Targeting bluegill as it gets colder....

[dafuriousfisherman]

i am very fortunate to have a pond very near to me that holds a abundance of gills, everytime i go there i limit out in like a hour (good sized ones too) went out yesterday it was a lil chilly and windy, in two hours i caught 8 keepers!!! i didnt think wind and cold affected gills like it does other fish, question being how do i target these lil bad boys?? do i fish deeper? fish by weedbeds?? i couldnt even get a bite anywhere except one spot of water surrounded by weeds, it seemed calmer than the rest of the pond, thats where i caught these eight. was almost waste of time to clean 8 gills but i threw em in the fridge and i hope to add some more today, any tips???

currently i just use leaf worms and a bobber, its been successful all summer what do i need to change??:fish2:

[mrblugil]

we were pounding them on Wixom Lake(Gladwin) the last month or two an then a cpl weeks ago my hooked a big ass northern,the next time nothin,guy at the dock told me everyone that was fishin for pike was nailin them so maybe when the pike go on the munch the gillies hide,we tried it twice after that an not a bite?got me stumped,guess its time to go huntin til hard water:D :fish:

[dafuriousfisherman]

very logical but i fish this tiny lil pond i KNOW there is no pike in it, only largemouths catfish and panfish, thats what stumps me is the only predator these gills have in this pond is largemouths, thanks for the insight though...

[HuRon]

A cold front affects the bluegills, too.
A couple weeks ago my wife, son & I were fishing a small, deep clear lake (trout, but no pike). Warm, south wind, they were catching nice 'gills 8-10' down on the weed edge (worms & slip bobbers) just as fast as they could reel 'em in. I didn't even have time to fish!
A week later, the air temp. was down 10 deg'.s & the wind had switched around. Same set-ups, they were struggling to get a bite. The ones they were getting were smaller & right in the weeds. We're anchored in 19' of water & my wife mentions there's some fish on the bottom on the fish finder. So I've actually got time to fish & drop a tiny jig down near bottom & start catching some nice ones, right under the boat. Not fast & furious, had to work for 'em, but gave us another dozen or so for the pan (+ the 10 or so smaller ones they got). :D

[Oakley]

I've had my best luck in the fall using tear drops and wax worms down deep. My experience has been that about a foot off the bottom is where the bigger gills are hanging out. The lake I fish most in the fall has a deeper hole about 30' deep. That's where we find the bigger ones.

We use a bell sinker at the end of the line to get deep faster, with two tear drops tied onto dropper lines at 12" up and 18" up. It ususllay works best with two people in the boat with two lines each. Once you start catching them, they seem to get active and the school of fish hangs around.

[kumma]

I caught quite a few keeper size gils on the clinton river yesterday, threw them all back. I was a bit suprised with the screwy weather, the fishin was pretty good. How big is this "tiny lil pond" and how many have you kept over the summer, and anyone else fish there? hope you didnt fish it out.

[aquaticsanonymous]

There sometimes are just those days when weather is changing that no matter what you do, you are not going to do all that well. I would not give up, just look for a couple days of stable weather before going out. On a side note, if you are fishing a small pond, be carefull of over harvesting the bluegill population!

[ALLEYES]

Try fishing without a float. I have been taking limits every time out for over two weeks now. Crickets and one small split shot in 18 to 22 fow. Right on bottom. The last few times they are biting so light you can't see or feel the hits. Just lift the rod and they are there.

[dafuriousfisherman]

the pond i fish is prolly about 30-40 feet in diameter, i highly doubt i fished all the bluegill out, went back yesterday still windy but a lil warmer, caught about 8 keeper gills and my son caught a 10" perch!!! today is supposed to be nicest day of the week so im goin when i get outta work!!!

never tried tear drops, can someone explain how to rig these and fish them?? this pond is VERY weedy so really all i use is worms and a bobber

[Ugly Stick]

If your pond is 30-40 feet in diameter , then it is smaller than a little league in field. It is very possible that you have fished it out. Not that you have caught every fish but that you have caught a large percentage of the bigger gills.