Gills on Plastics

[oldbuck]

I tried Maki plastics on my favorite lake last week end and I did have some success But I did catch more on my old standby hali and wax worm. Probably because Im still learning with the plastics. The biggest Bluegill came on a Plastic At 9"  

[KenDOdoubleG]

I tried Maki plastics on my favorite lake last week end and I did have some success But I did catch more on my old standby hali and wax worm. Probably because Im still learning with the plastics. The biggest Bluegill came on a Plastic At 9"  

I agree...the biggest gills on plastic.  I'll admit the action would die and I'd slide on a mealworm to find a bite, but it was a blast catching them on plastics, and I found myself going back to them.

[fenwick2010]

I just started to toy around with plastics  4 gills  after having sucess with the crappies... I've found that the gills love the color black . I use the Northland blood worm .

[Van_Cleaver]

I've been using bare plastic more and more, though I still tip some of my jigs. Yesterday, I got onto a good bite late in the morning. Had been fishing two rigs but opted to put away the one that was steadily catching good fish (Frorage minnow tipped with spikes or wax worms), as I already had the fish I wanted for my next two dinners. Stayed with a Ratso for the rest of the day. It caught fish everywhere I fished, and I had my best day on gills all season. Realeased many fish over 9''; the biggest about 9.5''. Have to wait til next year for a ten I suppose.   BTW, I was using a loop knot, re the thread above. Even had a couple of hits on the way down, got to love that! Here's one that went back:

Another variation:

My live well all 9 or better, and released:
 
My favorite rod for this is a Jason Michell Meatstick 28'' Med. with a super light tip. You can see the bites, but there is enough backbone to apply good pressure.

[Townie]

Excellent work w/ the Ratso VC

[Van_Cleaver]

Thanks Townie, it was a rewarding day all the way around. Funny how when you find a color that works you use it with confidence until the time you stumble on something better. Maybe the best part was releasing so many quality fish; I figure if you let go a 9-9.5'' gill in a fertile body of water, it might be 10'' in the next year or two. Most guys fish this lake for perch and bass so the gill quality remains high, with an occasional beast crappie, like this 14'' specimen, the upside down gill is 9", for reference.