# how do you keep bluegill away



## newfisher (Aug 5, 2005)

We fished a couple very promising private ponds for bass the past couple days, but it seemed like everything I tried I kept cathing blue gills. Will the bass come around them to bite? is their any way to avoid this?


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## Smallie Gene (Jun 2, 2005)

Rule 1, don't use night livebait, Rule 2, the smaller the bait you have the more likely bluegill will bother it, and Rule 3, if Rule 1 and 2 fail, catch all the bluegill and really work them over when you are fighting them and maybe they will be bait shy for a while.


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## ARGEE (Apr 5, 2004)

Take A Bluegill And Put It On A Nice Size Hook...throw It Out There By Itself

I Used To Fish A Pond...i Caught A Lot Of Bass This Way..also Put A Trailor Hook On..the Bass Would Spit The Gill Alot When It Hit The Surface..the Trailor Hook Will Get The Bass....


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## MarrakeshExpress (May 9, 2005)

Using live bait with small hooks, it is nearly impossible not to catch blugill, but if you are using lures, make sure you are using approriately sized ones. If you are using rooster tails or any other in-line spinners, look on the back of the package before you buy them, they usually have guidelines indicating which size is good for which species you are targetting. Aside from live bait though, I almost never catch bluegill while targetting bass, except if I am using a small jig and worm setup or a smallish in-line spinner. Don't be afraid to use larger hooks or lures, I haven't found very many lures that a bass wont go after. For instance, I've caught a good number of bass while musky fishing with large bucktails.


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## BornToFish (Aug 22, 2005)

Throw bigger baits. Can't beat a 1/4oz spinnerbait, natural color if clearwater, white or chartreuse if stained conditions. Also try 7-inch worms instead of smaller. Also try softplastic jerkbaits especially in heavy weeds. Lowlight conditions call for a zara puppy or a black jitterbug. If all else fails can you say 'CreekChub'!


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## bronzebackyac (Apr 19, 2005)

BTF, I'll second the creek chub! 6 inches please. If you do catch a gill, you will have the new state record on your hands.


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## newfisher (Aug 5, 2005)

What I have been using for bass bait in the ponds is a 7" black and purple powerbait worm texas rigged, I keep getting hit on it which at first I thought were bass. But for curiousity I threw out a live crawler under a bobber and before the bobber stood up it had a bluegill on it. only thing they wouldn't bite was bigger crankbaits, but there is so much cover due to the water being so low that I keep cating weeds and cattails instead. will a bass take a small bluegill as bait, if so do you put it under a bobber?


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Yes the bass will feed on the smaller bluegills. I would suggest taking a couple of rods with you and catch a small gill and do as others have suggested and rig it up on one pole. Then you can use the other pole to work different areas searching for bass. If you are quickly getting small gills feeding on your bait then there is a good chance that the bigger bass are not in the vicinity. The gills would not be as aggressive if there was a predator in the area. I would take the bluegill and put him on a slip bobber and toss him out in the deeper part of the pond. This time of the year the bass may be setting much deeper. By using the live bait and something else on the other rod you should be able to work a lot more water and hopefully find them.

If there are a lot of weeds in areas you may want to try a scum frog or a big rubber worm across the top of the weeds. Perhaps the bass are sitting underneath the mat of vegetation. If you are lucky enough to get them on the topwater you will have a blast.


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## newfisher (Aug 5, 2005)

Thanks everyone for your quick response and good advice. I'll give it a try tonite and see what happens. Maybe the cooler weather will get them biting better.


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## BornToFish (Aug 22, 2005)

If you can learn to feel the difference between the bite of a bluegill, and a Bass that might help too. Blugill will nip at the tail of the worm. It just comes with the territory when fishing blugill infested waters.Topwater right at sunset, and 1/2 hr after might just be ticket. That includes spook,jitter,frog,rat etc.


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## c-orth513 (Feb 1, 2008)

If I have that problem, I just switch to a bigger bait.

Last year at a pond, I was getting all gills, there were big, but I wanted bass.

So I switched to bigger bass tubes, and I nailed bass one after another, the gills actually ran from it


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## wargoth (Sep 11, 2007)

When I have the problem of the bluegill biting when targeting bass, I just change target fish and catch a heaping crapload of bluegill... Second only to walleye and perch for eating. Yummy.


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