How To Catch Bluegill

Are you interested in catching bluegill? Maybe it is your first time, or maybe you are just having terrible luck catching these crafty little fish. Regardless of why you are here, I will help you understand these fish and show you a few things you can do to improve your chances of catching some of these fish.

As with most things, the best place to start is at the beginning. This is why I am going to tell you some basic information about this fish before we dive into how to catch them. I will tell you a bit about these fish, what habitats they enjoy and what kind of food they tend to eat. With this information, we will finally move on to what you will need to successfully catch bluegill.

Without further ado, let us begin.

What Are Bluegill?

The bluegill is a freshwater fish that is a member of the sunfish family. They grow to between 6 and 10 inches in length, the average bluegill will weigh between 1 and 2 pounds, but the largest bluegill of record weighed an impressive 4 pounds and 12 ounces.

These fish are native to North America and can occur in Canada, Northern Mexico in addition to the United States.

The bluegill comes from the family ‘Centrarchidae’ and its genus is ‘Lepomis’ but those names are a mouthful which is why we have several common names for this species. They are commonly known as bream, brim, copper nose, perch, or bluegill.

Now that I have told you a bit about these fish, I am going to extend that knowledge to learning about what kind of environment these fish prefer.

What Habitat Do They Like?

Bluegill is freshwater fish, because of this, you will likely find them in streams, ponds, lakes, lagoons, or reservoirs. They tend to like quiet water, and so you will not typically find them in fast-moving rivers. Their prime habitat tends to include weed beds around sunken islands.

Because of this, bluegill can often be found near shady piers, tree-shaded shores where the branches cast shadows on the water. The bluegill particularly likes their homes to have sandy or muddy bottoms and like a lot of vegetation, so they can hide.

What Do They Eat?

The next thing you might want to know is what bluegill particularly likes to eat. What is their favorite food, and when do they feed?

For the most part, bluegills enjoy eating insects that are either aquatic or terrestrial. In addition to the bugs, bluegill also enjoys eating snails, crayfish, fish eggs, small fish, and zooplankton. They are opportunist hunters and will eat whatever they can find.

This type of fish catches its food by site, because of this they have a tendency to feed primarily at dawn and dusk when they can more easily move among the shadows.

Behavior

Bluegill like the heat but are not partial to like direct sunlight. Because of this, they tend to live in deeper water with plenty of vegetation. They will venture to the surface, especially in the early mornings or evenings, to stay warm and catch insects on the water’s surface.

Bluegills will normally live in schools with between 10 and 20 fish, sometimes these schools will include other kinds of fish such as Pumpkinseeds, crappies, and smallmouth bass.

How To Catch A Bluegill

Now that we know a bit about these pint-sized fish, we can look into what things you can do to make catching them easier. I have curated a few things you will need to know below, bait, time of day, and general tips to help you catch yourself a few bluegills.

What Is The Best Bait For Bluegill?

It is important to know what bait to use in order to catch bluegill, they are opportunists and will eat just about anything. The best thing you can do is understand what kinds of food they prefer, so you can pick the best live baits or lures.

As we found, bluegills prefer eating things like:

Insects: aquatic or terrestrial insects alike.
Snails
Crayfish
Small Fish
Fish Eggs
Zooplankton

These are what bluegill prefer eating, from this shortlist we can deduce that bluegill would prefer to eat. So, live bait like worms, crickets, or grasshoppers is a fantastic option if you are a fan of using live bait. If you would prefer to use a lure, you will need to make sure that you pick something small and bite-sized.

Lures like plastic imitation minnows, poppers, small jigs, or spinnerbaits are all great choices if you are a lover of using lures.

As a side note, it is of the utmost importance that you choose a small hook for catching bluegill, this is because they are small fish with small mouths, and using the right-sized hook will make landing a few of these fish just a bit easier.

When Is The Best Time To Catch Bluegill?

This type of fish is one you can expect to catch all year round, but, one of the best times to catch bluegill is undoubted during the Spring and Summer months. This is because, at this time of year, bluegill will be spawning.

During this period of their lives’ bluegill will not be in deep water as they usually are, instead, they will be in their spawning beds which are usually between 2 and 6 feet underwater. They will still be hiding under plants or rocks, but at this point, they will be easier to catch and there will be more of them in one area.

At any other time of year, bluegill lives in large schools and typically stays in deeper water.

Tips And Tricks For Catching Bluegill

These tips are a collection of things I have learned during my time catching bluegill, they may not work in every setting, but this has been my experience with these fish so far.

Time of Day: The best time to catch bluegill is in the early morning or the late afternoon, this is when they will come closer to the shore or surface for food and warmth. So you will have an easier time luring and catching them.

Cover: When it is the hottest time of day, bluegill will find the intense sunlight uncomfortable to the point it stresses them out. During this time of day, you will be most successful if you fish close to cover and in shaded spots. Look out for lily pads, docks, trees shading part of the water source, or even weeds offering shade, and drop your bait near these spots.

Small Mouths: Bluegill are small fish and by extension have small mouths, so you will need to make sure that your bait is small enough so that they bite the hook. On the same note, you will need to make sure that your hook is small enough for the same reasons.

Spawning Season: During spawning season, bluegill are quite aggressive and defensive of their nests. This means that anything that comes near them will be attacked, so make sure to drop your bait into these nests, you will be very likely to get a bite and land some bluegill.

Fluorocarbon Line: I have found that using a fluorocarbon line to be really effective. This is because this type of line is very thin, which makes it harder to see by fish. In addition to that, the fluorocarbon line does not stretch, which means that hooksets are typically good.

Lazy Fish: Bluegill do not like to work hard for their food, and tend to go after slower-moving food sources like worms, plankton, insects, and minnows. If they do not have to chase their food, they are more likely to take a bite. So, when you cast your line do not reel in your bait fast, instead, slow down and allow them to investigate.

Shade and cover: Especially if you are bank fishing, you will find that bluegills prefer shaded areas with vegetation, so they can easily hide from predators like pike and escape the harsh sunlight. So, when you are fishing I recommend that you keep an eye out for shaded areas or areas that have plenty of cover because this is where you are most likely to find your quarry.

Final Thoughts

That is all for this article, I hope that I was able to give you enough helpful information to help you with your bluegill fishing adventures. I have found that it is best to understand your quarry, what they like to eat, and where they like to live. Knowing all of this can be a big help in understanding what makes your prey tick, it makes it somewhat easy to catch whatever you are fishing for.

In this case, it is important to understand that you will need smaller types of bait and hooks because of the small size of these fish. You should remember that they like eating insects and that they do not like to chase their food. Bluegill like shady and covered areas, so they can hide from the sun and predators. And finally, deciding what time of day or even what time of year can make a difference to your success.

With all of that in mind, it is time that you got out there and caught your very first bluegill, so grab a rod and start fishing, with some luck you will be landing a bunch of these fierce little fish.