# Summer time bluegill



## AtticaFish

Been hitting a few different places in the last few weeks stocking up on bluegill in the freezer. Several places have been OK, but mostly 7" fish with the occasional 8". Been getting plenty big enough to get a knife through though. Tried a spot I have overlooked for a while and made out good tonight. Only a couple 7" with several 8" and bigger.

Funny how small lakes change over the years. This particular small town reservoir is fairly deep but not very big. For years the best way to catch the bluegill was deep under a float..... like 6' or deeper. Had to use slip floats lots of times. Since then the city has changed their routine for filling the reservoir and switched to electronic algae control. I can no longer catch fish deep, pretty much everything comes up high. A jig and waxie pegged no more than 2' deep does the damage.

Sure was nice to hear the drag singing on the ultra light rig. Fished from 8:30 till it was too dark to see my float. Caught a couple while the sun was still up but did better once it got a bit darker.


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## fshnmaster

I tried bresler a few weeks ago for gills and struck out. I always hear about guys doing good but its night and day difference between the 3 muddy west central lakes i normally fish.


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## AtticaFish

fshnmaster said:


> I tried bresler a few weeks ago for gills and struck out. I always hear about guys doing good but its night and day difference between the 3 muddy west central lakes i normally fish.


I've never fished Bresler but it looks like (just viewing from Google maps) a lot of the reservoirs i fish over my way. If it is clear deep water..... your best bet is probably fishing right at dusk in the general area of the boat ramps or pump houses. You might not get a bite until 9:00 and then put on a show for that last hour of light until you can't see anymore. If the bugs don't carry you away that is. My legs are pretty lumped up from the skeeters the other night. When it gets dark, it can be amazing how the panfish will come up to the surface out over deep water. I always assume they are eating emerging bugs - wax worms or tiny hair jigs are usually my best options.


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## DeathFromAbove

When theyre randomly poppin over deep water like that is when a bluegill popper behind a weighted bobber really shines you can cover alot of water that way Walmart sells those orange foam round weighted ones with the yellow push button on them Those work great for that
Or a hair jig under them


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## AtticaFish

Put a hurtin' on them tonight at a different reservoir. Only fished for about an hour at last light and could have left 15 minutes early honestly. Once the sun actually went down it was only 7" crappie that were biting. Surface activity across the entire reservoir was constant tonight. Schools of bluegill, shad and carp. Some big boils along the edge I would guess were smallies too. Completely dead wind.... beautiful evening. No sunset pics because I was too damn busy catching fish.  Hair jig did the damage and was tipping with waxworms to start. Found out I didn't really need the the meat pretty quickly. They just wanted in my bucket. Majority of fish were 8" or better. Fun evening. 




























Been a while since I have bought the Great Lakes IPA....... not sure why. Good sh!t!


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## Bassthumb

Attica - Try Stillwater's "On Fleek" stout. 13%, you only need (2) each night delicious.


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## AtticaFish

Been out a few more times recently, jumping around to different reservoirs. 15 decent size gills came home with me the other night. Last light has been good to me.



















Our outdoor cat had a confrontation with a mayfly over the scraps. 










I had to run about an hour away to pick up a part for my camper and decided to try a reservoir I have never fished at. Not my normal fishing time frame for sure. Got there at about 9:30 in the morning, fished till around 1:00 and didn't do too bad. Spent some time walking around looking for shallow areas that were not over taken by the weeds. Caught a really nice crappie there but only small bluegill after that. Did some more walking and found a spot that dropped off quicker but had weeds close by in a shallow corner of the res. Did excellent in that area until a douwpour ran me off. Brought home 6 gills and 1 perch. Caught lots of nice size cats as well as a bucket full of 5" perch. Of course the small perch all went back to grow some more. I was missing lots of bites at first so decided to take my bobber off and thread a quarter of a crawler on a small jig head and chuck it out as far as possible. The bluegill were taking off with the rig before it ever got to the bottom and i was getting the perch when it did make it down past the bluegill. Going to be sure and try this reservoir again in the future.


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## AtticaFish

Fished this evening at one of my favorite upgrounds. 14 ended up making the trip home but we lost a couple decent fish to bad luck and wobbly rip-rap. Haha. Most of my evening fishing trips here recently have been with my 18 year old nephew that is heading to Ft. Benning in mid August to start his career in the Army. I'm trying to show him the ropes of bluegill fishing rather than chasing those bass.  He is catching on pretty well. Even told me tonight he might like this style of fishing over bass fishing. I really need to put him on a couple 20" smallies and show him how fun they ALL are.

Anyway.... same old same old pattern for tonight. The bluegill are still up high eating bugs right at dusk out over the deep water. 1/32 oz jig pegged about 2 feet under a float with a waxworm is the recipe for success. The schools of fish were moving around quite a bit tonight so just had to keep an eye out for boils on the surface that were blue gill rather than carp.

Half went in the deep freeze and half are going to get fried up for my kids on Friday night for some sandwiches. Mrs. AtticaFish and I already had some salmon out thawing for our dinner. 




























That money shot of the fish on the cleaning table might look the same each time I post...... but I can always tell one night from the next by the brew on hand for the cleaning session.


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## ress

Nice batch of fish!

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk


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## zwiller

Joined to post here. Nice catches and brew! Have lived in Sandusky my whole life and ate me many a fish but never bluegill and I am determined to put an end to that! Have heard from some folks it's the best tasting fish we have. Over the years I fished a few times but have never really knew what I am doing and have never cleaned a single fish. Bought some books and studying but admit I barely understand most of what you guys are saying. That being said, long time homebrewer and actually a certified beer judge some I can talk about beer with authority! LOL. 

Waxworm is a grub right? Bait stores carry these or need to dig up my lawn that is full of them? What jig for bluegill?


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## Bprice1031

Atticafish, is there an IPA you don't like???????????????????????


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## AtticaFish

zwiller - You are on the right track..... bluegill is in the running for the top spot of tasty white flesh fish in my books. Bluegill, perch and walleye would be the top three and really come in no particular order. As for hooks or jigs, you want to use something on the smaller side. Generally speaking, hook sizes in the #10, #8 or #6 size is what you want to use. #6 is getting on the bigger size, but if the bluegills in the area are big you won't have any trouble. #10's are getting on the small size so you will get a few hook swallows with that size, but not enough to worry about. With a plain hook setup, you will want to add a split shot weight somewhere close to your hook just to get the hook down and be able to see bites. I prefer to use jigs instead because then you do not need the additional weight on the line, the hook is directly in line with the bobber then. Just my opinion. You are also correct, a waxworm is a type of grub. You can get them at most bait shops and even some gas stations have them as well. Nightcrawlers or redworms work also as long as you use a somewhat small piece..... but i always feel like waxworms or maggots are a better option. Just my preference maybe. What kind of bobber you use can help you also. Use the smallest bobber you can get by with for how much weight you have on the line or in the jighead. You want the weight to pull down the bobber a little on its own and keep the line tight so you will see the bobber twitch when the bluegill come up and take a taste.

As for the beer, i do love me a good ripe IPA. The hoppier the better. I just picked up a Terrapin Beer Co brew called LuAu that is a Hawaiian style IPA. Never heard of such a thing before but found out it is another style i like.  Says brewed with passion fruit, orange and guava. It is a sweeter IPA than most so that tames down the bitter hop bite some. Good stuff.


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## DeathFromAbove

zwiller If you go to cook a bunch up, make sure you use a light batter like bread crumds Zatarins works great I like Zatarins Crispy Southern A little zing to it Things like Drakes are way to heavy


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## AtticaFish

DeathFromAbove said:


> zwiller If you go to cook a bunch up, make sure you use a light batter like bread crumds Zatarins works great I like Zatarins Crispy Southern A little zing to it Things like Drakes are way to heavy


I prefer the light bread crumb and panko batter as well. My wife is usually in charge of that if we fry it. Hard to beat simple panfish thrown right in a hot skillet with butter, salt, pepper and plenty of lemon too. We do that pretty often over the fire out camping.


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## AtticaFish

This was from a month or so back, up in Michigan. Bluegill 7" and up are big enough for me to get a knife through. 










We didn't have a fire going at lunch that day so I just loaded up the charcoal chimney half way and used that as my fire. Worked great!


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## Brutus Bluegill

Oh that's awesome! I never thought of using the chimney to cook on. Thanks for that!


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## AtticaFish

Brutus Bluegill said:


> Oh that's awesome! I never thought of using the chimney to cook on. Thanks for that!


It worked really good. If you need some extra heat, can always throw in some small twigs and bark to add a little fire below the pan.


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## Sasamafras

Nice thread with updates! Good to
See those big bluegills

Also good choices on the beer, favorite Ohio seasonal is chill wave double ipa by Great Lakes. Truth is great for all around I just don’t like the ones that are straight hops only.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Bprice1031

Attica, be careful with that LaUa IPA, it'll sneak up on you.


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## zwiller

THANKS GENTS! I actually get what you mean by jig vs split shot. Still fuzzy about the use of a jig, does this mean ANY jig or a "panfish" jig? I realize there is a ton of personal preference. Wow, just realized you can mold your own! My Dad is absolutely addicted to melting lead sinkers LOL. Hasn't done any in probably 20 years. Mind blown... 

You guys killing me with the cook talk already, baby steps... 

I am not really into the newer hip IPA meets fruit juice or NEIPA milk shakes but love IPA. Current faves are Fathead Headhunter, TBK White Rajah, and of course my own.


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## Hoosier Daddy

AtticaFish said:


> This was from a month or so back, up in Michigan. Bluegill 7" and up are big enough for me to get a knife through.
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I have a place that is loaded with gills, but many are small. There are plenty of keepers, but the small ones seem to get the bait first.

Any suggestions on how to target the larger gills?

Thanks


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## DeathFromAbove

Larger Baits Larger plastics


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## Hoosier Daddy

DeathFromAbove said:


> Larger Baits Larger plastics



Thanks for the idea

I switched to only plastic towards the end of my last trip with noticeably fewer bites, but I am OK with that.

Any suggestions on plastics to try? I was fishing a small ice fishing plastic that is basically a small blob with a tail.


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## AtticaFish

zwiller said:


> THANKS GENTS! I actually get what you mean by jig vs split shot. Still fuzzy about the use of a jig, does this mean ANY jig or a "panfish" jig? I realize there is a ton of personal preference. Wow, just realized you can mold your own! My Dad is absolutely addicted to melting lead sinkers LOL. Hasn't done any in probably 20 years. Mind blown...
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> You guys killing me with the cook talk already, baby steps...
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> I am not really into the newer hip IPA meets fruit juice or NEIPA milk shakes but love IPA. Current faves are Fathead Headhunter, TBK White Rajah, and of course my own.


I am a bit eccentric and go over board with my jigs for the lowly panfish. I have a friend in Nebraska that custom pours the majority of what I use. I tell him hook size and head weight and he does the rest. Mostly lead free too. The majority are basic round head jigs 1/64 oz up to 1/16 oz. I add feathers or hair a lot too, but not necessary if you just plan to add waxworms. I do powder paint the heads also. I also pick up some jig heads intended for ice fishing that are made of tungsten. The metal is more dense so you can get a smaller size head to weigh more than the equalivent in lead. I will put some pics up that I have on my phone still.......


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## AtticaFish

Hoosier Daddy said:


> Thanks for the idea
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> Any suggestions on plastics to try? I was fishing a small ice fishing plastic that is basically a small blob with a tail.


I agree with DeathFromAbove as well... bigger profile lure (or bigger chunk of bait) might get the attention of the bigger fish. If all you are catching is small fish though, i think you have to keep moving until you find some bigger fish mixed in. They will get aggressive and get there first if they have to compete with the smaller fish. Another thing you can try is to get below those small fish. If there is deeper water, the bigger fish may be holding out and down farther. Bump up the weight of your jig head to get down past the small fish faster. Another thing i do a lot is to just take off my float all together. Can be tough to cast if you are using a tiny jig but those bigger fish might be deeper than 6 or 8 feet down at times.


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## Bucket Mouth

Hoosier Daddy said:


> I have a place that is loaded with gills, but many are small. There are plenty of keepers, but the small ones seem to get the bait first.
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> Thanks


Ya ain't holdin yer mouth right!


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## DeathFromAbove

www.panfishplastics.com 
Their small cricket on a tungsten jig head is a killer
Chigger fry,chiggers.bugsy,mayfly nymph Alot of colors Cant beat black and chartuese
The great Lefty Kreh always said "It ain't no use if it aint chartruese Might be datingb myself a little there with the Lefty Kreh referance


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## zwiller

Yesterday caught a bunch over at Resthaven #8 but too small for eating (trend is mentioned here a few times) but that was just fine for us, daughter and I still had a blast as they were BITING. A local told me that you can get big ones off the dock but that was at the very end of our day. My Dad grew up in Castalia and took us to Resthaven often but until yesterday I had no idea just how vast "Resthaven" is. WOW was that place nice, made me proud. I am gonna try and find a way to find some bigger ones there or other ponds since i like it there so much.


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## AtticaFish

Love to see that you got out and caught some fish! I know there are some bigger bluegill (and crappie) in pond 8 but they can be tough to find. It has been a while since i have fished there though. Hard to get past all the little ones around the dock. It sure is a beautiful place.


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## zwiller

Keeping those small guys helps the pond right? Maybe use for bait for some cats? 

@DeathFromAbove Thanks for the lure info, just ordered some of those panfishplastics to fool with. Also got some Powerbait maggots and smaller 1/64oz jigs from Dick's (from what little is left). 

Got some lead for Dad to make more sinkers since I lost like 8 rigs over at Bay Bridge which Dad later tells me is called "Snag City".


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## AtticaFish

zwiller said:


> Keeping those small guys helps the pond right? Maybe use for bait for some cats?


I do hear a lot of people use small bluegill for catfish, either as cut bait or whole depending on the size. It is always a debate on what keeping fish will do to any lake. I know how thick those little bluegill can be at Resthaven and think it would take a small army of guys keeping them to make ANY noticeable difference, good or bad. Pond #8 is a big pond.


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## AtticaFish

Went to a favorite stomping ground and put a hurt on the bluegill with a fellow OGF'er tonight. Pretty much same pattern as I've been on all through summer..... a few bites here and there deeper during daylight and up shallow for the bug hatch bite at dusk is fast and furious. 31 fish came home between the 2 of us. 60 pieces of fish is 2 good meals for the family! Candy (our Basset Hound) was happy to lick every other fish and take care of the zipper bone scraps. 




























A sampling of the average size, I pulled 12 out of the top of the bucket. I didn't measure but would guess the average was easily 7.75" or better.


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## Bprice1031

AtticaFish said:


> Went to a favorite stomping ground and put a hurt on the bluegill with a fellow OGF'er tonight. Pretty much same pattern as I've been on all through summer..... a few bites here and there deeper during daylight and up shallow for the bug hatch bite at dusk is fast and furious. 31 fish came home between the 2 of us. 60 pieces of fish is 2 good meals for the family! Candy (our Basset Hound) was happy to lick every other fish and take care of the zipper bone scraps.
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That's a nice looking meal right there! Not to mention the wonderful drink to help you get through cleaning all of them!


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## DeathFromAbove

Nice 'Gills !! Looks like a lot of fun !!


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## zwiller

NICE! Been hitting RH everyday after work and no dice on any as large as those but still fun. Dad told me #8 is the "bass pond" and suggested 2, 3, or 6 but I get lost each time trying to find them and end up back at #8. Yesterday we fished the other side of 8 on Heywood through a trail. Other side of road is #10 and HUGE but no idea how to fish it yet. 

The Powerbait is working great, surprised. Might have a shot at some keepers this weekend as we are headed to East Harbor Sat for family thing and see good things about EH. Might actually have to try to fillet LOL.


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## FishOhioQuest

AtticaFish said:


> Went to a favorite stomping ground and put a hurt on the bluegill with a fellow OGF'er tonight. Pretty much same pattern as I've been on all through summer..... a few bites here and there deeper during daylight and up shallow for the bug hatch bite at dusk is fast and furious. 31 fish came home between the 2 of us. 60 pieces of fish is 2 good meals for the family! Candy (our Basset Hound) was happy to lick every other fish and take care of the zipper bone scraps.
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Are you getting any over 9 inches? Haven't gotten a fish ohio gill registered yet. Caught one a few years ago and forgot to turn it in before the end of the year so I don't count it. Would eventually like to get a fish ohio for every species. It is on my bucket list.


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## AtticaFish

I know for sure i had one that just barely hit the 9" mark a few weeks back. I've had a few other good ones through the year but haven't measured them.


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## AtticaFish

zwiller said:


> ...... Might have a shot at some keepers this weekend as we are headed to East Harbor Sat for family thing and see good things about EH. Might actually have to try to fillet LOL.


EH definitely has some good bluegill and pumpkinseeds. Can also luck into perch occasionally. Look for spots that either have several kinds of weeds in the same area or open edges next to thick areas of weeds. If you are fishing from shore, i've gotten a few along the shore through the campground area. Good luck!


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## FishOhioQuest

AtticaFish said:


> I know for sure i had one that just barely hit the 9" mark a few weeks back. I've had a few other good ones through the year but haven't measured them.


Ok thanks. I will have to try and get one if I get the time.


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## moleman

I have been getting consistently big gills lately in 22 feet of water using jigs like Attica with waxies. Lot of nine inches don’t know how to put on a picture. Don’t care about fish Ohio. Just like catching them. The biggest always go back. You will do well at EH


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## fisher person

Great reports guys. I need to get out. I totally enjoy a relaxing evening pan fishing on a calm evening.Forecast shows some nice temps coming.
Always appreciate the detailed reports Africa. I think I saw u lighting it up w a friend 2 weeks ago at an upground 1 evening. I did ok , but nowhere near what you did.
Looks like you are a borderline fly tier from the looks of some if those jigs


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## AtticaFish

That was probably me and my nephew, should have stopped and said hello. We were on an every Tuesday night schedule for a little while, haha. I do quite a bit of fly and jig tying. Next time you see me i can give you a few. They are really good for ice fishing!


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## Bucket Mouth

Nice pics, Africa! Reasonable beer selection too. Glad you're post-Coors. I was worried about you for a minute.


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## AtticaFish

I have been on a good round the world beer trip here lately. Have had a good variety in (and out of) the fridge over the last few weeks. Had a really good New England IPA tonight while grilling dinner. Never heard of the brand before (Hubbard's Cave Fresh IPA) so gave it a try. Pricey stuff but tasty. The NE IPA's have a way more mellow bite.......


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## zwiller

EDIT East Harbor as a bust. Tried all over too. Caught one tiny dude. Talked to a bunch of folks and NO ONE was catching that day. Not sure what the deal was. 

Who's this Africa dude?  Any of you craft beer guys ever have the OG-NEIPA Heady Topper? The NEIPA style beers I've had are pale in comparison.


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## fisher person

Probably meant attica.... But Africafish has a nice ring to it.


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## zwiller

@AtticaFish AKA Africafish and others. What size hooks you running? I think mine are too big. Mine I think are 6 or 8 but think I should try some 10 and 12s. Got my panfishplastics lures and them things are tiny...


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## AtticaFish

Vast majority of my jigs all have #6, #8 or #10. I think #8's are the Goldie Locks hooks.... not too big, not too small. I do use jigs probably 99% of the time and jig hooks might be just a shade smaller than a regular sproat hook. There are some days though (mainly cold cold water) that the fish want a tiny presentation and you just have to downsize. I do have some #12 jigs (maybe even a #14 ice jig or 2) but mostly use those through winter and in very early spring after ice out. Also have dropper spoons with #12 hooks. There are days out on the ice when the fish will not touch a 1/32 jigs with a #8 and a waxworm. Drop down to a tiny tungsten head with a #12 hook and a maggot and you are back in business. Problem with those 10's and 12's is that a lot will get hooked deep. Those deep hooks either do damage to the fish you want to release or damage the thin wire hooks after extraction.

Through mid summer and fall, i tend to go bigger rather than smaller though.


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## zwiller

THANKS. Have not had any hooked deep yet and don't think we ever caught any on #6 hooks. On #8s we get lots of strikes but fail to reel them in but probably user error. Also thinking upgrading the bobber from the old red n white cheapies and possibly a decent light action setup.


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## AtticaFish

Yes, i would upgrade to some better bobbers. Once you upgrade.... you are no longer aloud to refer to them as bobbers, only floats from here on out. haha! I use either the colored pencil style ones (like the pink and yellow) or the orange weighted pear shaped. I don't like the ones that have the rubber sleeve on the bottom, much rather use the spring style. Adjust the weight of your jig or split shots so it pulls the float down some and you will be able to see bites a lot better. The ultra light rod is more for fun but using lighter weight line might help you cast some of the lighter weight gear better.


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## DeathFromAbove

Love the weighted black and orange Thills


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## Bucket Mouth

Slip floats or bust!


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## AtticaFish

I used to use dang near nothing but slip floats for years. Used them for both shallow bluegill and deeper catfish for many years. Got tired of all the steps re-tying and figured out casting with a deep pegged float works for up to 6 or 8 foot or so. I still have one rod pretty much always rigged up with a slip float but honestly don't use it more than a fraction of the time anymore. If I am not getting hits up higher I toss out the slipper at 10 foot plus.


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## normd

Finding that slip bobbers are nice but not for all situations. I picked up some Carlisle float with springs on them. Figured easier to adjust or remove.


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## Never done fishing

Give "slip lock" bobbers a try (I'll leave a link to their website below). They are basically a removable slip bobber. I ran into the same problem with other slip bobbers. It's not fun having to retie just to remove the bobber. Hope this helps!
http://www.clearlyoutdoors.com/fnimall/slip_lock_bobbers.phtml


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## AtticaFish

Guess you could call this my end of summertime bluegill post. Fall fishing from here on out.......

Camped up at East Harbor over the holiday weekend. Tried along the harbor trail through the campground and caught fish but only one good sized bluegill that maybe would have kept. Did get a perch and several other shiners. Even caught the little one through the lip!




























Next morning grabbed my backpack, hopped on my bike and rode a ways to a West Harbor channel and did catch a couple decent fish. Caught several bullhead in the process. Fished this same channel last year when we camped at EH and did really well but this year the weeds were pretty thick everywhere I went. Can't wait to get the walleye rods out and chase those late night fish.


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## Bucket Mouth

You didn't keep the bullhead eh? That's some good eating fish!


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## AtticaFish

Nope, that is one I have never tried, but several people have told me i need to give them a shot. Maybe if I get some.through the ice this year I will bring them home.... i have one place I know is loaded with them and just takes some old stinky salted minnows to catch them.

For the camping weekend I was mostly just looking for a quick fish snack anyway. My parents were with my family and we had a feast. Honey hickory chicken legs, Bergmans sweet corn and roasted red taters are in the dutch oven behind the fire pit. Candy looks a little upset that we were not sharing with her. 










Could have had some fresh puffballs too. Found a spot with a few along the trails up there.


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## zwiller

Paid $17/lb for perch fillets for a Labor Day fry and motivated now! LOL. Can we talk walleye? Never fished for them. Any tips greatly appreciated. If there a sticky or something about time of year, what fish, and where to fish and can someone point me to it? Seems like everyone already knows all this stuff but I don't.


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## captainshotgun

AtticaFish said:


> Nope, that is one I have never tried, but several people have told me i need to give them a shot. Maybe if I get some.through the ice this year I will bring them home.... i have one place I know is loaded with them and just takes some old stinky salted minnows to catch them.
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Next time try roasting your Bergmans corn in the husk instead of in foil. You will be surprised at how much better they are. Good report!


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## AtticaFish

zwiller said:


> Paid $17/lb for perch fillets for a Labor Day fry and motivated now! LOL. Can we talk walleye? Never fished for them. Any tips greatly appreciated. If there a sticky or something about time of year, what fish, and where to fish and can someone point me to it? Seems like everyone already knows all this stuff but I don't.


There is a thread maybe a page back about fishing for the walleye at the inland reservoirs. I've only been out after them once so far with not a bite to show for 2 hours of casting. If I remember right, you said you were from the Sandusky area? If so, head down to the dock downtown behind the police station once the sun goes down. Or any other public breakwalls in that area. Take along a couple of husky jerks and watch how the guy who is catching fish is retrieving them. If I was closer to Erie, I would probably be there rather than the inland reservoirs.


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## DeathFromAbove

Theres a long running thread in the Central Ohio Forum called Rainy Night Jerks Limit, I believe is how its worded. It has over 2500 posts in it. Its a fountain of knowledge on catching Walleyes and Saugeyes, mostly from dusk and later. If you read thru it you will know how to catch 'eyes. Some of those guys are Saugeye experts.


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## DeathFromAbove

Sorry. It's Rainy Night Bite Jerks Limit


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## DeathFromAbove

There was another in the N.W.Ohio thread , but I dont remember what it was called. AtticaFish and a guy named Bvil, I think, gave a lot of info. That might be the one Attica just referenced in the preceding post.


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## zwiller

Many thanks gents, studying now. Nearly all of the what I've read so far flies in the face of what was passed on to me: walleye can only be caught in the Lake (boats), live bait only, there are no seasons to fishing... Reading, taking all of this in, and processing slowly.


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## King-Fish

Fished this afternoon for couple hours searching for few crappie and bite was slow.Water was murky and maybe a foot visibility at most....Used to always hammer them on float and minnow at this place but has been years since really fished it and had no minnows today lol. I tried float and every kind of gulp I had. Maggots, black shad, leeches, waxies all nothing. Went back to my old faithful bitsy minnow crankbaits and got 3 keepers at the end between two different colors. Nothing huge but 8”, 10” crappies and a nice 7” fat hybrid. I recommend the bitsy minnows if no ones tried em. A lot of colors and they get hits out of all kinds of fish. Thinking about going to get minnows at opening in morning and trying it out see if I can’t get more than a sandwich but hey better than nothing. Anyone else having luck with crappies? Oh thru in a picture of a baby bass I got on bitsy today with bigger eyes than his belly and/or almost body haha


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## fisher person

King fish. I landed about 15 small craps last thurs from a nw reservoir from shore. Probably 5 were keepers, fished at dusk in the sandusky area


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## fisher person

Also fished e. Sandusky bay from my kayak looking for bass or pan fish. Never fished this area, was surprised how clear the water was. My report wasnt too good. Zero bass or gills. Landed 3 , 3 inch perch by accident, water is pretty weed choked where I was


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## King-Fish

Well didn’t get the minnows today had to make a material run but had pole in back of truck so stopped for a bit to wade a shallow stretch of the Huron river. Only fished for about hour landed couple smallmouth biggest about 10”, a rock bass that was pretty decent size, and a sucker I believe. I seen a lot of bait fish in river and what seemed to keep flashing at me and were maybe 3-4” long emerald shiners maybe idk but there was a lot of them as well. I saw two bigger smallmouth that darted when the smaller one got hooked. Water is crystal clear thru this stretch so hard not to spook em after a couple set hooks. They were all definitely aggressive with the bitsy minnow today but with the flat shale bottoms and way they were acting wish I had some sort of jigging craw on the line. Remember to bring couple other lures along next time.


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## DeathFromAbove

That looks like a creek chub, and I can say in all my years I've never seen one caught on a crank bait !( The sucker that is)


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## King-Fish

Your probaly right with the chub. I thought that too but had weird lip made me think of sucker. And yeah I’ve never caught one before on crankbait either but those white ones are my go to. There’s another one white belly gray back name is gizzard shad i believe it’s HOT but hard to find anywhere anymore. Used to be about 12 diff variations of the bitsys. Hard to find anymore


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## AtticaFish

Chubs make for some excellent bait. I used to fish the stretch of Rock Creek through Hedges-Boyer Park in Tiffin and could catch a bucket full of horn head chubs using just about any small buggy looking jig. Makes for a relaxing lunch break.

Congrats on getting out on the Huron. Used to fish between Monroeville and the blue bridge a lot back in the day. Sure miss that.

FisherPerson - you and I need to get together for a kayak trip once. I've been wanting to hit the bay up around Johnson Island. I think I might know a fes spots for some cold water panfish before it ices up. I think the water temps need to drop more though.


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## King-Fish

Actually first time fishing the area. I pass by it frequently getting material and water was down to where I could walk upstream for a ways and not really get wet. Sure is beautiful though thru there. Was The stretch north of Monroeville within mile or two of 250. That clear water sure makes the sandusky around home look like ****


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## AtticaFish

Haha, yes it does. Always amazed me how quickly the Huron would drop and clear up after a big rain. My shop is right up against the Sandusky in downtown Tiffin and it stays high an muddy for a week after a storm. There are some good stretches on the Dusky where you can get into lots of Rock bass and smallies.


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## fisher person

Crunch, crunch crunch walking on that low shale. You must have done a good job to land those with the water so low n clear.
Attica, I almost thought about hitting the J.I. causeway instead but was looking for a good out in pt besides the public ramp. Was thinking about asking at Wilson's beach for out in


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## King-Fish

fisher person said:


> Crunch, crunch crunch walking on that low shale. You must have done a good job to land those with the water so low n clear.
> Attica, I almost thought about hitting the J.I. causeway instead but was looking for a good out in pt besides the public ramp. Was thinking about asking at Wilson's beach for out in


 Yes it was definitely crunchy the whole way. Really it was a tough bite because of the clarity but you can sneak around spot fishing if ya slow down a bit. I’m lethal with those bitsy minnows usually and probaly wouldve done better but the deepest holes I found were 18-24” deep and they dive up to 5’ so really had to trickle the retrieve.


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## King-Fish

Caught a few today. Missed a lot of bites too unfortunately. Gonna try it again soon.


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## AtticaFish

I did my annual dink population control at the old Attica res today. This reservoir used to be great until a big weed killer induced fish kill a many years back. It is getting better but the bluegill and crappie population seems to be stunted ever since. I have been going up once or twice a year and keeping every bluegill 6.5" and up. They make for tasty fish sticks. Jig tipped with a waxworm or gulp maggot pegged 2' under a float worked.


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## King-Fish

AtticaFish said:


> I did my annual dink population control at the old Attica res today. This reservoir used to be great until a big weed killer induced fish kill a many years back. It is getting better but the bluegill and crappie population seems to be stunted ever since. I have been going up once or twice a year and keeping every bluegill 6.5" and up. They make for tasty fish sticks. Jig tipped with a waxworm or gulp maggot pegged 2' under a float worked.
> 
> Funny you mention that res. When I was younger fished it a lot and would pull big crappie and a lot of bluegill and bass out of there. I’m talking like early 2000s. I have went there this summer several times and that’s all I could catch were bluegill of that size. I spotted a few bass making circles around shoreline but not really fishing for them was looking for crappie. Attica, you ever see any crappie out of there anymore? When I did well it was on west end back when they had a lot of cat tails along northwest corner.


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## King-Fish

Caught a lot of fish there this year same method pretty much. Was using slip float with small jig tipped with gulp waxies or the fish fry


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## AtticaFish

I caught one of the biggest bass I have EVER caught from that old res, but that was back in the late 90's. Caught it on my fly rod no less. In the late 00's through the early 10's it was an excellent bluegill and crappie lake. The city put an end to that not long after they built the new reservoir. They slacked on weed control one year and then dumped in too many chemicals on a hot summer in the old res. Killed off 80% of ALL life in there. It has not been the same since.


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## ress

Sounds about the same for #2 res here.

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk


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## fishwhacker

A wise friend on our fishing trips used to say you can make fun of the smaller bluegills im keeping but those small fillets are the first ones grabbed when they come out of the fryer, he is right.


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