new to gills.looking for tips

[MBrown4]

last year was my first year being really into ice fishing and i hit perch hard all winter.well id like to catch some blue gill and crappie.does anyone have some advice for blue gill?i know i need to go as small as possible but any info will help i guess.thanks

[fishon22]

Yeah definetly go small. Use small jigs. I like the gill getter, and diamond jigs for bluegillls. People say great things about gill pills also. And if u have a flasher im sure u will do just fine. This will be my first year with a flasher. Cant wait. good luck to u.

[wyoutdoors]

They claim to have 'gills in a local lake but I've never seen nor heard anyone targetting or catching them. I do okay for crappie and 'eyes there, never have tried the pike, but would like to ice some filletable 'gills. Where do 'gills winter? Shallow to deeper water off points?

[Raquettedacker]

I have caught a lot of nice Gills out on Little Lakes using a small Hali with a spike on it... 

[RLWagner]

last year was my first year being really into ice fishing and i hit perch hard all winter.well id like to catch some blue gill and crappie.does anyone have some advice for blue gill?i know i need to go as small as possible but any info will help i guess.thanks

Go search "Bluegill" inthe species section here on ice shanty. Should keep ya busy for ohhh maybe a year or so....

[jasond37]

We've had good success finding them on mid lake flats, anywhere from 4' down to 15'.  Small, horizontal jigs are key, tipped with a waxie or a plastic.  I've had great success using Gulp! Alive fish fry and maggots.  A flasher will help you locate the fish much easier.  If you are near shore you could target outside weed edges too.  I've also never had much success from about an hour before sunset on, usually the best is during the daylight hours.  If they are around as soon as you drop your jig your flasher will light up.  Watch that rod tip and be ready, it's tons of fun.

[slipperybob]

We've had good success finding them on mid lake flats, anywhere from 4' down to 15'.  Small, horizontal jigs are key, tipped with a waxie or a plastic.  I've had great success using Gulp! Alive fish fry and maggots.  A flasher will help you locate the fish much easier.  If you are near shore you could target outside weed edges too.  I've also never had much success from about an hour before sunset on, usually the best is during the daylight hours.  If they are around as soon as you drop your jig your flasher will light up.  Watch that rod tip and be ready, it's tons of fun.

Pretty much the same here on fidning them.  I will find an occassional loner out in flats of deeper water up to 30' when chasing crappies or perch.

[MBrown4]

all these tips are very helpful.cant wait to try them out on the ice.now we just need it to get here.

[acrawfor]

Best luck I've had is in about 4 to 15 fow. I look for weed beds on the 'Bird and jig just above it. If I see fish come out of the weeds towards the jig I stick around. If I don't see anything after a couple minutes I move. Also, I always throw out a couple of tip ups for pike. If there are pike around, chances are you won't catch anything. So if you can catch it, and even if you release it, and get it out of the area your chances of doing well will increase dramatically. Like fishon said, going small on the jig is usually a good bet. Try a variety of colors until you find one that works.

[jjc155]

I have found that a small fire tiger diamond eye jig and a small plain gold colored tear drop with 2 or 3 spikes "tboned" on the hook will catch you alot of gills.

J-

[Crumps brother]

Whenever I've caught bluegills, I've found that keeping my rod still caught more fish than jigging. The strikes always came after the bait slowed down. Also, I used mealworms on a small jig.

[Swift]

Small horizontal tungsten jigs, thin plastic tail, lite/thin line and very still, jigging in place at most

[gaudetskie]

Defiantly search for Bluegills on this site. My $.02 start with the smallest lake around you that you know has gills in it. Get a feel for what they're doing and when in that lake. As your doing this keep a "log book" so you can go back to it when you hit another lake. Just to be clear, I'm talking about consistently fishing one particular lake for the whole season and learning what the fish in it are doing. Again just my $.02
Nick.

[bubbagill]

I am by no means a pro or even an old seasoned vet for that matter, lol.  But I thaught I would offer my Two cents worth.
  1. In my experiance I have had much more sucess on a horizontal bait presentation usually I go with a gill pill, ratfinkie, gill getter or even a horizontal ice fly, rig them with between One and Four spikes right thru the eyes to give a chandelier effect.
  2. When targeting a certain species such as gills sometimes I have had really good days sitting on a comunity hole with fifty plus other anglers, the trick is to locate at the edge of the pack and try something different, typically I love unwieghted ice flies.  And if ya are willing to socialize and listen you will be amazed at what secrets other anglers will be willing to offer, its a great place to pick up some ideas for a later solo trip.
  3.  When water clarity allows look straight down the icehole and watch fish feed and respond to what they tell you, big jig, one spike or several, slow falling jig, or tungston speed rocket does it seem to matter?  Again not an expert but hope it helps. Bubba.