I went fishing again yesterday afternoon since it was such a beautiful day. My main intent was to go for bass (really), but I also brought along my ultralight again just in case the bluegill were active. As far as the bass go, I lost a few and caught a few but I have to admit that fishing for these big bluegill with ultralight gear is simply a blast and once again, I couldn’t put my rod down once I got started.
I put on a yellow rooster tail with a gold blade this time instead of white/silver to see if there’d be a difference and the answer is yes – at least yesterday. They hit the yellow, but not as aggressively or as often as they would the white with silver blade. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on the water you fish. Still, I caught around 30 nice bluegill like the one below (click on image to see full-sized pic).
What makes it so much fun is how hard these fish fight – ounce for ounce, bluegill fight harder than any other fish I’ve ever encountered. I was even thinking of dropping down to two pound test line instead of the four pound test I’m using now but I’m too worried about a decent-sized bass going for the lure. I’ve already caught a one-pound bass on it and that was one hell of a fight which I thought my cheap ultralight rod wasn’t going to win. But no worries, I ordered a decent six-foot ultralight rod which will also let me cast the smaller lures out much farther than I’m getting now. And, I’m really looking forward to moving to Tennessee so I can fish the numerous lakes there, including Reelfoot Lake, which is known for it’s huge bluegill, it’s large and plentiful crappie, and of course, the bass.
Nice photo. Bluegill are addicting. And you’re right about them being tough little fighters. I think Outdoor Life or Field and Stream once did an article about the toughest fighting fish in the world. Next to Mako sharks, the little bluegill made the list. Pound for pound they can rumble with the best. A 1 pound bluegill fights three times as hard as a one pound bass any day.