Using a dead stick for bluegills or panfish?

[DANMAN]

Might try a dead stick or two.  whilst i’m jigging on my regular bluegill pole

any tips for:

1. dead stick bait or lure?
2 dead stick hook size?
3. bobber or not?
4. indicator or not ?

other tips.  thanks

I assume  the goal is the bait is small enough to be inhaled and the fish hooks itself?

[Skadi]

I have used a Jason Mitchell dead meat 30 inch rod for my dead stick.  I think it keeps a school around much longer.  Tiny minnow hooked through the back with no bobber.  Rod is usually draped over a pail to salvage a setup from the marauding pike attack. Some of my best gills in Otter Tail county have come off this setup with a glow in the dark mooneye hook.

[slipperybob]

It depends on how attentive one is to their dedicated dead stick.  Nowadays there's lots of those noodle tip rods with contrasting paint colors and works very good for dead stick technique.  For one thing I agree that it helps to hold fish attention a bit longer.  I use to hang a bobber or a bead in between the line guides for my old dead stick set up as indicator.  If I see any bobber or bead movement up or down it's obvious that a fish had gone bit it.  For bobber just balanced on the water, the minnow sometimes is too active or darts when a predator is very near, it often gives me a false strike indication.  Actually I read it as a strike and fail more than often enough.

You should always bait but I've also dead stick all kinds of lures.  Weighted wet flies, Salmo Chubby Darter, Northland Mimic Minnow, plain jig head and plastics.

Often it's a spoon and dropper rig or weight and plain hook with bait.  Usually #8 Owner Mosquito Hooks for bluegill.  #4 or #2 for crappies and everything else.

Some days, they only want to bait the dead stick bait.  Also keep in mind I consider jigging to totally stop jigging as a dead stick presentation at that moment.  So in that scenario I actually have two jigging rods rigged fished, but only actively jigging one.

[Raquettedacker]

Dan just wondering why you posted on the Ice Fishing Minnesota board? 
 But SlipBob does know what hes talking about..   
 When Im in the shanty I have 2 holes one for my pole I hold and one in a holder with a small dead fathead on it...