bluegill for live bait

[ohio_bass_fisher]

okay, so ive heard from alot of old timers that bluegill is the way to catch some huge hogs around here, so i was wondering has anyone used this method of fishing... thanks for any input.

[ironman]

Use shinners, blue gill works good but not as good as shinners, well it kind of depends on where your fishing.

[Rodman_Rob]

Originally Posted by ohio_bass_fisher

okay, so ive heard from alot of old timers that bluegill is the way to catch some huge hogs around here, so i was wondering has anyone used this method of fishing... thanks for any input.

bluegill are awsome baits for bass. what i like to do is take a minnow trap and bait it with bread a few months after the bluegill spawn and leave it in overnight. the next day you'll have a trap full of baby blugill about all about 2-3" long and an inch tall, about the size of a crankbait. how far is carlisle from chillicothe?

[ohio_bass_fisher]

well columbus is bout an 1 1/2 north from me so prob within 3 hours

[Mac1]

One of the locals uses bluegill for bait extensively. He recommends clipping the fins off and making a diagonal clip on the tail. This prevents the gill from swimming in a curved fashion and wrapping the line around weeds and brush.
Bluegills are an excellent bass bait, but should only be clipped just before use so you don't handicap the ones not used. Circle hooks work well when using this live bait.

Trapping as Rodman Rob suggested is probably the best way to go. The local fellow catches them with breadballs formed on tiny hooks. Correction.....not legal to trap gills in Tennessee....just was corrected at the baitshop. My goof.

[Bender]

I don't plan on using them but I have also heard that they are good bass bait. Do they hook them through the back or through the mounth usually?

[Captmikestarrett]

You know in freshwater of MD and VA it is illeagal to use bluegill for bait. Might want to check the reg's on that one.

In tidal waters they are OK for catfish but Black Salty's work better.

Also another point is we do not use shinner for LGMouth in Tidal as it is far too much work. Lures work better and all you catch with a three inch shinner is crappie. Big 13 inch crappie and maybe a bass or two.

Capt Mike

[betursweetbass]

As CaptMike reports, in some states, it is illegal to use a game fish as bait, and the blue gill is considered a game fish in most places. I would reccomend a minnow or something else. Here in Houston, they do sell small talapia as bait however???
Personally, I've had better luck with regular bass lures.

[DeadManwalking92]

As a fellow Ohioin i would have to say that bluegill is really good for livebait espically around the spawn.

[zooker]

in two words "flathead bait"

a small 2" minner lip hooked will catch more than a gill..

zooker

[Patrick Krueger, Jr.]

I've caught huge pigs with bluegill (it's legal in IL). It works best where there is little other forage, like smaller ponds. Cats love them, I helped a kid reel in a twelve pound carp that ate one, and they are my preferred livebait. Skip them across the water and the bass hit them before you engage the reel.