Bluegills/Crappie Help

[ballgamedrink]

I am new to the bluegill/crappie fishing game so excuse me if this is a stupid question. While fishing for either fish are you just as likely to catch both species or is fishing for bluegills completely different than fishing for crappie and vice versa?

[smoothlures]

You can usually use the same tackle and lures, but I usually don't catch both at the same time because of the different ways to target them. But if you were say casting jigs or roadrunners, sure you could catch both.

I see folks up north that ice fish catch both plus other species together often though.

Just my .02.

[ballgamedrink]

How should I go about targeting Bluegills? I live in arkansas and typically fish large clear lakes.

[CrappiePappy]

I am new to the bluegill/crappie fishing game so excuse me if this is a stupid question. While fishing for either fish are you just as likely to catch both species or is fishing for bluegills completely different than fishing for crappie and vice versa?

You are very likely to encounter other sunfish species, when Crappie fishing, and not just Bluegill
When fishing for Crappie, whether using minnows, other live critters, or artificial lures ... you're attempting to make the fish think it's something they want to eat, and it's an easy meal. That appeals to Bluegill (and other sunfish) as much as it does to Crappie. Crappie just have bigger mouths, and usually "inhale" their food .... whereas Bluegill and most other sunfish have smaller mouths, and "peck" their food (to injure or incapacitate it).
I don't often fish for Bluegills, or the "other" sunfish, so I can't say that Crappie will always go for the same baits used to catch them. But, I have caught Crappie on baits other than what is normally used for them, alive or artificial. And I've certainly caught plenty of Bluegill/sunfish when using minnows or tubejigs or Roadrunners, along with many other species of fish. So, yeah ... I'd say you were "just as likely" to catch both species, while specifically fishing for one or the other And that's especially true if using a bait that imitates something either/both would normally eat.

... cp

[deathb4disco]

How should I go about targeting Bluegills? I live in arkansas and typically fish large clear lakes.

When I fish for crappies, I frequently catch gills and vice versa. When I want to target gills, I fish live maggots under a float about 90% of the time. IMO, properly presented live bait is just unbeatable. When the fish are on the beds, you can catch them easily using almost anything, but I've found that float fished maggots work year round in all conditions. I rarely fish for bedding gills anymore because I know I can get plenty of fish at other times of the year and have no competion from other fishermen.

Finesse will catch you a lot more gills. Light line, small hooks, and sensitive floats will help a bunch. I use 4# line on the reel and ALWAYS use a lighter leader, usually 6X or 7X fly tippet.

[shipahoy41]

How should I go about targeting Bluegills? I live in arkansas and typically fish large clear lakes.

Get a # 8 hook and put a wax worm on it. Fish this under a slip float. You will catch them by the hundreds or downsize to a 1/80th or 1/64th hair jig under a slip float also, and tip with maggots.

[john h]

what ship said... for bluegills cant go wrong with wax worms.. ohh and also just try shorelines,coves and any laydowns or docks, you will find them more around shorline and shorline structure then in middle of lake, your probably more likely to catch bluegills crappie fishing then to catch crappies bluegill fishin but you can catch both usually

[Supracerxtreme]

Sometimes where ever and when ever you catch all the Crappie in one spot you normally start catching Bluegills or vice versa.

[motor]

here in central florida we use grass shrimp..you can also use crickets and red wiggler worms..you will catch specks, blue gill, bream, catfish and stripers on the same rig..if you are fishing where there is some shell bottom and you see the small shells popping up, that's blue gill feeding..when i see that i put on a bobber and fish just off the bottom.. good fishing!

the world record bluegill weighed 5 lb. 7 oz. and was caught in ketona Lake near Birmingham Alabama in 1950..

[stinkies daddy]

How should I go about targeting Bluegills? I live in arkansas and typically fish large clear lakes.

When targeting gills i pretty much stay around docks, i look for things like lights, minnow buckets, ropes hanging from the dock w/ cover tied to them, fish cleaning stations, and so on. i use a slip cork a couple of shots and a # 6 hook. I'll fish the leading outside edge and work my way around the dock fishing every nook and cranny i can get to, if you seem to be catching only lil 1's you are too shallow, adjust your cork to allow you to fish just off the bottom. the big fish will be lower than the lil 1's and you have to get down to them. i use a varity of differant baits cricketts maggots red worms and some times minnows ( but they have to be very small). gulp makes artificial maggots and worms and i swear that these artificials out fish live bait