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im new to freshwater and i have a very difficult time locating nice sized gills/redears/any other panfish...i get lucky and catch one nice one every once in a while but most of the ones i catch are 4 inchers or less haha...anyone have any tips/pointers that might work. how deep to fish? what kind of things to look for? or patterns that yall usually follow.
I have found that the deeper I fish, the bigger the bluegill. Also, bait has something to do with size. This is not true all the time but most of the time. I have started fishing for bluegill with little crankbaits and panfish assassins. The smaller ones don't seem to mess with them.
also depends on bodies of waters you fish.. some small ponds have stunted growths cause of an over abundance of gills
For starters
Research baits
Bobbers
Chumming will draw bait fish...in turn it will....
I'm just getting into fishing for sunfish with ultralight tackle like maggots etc... so I cannot help you there. I have noticed fishing in small, clear rivers in Missouri that micro-cranbaits work. I fish the deeper pools at all depths and tend to catch some nice fish. Depending on the season, temp, and time of day the depths will vary.
Get out there and switch it up - I will be this Friday evening learning with wax worms and maggots.
use a number 6 aberdean hook small fish are not likely to get it in there mouth biger fish will spawn in deeper water5 or 6 foot good fishing
Very good idea! you can also look for the tell tale signs such as, boat docks, big boats in the slips, lights, fish cleaning stations rod holders, bait buckets, ropes hanging down from the cross members. Also look for laydown trees, rock bluffs, drop offs and rocky banks, any change in the shore line will hold fish. hope this helpedQuote:
Originally Posted by Bob # 1
There is a lot of good advice in this thread so I will just add: If you want to catch big fish you have to fish in waters that hold big fish. Talk to folks at the tackle shops, is the lake known for big ones? If not, what lake is? Once you locate lakes that have big ones, the big ones are down deep. 15-20ft If you are catching small ones, move. The bigs ones and small ones are very seldom in the same spot.
You did not say where you are. If you are in California or Arizona send me a PM and I can give specific advice on which waters to fish.