BOATHOUSE BLUEGILLS
Bedding
Boathouse Bluegills
Editor’s Note: Anglers know boathouse bream may
be the most-educated panfish in any reservoir, but May
and June generally are the most-productive times of
the year to fish for bream. Little bluegills often will
run in and hit any baits that fall in the water. But
the larger, older gills usually will stay just below
or off to one side of a school of small fish and observe
what happens when the smaller fish feed. Generally if
big bluegills are present in a boathouse, and little
fish are in that same area, the smaller bluegills will
get caught, and the trophy-sized fish won’t. If
you want to succeed in catching
the boathouse bluegills that have tantalized others
and escaped the skillet, try these different strategies.
They will produce for you.
Depending on the depth of the water and the type of
bottom in or near the boathouse, often bluegills will
bed under or on the backside of a boathouse. Because
they’re easy to see, these panfish are harassed,
often daily, by anglers, especially if the fish can
be cast to from the boathouse. These bluegills are the
ones that can drive anglers crazy. They’re large,
and anglers can see them, but the fish won’t bite.
However, there’s a method that helps to catch
these cantankerous fish.
Bluegills hate crawfish, especially little crawfish,
the ones about 2- to 3-inches long. Anglers can use
the tiniest crawfish, like Spike-It’s 1.5-inch
Baby Craw in black neon, gold glitter, green whiskey,
Junebug or huckleberry colors or the 1/16-ounce Spike-It
Superfly to put on a hook to catch bluegills. Probably
bluegills never have seen these colors of crawfish or
flies. Too, you can spray the Baby Craw with Spike-It’s
Aerosol Fish Attractant in either Crawfish or Gamefish
flavors. Start by hooking the Baby Craw through the
tail with a small hook. About 10-inches up the line,
attach a medium-sized shot lead to 4-pound-test
line. Cast the line out to land the bait and the shot
lead about 2 feet from the bream’s bed. Wear polarized
sunglasses, watch the lead, pull it through the bed,
and then let it rest on the outer edge of the bed. Most
of the time, the bluegill will run away from its bed
because of the lead or move off to the side of the bed
and watch the lead come through its bed. After observing
the lead for 30 seconds to 2 minutes and smelling the
Spike-It Aerosol Fish Attractant on the bait, the fish
will turn back, look into the bed and spot the Baby
Craw or the tiny Superfly. At that point, the bluegill
forgets all about the lead and attacks the bait. To
make this tactic work, use an extremely-small hook.
Tomorrow: Taking Bluegills
By Starlight
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