters than during thespring spawn, when they’re concentrated, visible and vulnerable. Tocapitalize on big bluegills, two conditions must be met. First, you need tobe on a fishery that harbors trophy sunfish. And second, you’ll want to huntthe fish in water that’s between 68°-70°. That’s the temperature range atwhich big females move up to the beds to deposit their eggs.
Now, keep in mind that the window of opportunity for sight-fishing jumbofemale bluegills on spawning beds is quite short – often only a couple ofdays. So be ready; arrange for vacation days at work if you have to; andattack with the right equipment and search-and-conquer strategy.
SEARCHING
My favorite way to search for spawning areas requires two people (bothwearing polarized fishing sunglasses). One guy drives the boat and does hisshare of looking. The other guy, up at the bow, is on full-time surveillanceduty while searching the shallows. You can cover a ton of water this way,even at pretty good speeds, and locate numerous bed clusters as you go.
If I’m solo, I’ll do my speed-scouting from the bow and cruise fast with thebow-mount trolling motor. Having serious power is a must. An Optima batterywith a fresh charge will give you all the juice you need to put the pedal tothe metal for long periods of time.
Likely haunts include reed beds with a clean sand bottom, edges betweenweeds and sand, beaches that have been weed-rolled by the cabin owner, boatdocks, deadfalls, stumps or other types of cover. You probably noticed thatthe common denominator here is sand. Bluegills spawn in sand. But don’toverlook what might look like a mucky bay at first glimpse, because beneaththe silt you’ll often find nice sand. Beds in silt are harder to spot thandished-out beds in clean sand. The male sunfish will fan through the siltlayer and create almost a “column” down to the sand below.
As you scout, note the numbers and sizes of the fish you see. Are they allmales? If so, the big females haven’t moved in yet but are somewhere nearby.File these spots in your memory bank or mark them as waypoints on your GPS -and rank them in order from best to worst. After you’ve scrutinized severalspots, return to the location(s) with the most promise and get busy.
CONQUERING
OK, you’ve found a good “honeycomb” of bluegill beds with big femaleson-the-nest and have dropped the anchor. Maybe some of the fish spooked andscattered. Hang tight. They’ll be back. Now what? These fish aren’tinterested in eating. Instead, they’ll take a bait to DEFEND their nests. Soyour intent here is to agitate the bluegill. Piss her off.
One of the best ways to get a female bluegill mad enough to strike is todrop a big leech on her nose. Leeches are very threatening creatures, andshe will intercept the intruder if it gets too close. And the bigger theleech, the better. First, because it’s more threatening; second, because itwill keep dinky fish from trying to tackle the oversized morsel.
Hook the leech right through its sucker using a #8 – #10 Aberdeen hook. Thelong shank on this hook makes removal easier. Sometimes, having a splash ofcolor with the leech incites a more aggressive reaction from sunfish (andalso makes the bait easier to see). That’s when I’ll typically switch to ateardrop-style ice jig with a leech. Waxworms and angle worms often workwell too.
Peggable bobbers are ideal here (try a Thill Bite Strike Float), whichadjust quickly without stressing the line. Cast beyond the target fish,slowly reel until the float is above the fish, and let that wiggling leechsweep down on a pendulum path. Works like a charm. If the beds you’refishing are in cabbage or other semi-dense vegetation, using a slip bobberworks better by allowing the bait to drop vertically into the weeds and downto the fish.
Another deadly tactic comes from Nate Berg, one of my cameramen: Take thatsame Aberdeed hook, WITHOUT a bobber or any weight, and thread on a fatchunk of nightcrawler. Pitch this to the bed and it will sink very slowlydown to the fish. The slow descent gets bluegills extremely ornery andaggressive. This presentation is the ace-in-the-hole when other baits don’tget a response from skittish females – especially in very shallow water.Sometimes you might need to lay the bait right INTO the bed to get a strike.Do whatever it takes.
When a fish does take your presentation, expect it to quickly spit the baitaway or swim from the bed and spit the bait a safe distance away from hereggs. Pay very close attention, visually, to where the hook tip is in thefish’s mouth. If she’s just dragging the leech/crawler/whatever by the tail,don’t set the hook. Wait for her to get the business end of the hook fullyinhaled before your hookset. Persistence is the key to sight fishing forbluegills. If you stay at it, nearly every fish you target will ultimatelybe yours to catch.
There might not be anything better than a fish fry of fresh bluegills. Andthere’s no better time to have a blast filling your limit on big, bigsunfish than during the spawn. Plus, if you have a youngster in your life,it’s a great way to introduce kids to the excitement of angling with a fishthat, pound-for-pound, fights harder than any other species.
Good Fishing!
Babe Winkelman is a nationally-known outdoorsman who has taught people tofish and hunt for more than 25 years. Watch the award-winning “Good Fishing”and “Outdoor Secrets” television shows on Versus (formerly OLN), Fox SportsNet, WILD TV, WFN and many local networks.By: Babe Winkelman / Babe Winkelman Productions
