BOATHOUSE BLUEGILLS
Taking
Bluegills by Starlight
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 months 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.
Boathouse bluegills pattern anglers like bass fishermen
pattern bass. If the big boathouse bluegills receive
a lot of fishing pressure during the day, many times
anglers won’t be able to catch them until after
dark. If anglers fish by starlight, the most-important
key to success is to set the bobber (many fishermen
like a lighted bobber to indicate the strike) and put
the float up the
line. Then spray the bait with Spike-It’s Aerosol
Fish Attractant in either the Crawfish or Gamefish flavors.
When the bait is lying on the bottom, 6 or 7 inches
of line also will be on the bottom. Suspending the bait
off the bottom rarely produces smart, boathouse bluegills,
but by allowing the bait to free-fall to the bottom,
even at night, anglers are presenting the bait more
naturally to the fish. The chances of taking a very-large
bluegill are now much better.
Cast
the cork to the area where the bluegill is holding,
and then wait, listen, and feel. Hold the line between
your index finger and thumb, listen for the cork to
sink, and just in case there’s no sound, feel
the fish take off line while holding the line. Once
the angler either hears or feels the fish bite, he can
set the hook, and usually catch the fish. The key to
catching boathouse bluegills is to learn why other people
haven’t caught them already. Don’t continue
to use the same tactics that haven’t produced
those fish in the past.
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