New to Gills

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I have never really targeted just bluegills or any kind of panfish like them for ice fishing.  The closest I've been to bluegills are perch.  Any tips that you think I should know?  Like what line or rod stiffness or what jigs or what jigging technics.  Any information would be appreciated.  Thanks

[icejunky]

welcome to the world of gill fishing, once you go gill you will never go back

to give you an idea on gear, i like to use 2-3lb line, with micro jigs. marmish or gill pills work well tipped with maggots or waxies. For a rod i have both a frabil quick tip and a jason mitchell meatstick, the tapered tip make them perfect for gills.

find yourself some weedbed and weedbed edges and start by dropping a spoon with some flash, thrash it around a bit ti draw some gills in, then drop your micro jig.

If you have both a camera and a flasher, i find that I use my camera more for gills then any other species

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the info, really helps.  I was thinking of getting a ultra-light genz stick, do you think this would work good?  Do you think 1-2 lbs. fireline crystal would be good for this combo?  I am going to the Gander Mountain once they had ice fishing things out on the shelves so I'll get some of those jigs.  Any colors in particular that work or do you just have to buy a lot of colors and sizes and try until something works or what?  I do have a camera and a showdown, do you set up both or do you just set up one of the two?  Thanks 

[icejunky]

im not personally a fan of fireline crystal, could be all in my head, but when i see how visible it is on my aqua-vu it just makes me cringe. I use Asso, P-Line or gamma currently

the genz stix rates for gills are decent, I own one myself, as per my usual comment...the reels are junk.

Play with the colours as i think that is a body of water thing. In the lakes i fish, i like to use pink, white or black.

Another jig that works for for gills are flutter jigs, I use arnolds fairy jigs a lot...always tipped with a natural coloured waxie or maggot

[dkfry]

I don't use anything over 2lb for gills with tiny jigs. I like jigs that are heavy for their physical size like marmooskas and wolfram tungsten jigs. For gills I prefer a rod with a spring bobber. Some guys say a rod with a light tip is just as good but in my experience that statement is false. I've fished tiny #16 jigs in 8FOW on one pound line and gotten taps so light the spring bobber barely moved and you would have never saw the hit without the SB. Those were not small fish either tapping my jig.

For a gill rod an UL or L 24" rod with a spring bobber will work well. You can get a say a Frabil "Bro" 24" UL or 26" L and a Tica LF500 reel for a little over $50 and have a good combo. Add a sprign bobber from Marmish or yourbobbersdown and you have a good setup.

Forgot to mention I tired Fireline Ice Crystal and absolutely hated it. Its like fishing with dental floss because its flat and not round at all. I use ice monos.

[Van_Cleaver]

All good tips, to which I would add: have some small plastics to tip your jigs, as well. The smallest Shrimpos, and Ratsos from CS+ J, or Wolfram jigs, or any other small jig for that matter. A lot of times I jig these by tapping a finger on my rod to keep the tail moving steadily. Make sure you have some horizontal jigs (like Ratsos) too, the game can change from day to day. Though catching gills is sometimes easy, the large bulls are usually challenging. Also worth mentioning; sometimes the biggest fish will hit a dead stick sitting on the ice. I usually use a Schooley rig since it has a spring bobber. Here's one that fell for that:

[slipperybob]

I usually don't use Fireline for gills, because these fish like to inspect the lure's with their big eyes really closely.  They are catchable, but the catch rate is lower and in certain types of water during daytiime, they won't even bite.  The finger tap on the rod techniques has worked so much better for me with a Flourocarbon type line.  I mostly use Gamma ESP Ice as it's easier for me to get a good knot strength while tying with cold stiff fingers.

[Van_Cleaver]

Another tip that was hinted at is the time of day. Some lakes I fish are next to impossible during the day unless they are snow covered or it is a cloudy or snowy day. Other than around first light, the best bite will often be just before dark till a little after. Many anglers that have been out all day will pack it in just before this occurs. Once you get into a good  late (or early) bite you are seriously hooked. 

[panfishman13]

i like to put a tiny glow spoon tipped with one waxworm about a foot below a tiny glow jig tipped with two whit maggots and one red one, this also works well for perch. the key is to eliminate any slack lie whatsoever, i like to use a silver eagle 24" UL rod, it is extremely sensitive, and has proven it's worth many times over. an underwater camera is an invaluable aid when fishing for gills, as they tend to randomly disappear and never come back until it gets dark. the camera will allow you to move around, drill one hole, drop the camera down and see if there are fish in this area, if not move on. likely spots to start are the downwind side of an island, in small coves, and in corners next to small rocky dams. they like weeds and will often hide in them to avoid predators and search for food (small plankton) later in the season they will move deeper to find warmer water and better weed growth. that's all i have time for, if you need anything else PM me.

-tight lines

[Michigan Mafia]

What hook sizes generally work the best for gills #8, #10, #12, #14, or all of the above?

[Melbs7]

What hook sizes generally work the best for gills #8, #10, #12, #14, or all of the above?

All of the above work... depending on how agressive they are.... most of the winter (besides 1st ice and last ice) I find the #12 to be a good size sometimes going up to #10.

[jbird68]

I use 2# fireline crystal with good success...although it tends to freeze up your rod guides and spring bobber if you are out in the wind. I also use Trilene Ice Line.

[Yopy]

doesnt really matter the rod stiffness for gills, just need a spring bobber for sensing the bites. line, you wanna go low poundage for small diameter for better finessing of the jig. i use 1-2 pound line which allows me to use small jigs with no sinkers, as sinkers are bad to use as bluegills sometimes bite the sinker and it also cuts down on the finessing you can do with the jig. I normally fish bluegills in 5 fow so i just find the bottom, and then start about 2-3 from bottom and slowly jig downwards stopping here and there until i get to about 1 foot off the bottom. sometimes they hit jiggin downwards and they also hit when i stop and let it sit. if you got a vexilar its easier going about jigging for them but when i fish without one thats the technique i usually use. oh and i usually use size 14 jigs tipped with 1 waxie.

[SomeYahoo]

i like to use a silver eagle 24" UL rod

I'm new here (hi) and have been searching for this exact rod.  Do you happen to have any sources that you can share?  It is by far the best rod that I've used for gills and perch, and my dad just lost his.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated as I've searched high and low and have come up empty save two places that have it listed, but out of stock 

Thanks a ton.

[Jigging Nomad]

I have never really targeted just bluegills or any kind of panfish like them for ice fishing.  The closest I've been to bluegills are perch.  Any tips that you think I should know?  Like what line or rod stiffness or what jigs or what jigging technics.  Any information would be appreciated.  Thanks

Keep your offerings small and your line light, 1 to 2 pound test.  Tip your small jigs with waxworms, spikes or mousies or high quality soft plastics like Maki Plastics or Little Atoms.  

An ultra light or medium light rod with a soft tip and some backbone is best.   A good flasher like a Vexilar will really help you be more productive. The last hour or so before it gets dark can be incredibly productive. 

Best of luck.