Author Topic: Bluegills For Bait (Read 13285 times)

Lobes · « **on:** Feb 12, 2004, 05:46 PM »

Wondering who else has used this method. Actually, any panfish will do I found that perch are not as effective (don't know why). There have been a lot of days when mine are the only busy tip ups on the ice. I have always caught and used the largest ones I catch. Sometimes they need to get a little beat up before they go down the hole so they aren't always tripping the flag. I'll never forget the day I caught a 14" hammer handle on about a 12" crappie. He never got hooked, just got his teeth tangled up in the crappie. Had a harder time getting him untangled from that crappie than if he'd swallowed the hook.

Muskie Matt · « **Reply #1 on:** Feb 13, 2004, 08:01 AM »

One day I caught up with a guy using blue gills for bait at one of my pike hot spots. He did really well on them. I haven't tried them yet. I don't think perch are as good for bait because of their prickly fins, spines etc.

WVBoy · « **Reply #2 on:** Feb 13, 2004, 08:19 AM »

I think bluegills would be a good bait and so is very small perch. I mostly catch and release northern but this year I kept a couple for the first time and when I cleaned them I went right to the belly. I found nothing but bluegill and perch in 5 northern bellies ???I did try a very small perch one time and did get a taker but lost it. I think that northern are more likely to take the smaller ones due to the spiny problem. I think these baits are really overlooked and may be a good choice for picky or spooky fish.

kerosenecounty17 · « **Reply #3 on:** Feb 13, 2004, 10:47 AM »

How do you keep the bluegill alive? I've tried this alot of times. I fish mainly bluegill, but sometimes bring along a tip-up and hook a smaller gill on it when I catch one. Every time I've tried it, the bluegill lasts about 5 minutes before it's belly up.

kero

Lobes · « **Reply #4 on:** Feb 13, 2004, 04:33 PM »

Whether it's ice fishing or summertime fishing I hook them right behind the dorsal fin If pike aren't biting they are usually alive all day. It's possible that if you catch your gills in deep water they are suffering from the Benz (too much nitrogen in their blood, that could be a factor. Or possibly they may be out of the water too long before they go on a line as bait. They're usually quite hearty and live through a lot. Like I said the bigger ones very often need to get roughed up a little bit before you put them on or they'll keep tripping your flag. The bigger ones do work the best for me for bigger pike.
Oh yeah, we call small pike "hammer handles" around here!

Ice Troll · « **Reply #5 on:** Feb 27, 2004, 03:46 PM »

Most states in the Rocky Mountain west strictly forbid the using of a game fish for bait. I know this is true in Wyoming, Montana and I am pretty sure Colorado. We can use parts of gamefish for bait, such as eyes or entrails but not the whole fish. Perch, Bluegill and Crappie are considered game fish. I wish I could use em for bait because the absolute best bait is always a fishes natural forage. I fish one lake in montana where the main forage fish are Cisco. You can use live minnows of any kind in this lake except for cisco or whole game fish. Actually, I am surprised that its legal anywhere to use a perch or gill or any panfish for bait. If its legal, rock on, I know I would.

Muskie Matt · « **Reply #6 on:** Feb 27, 2004, 03:58 PM »

Blue gill and perch are legal in Massachusetts.

iceintheveins · « **Reply #7 on:** Mar 02, 2004, 06:53 PM »

In colorado you can use panfish for bait as long as they are dead, it says so in the regs.

Tyler

Lobes · « **Reply #8 on:** Mar 02, 2004, 07:48 PM »

Michigan says "Any fish legally caught may be used as bait" which means legal size also. Panfish & bass used for dead bait are quite deadly also.

billditrite · « **Reply #9 on:** Mar 06, 2004, 08:05 AM »

in maine you cant use any spiny finned fish for bait including bluegills

perchfisher · « **Reply #10 on:** Jul 18, 2004, 10:23 PM »

im not a very experienced northern fisher but i say keep the bluegill,perch,and bass and eat them

try a green jig with a dangling worm on the end. it caught me a 20''er today

MeadowPikeman · « **Reply #11 on:** Oct 16, 2004, 04:27 PM »

in one day last year caught a 18, 20, and 24lb pike on frozen perch. (live is illegal here in Sask).

Lobes · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 19, 2005, 06:27 PM »

iceintheveins · « **Reply #13 on:** Jan 19, 2005, 08:34 PM »

I have had success this year by whacking a small perch and the ice and putting it on my tip ups.

Tyler

fishslayer37 · « **Reply #14 on:** Jan 19, 2005, 09:20 PM »

Ive never used a bluegill as a bait, but i fish a lake with a good population of bluegills and northern. I have an aqua vu, and while i'm fishing for bluegills it always seems like i see a northern with a bluegill in its stomach, crappie, or perch. Ive noticed this a lot with my aqua vu that the northerns wont really eat the bluegills until they make a quick movement. I have friends that hook bluegills threw the tall and catch a lot but when the bluegill dies they cant catch any.

Smeltecca · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 21, 2005, 10:30 AM »

I've heard that Bluegills work really well for Tiger Musky but I have yet to try it myself. I've had some success using Perch but I've only used them a couple of times. Perch and bluegill probably work very well we just don't use them enough. If we've had success using them sparingly Imagine how productive they would be if everyone used them all the time, the way we use shiners or smelt.

MeadowPikeman · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 21, 2005, 06:27 PM »

for how much i have used dead perch they seem to work at least as good as tulibees if not better

PIKEGUY · « **Reply #17 on:** Feb 03, 2005, 11:04 AM »

I tried a small bluegill last weekend and out of 4 tip-ups it was the only one that didn't catch a fish. That spot did before I tried the gill though. I'll have to try it again soon though

Lobes · « **Reply #18 on:** Feb 07, 2005, 12:59 PM »

My oldest boy buys a new tip up Saturday and wants to try it out on a new lake (normally two strokes of bad luck for us!). He puts on the first bluegill he caught for bait and in less than five minutes the first pike is on the ice.

I rest my case ...

big big rdg · « **Reply #19 on:** Feb 07, 2005, 05:52 PM »

I was open water fishing a few years agoand i kept seeing something swirling the water about 20 yards away and when i went over to it i saw that it was a 3lb. LM bass that had a bluegill lodged in its throat. I when to it netted it and pulled the bluegill out and it swam off and was fine. When i use perch and bluegill i clip the fins so they can be eaten easier. That usually does the trick.

R.J. · « **Reply #20 on:** Feb 16, 2005, 03:22 PM »

Quote from: kerosenecounty17 on Feb 13, 2004, 10:47 AM

How do you keep the bluegill alive? I've tried this alot of times. I fish mainly bluegill, but sometimes bring along a tip-up and hook a smaller gill on it when I catch one. Every time I've tried it, the bluegill lasts about 5 minutes before it's belly up.

kero

Kero,

Make sure that you use about at least a 1.0 (or even bigger) hook, and hook it right through the meatiest part of the tail. The hook is so big it will mess up their ability to swim, giving you the always-tempting dieing-fish presentation. Since you are only hooked in meat they will live all day (if need be). You can also use a quick-set, just make sure you keep it in the meat. Man, will you catch pike! Make sure it's legal where you are doing it!

RJ

R.J. · « **Reply #21 on:** Feb 16, 2005, 03:26 PM »

Quote from: big big rdg on Feb 07, 2005, 05:52 PM

I was open water fishing a few years agoand i kept seeing something swirling the water about 20 yards away and when i went over to it i saw that it was a 3lb. LM bass that had a bluegill lodged in its throat. I when to it netted it and pulled the bluegill out and it swam off and was fine. When i use perch and bluegill i clip the fins so they can be eaten easier. That usually does the trick.

I like this idea--I will use it this weekend!

iceintheveins · « **Reply #22 on:** Feb 23, 2005, 06:40 PM »

I have used perch for bait this year and they worked slightly better than dead anchovies one day, and about the same the next day. I stunned them and quick strike rigged them the way I do deadbait. I put two extra split shot on the line close to the bait so it could just barely swim. Caught a 25" pike the second trip. I would have done a lot more pike fishing this year if the low elevation ice didn't crap out. After all, this is the year I have had the most sucess.

Tyler

synergyboy10 · « **Reply #23 on:** Mar 04, 2005, 08:07 PM »

does anyone know if blugills are legal in ny?

Pasquatch · « **Reply #24 on:** Mar 05, 2005, 07:00 AM »

I don't think they are because they have spiny fins...not totally sure about that though.

perchfisher · « **Reply #25 on:** Apr 17, 2005, 08:22 PM »

that would be a big fine in South Dakota................ .....dont try it around my way

Jiffy · « **Reply #26 on:** Aug 05, 2005, 05:29 PM »

Cool I will have to try it.

walleyeslayer · « **Reply #27 on:** Aug 06, 2005, 04:25 PM »

i use gills all the time for pike bait. just caught 3 from shore under a bobber. give em what they want, thats what i say. its summertime by the way. pike will slam anything.

princecraft · « **Reply #28 on:** Oct 20, 2005, 01:53 PM »

I have heard that it is legal to use perch, or bluegills just as long as you caught them in the same lake you are fishing. I am talking about Michigan and Indiana

NorthwoodsIce · « **Reply #29 on:** Oct 20, 2005, 03:50 PM »

Anybody know if it is leagal in Wisconsin to use this method? I cant seem to find the answers on the DNR website, i must be not looking up the right thing.

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Author Topic: Bluegills For Bait (Read 13285 times)

Ice Troll

PIKEGUY