Need some help with Blue Gills

[Fishnngolfn]

When I take my daughter fishing, I normally set her up with a hook and bobber with a live cricket on the hook. She can't put the crickets on herself and live crickets come off the hook way to easily on missed strikes or repeated bumps by smaller Gills. Are there any inexpensive plastic baits that I can put on the hook that do not require my daughter to "work" the bait? She just wants to sit there and wait for the bobber to go under before she starts to reel it in. I am looking for something that she can do 95% of the time by herself so I can actually fish as well.

[Jim80]

I have my boys using 2-3inch grubs about 5 inches away from the bobber they twich them a little bit but they have had some luck with them . The artificail baits are a little tough for the kids to get the hang of but well worth it when they do . you could also try some of the gulp maggots . You could also give mealworms a shot when all else fails the boys turn to those .

[Bmuskin]

Order#KL-RJC
Kelly's 2 Pack
Reveille Junior Worm 2-1/2" Rigged Worm
Catapala
Green /Black Stripe Price Per pack $1.69
2 in a pack

Google these. You will get a site where these can be purchased great for small bass and bluegill. Nice 2 inch rigged worm in great colors. There is a pond that has some hybrid gills near my house and we have fun catching them on these when the bass don't want to cooperate.

[WTL]

I'm not sure there is a plastic bait that will really produce for her with her not actually imparting any action.

I think you might need to stick with crickets and just accept that you are going to have to thread them on yourself. She is young, right? A lot of times you want to keep the young ones catching fish, and artificials are usually tough for younger fishermen or young ladies to get the hang of.

[crankybait]

I've caught many gills on chunks of cooked hotdog. I hear cat/dogfood works too

[WTL]

I will admit, hotdogs or bits of bread are perhaps good ideas. Fish will stick pick at them, but they can work. Crickets catch just so many more...., but I understand the predicament, you want to fish, so you might try what Cranky suggested.

[robertmee]

nightcrawlers work well too for staying on the hook, especially if you buy the barbed shank hooks. Just pinch the worm to size and thread it onto the hook. My 3 year old will catch several bluegills before the worm finally falls off. It's a dual purpose bait as while he's bobber fishing with those, I'm catching Cats on whole ones.

[Bmuskin]

The ones I mentioned earlier. Do not need to be worked mush other than retrieve them slowly where gills are crusing. The small ones seem to be a little timid but the big 8 inch and above will attack this just reeling it back in slowly with a split shot above it. It doe spin some as you retrieve the little worm.

[Fishnngolfn]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I will try hotdogs at first. She can likely hook those herself after a bit of coaching on my part.

[Bmuskin]

Duh...... I just remembered a childhood trick. If you want to ever try grasshoppers. Take a wool blanket and put it in a field then walk towards it. Their legs will get stuck like velcro. They are a blast to fish weightless on the water and the gills explode on them like bass.

[MississippiBoy]

Originally Posted by Bmuskin

Duh...... I just remembered a childhood trick. If you want to ever try grasshoppers. Take a wool blanket and put it in a field then walk towards it. Their legs will get stuck like velcro. They are a blast to fish weightless on the water and the gills explode on them like bass.

That sounds very cool.

Dagnabbit, where were you with your witty suggestions when I was a kid?

[mariner]

we use Berkley Powerbait Crappie Nibbles
this stuff works pretty good (well almost as good as crickets) the only thig is it is kinda soft. but if you put a few out in the sun for a little while it makes them tougher.
we rig them on a a 1/32 oz. (i think) squirrel tail jig. we just simple put them on on the point of the hook.

http://www.landbigfish.com/tacklesto...e.cfm?PID=3685
this is what they are rigged on

and we use these weighted bobbers




hope this helps

[JB]

i used the niblets too, however the crappie here want a live minnie most of the time

[Captmikestarrett]

Mariner's got the ticket.. Except I use marabu jigs..

Capt Mike

[rrw4258]

There is a bait that I use exclusively for gills, try them and they will work wonders for you, as long as the place is not WAY OVERLY fished. Rig them on a #10 baitholder hook, a split shot about 8 inches up the line, and a small bobber about 8 -10 inches from the split shot. They are Berkley Powerbait Micros, Power Wigglers... less than an inch long and you get 75 in a bag for $4... Break one off the strand, and go catch some gills...



Ryan