The two most important elements when fishing with live Bluegill as bait is that the fish is able to remain alive for a long period of time and that it closely resembles the natural swimming motion of a Bluegill. For the best results, try to use bluegill that are small enough in order to appeal to most fish.
The recommended length for using Bluegill as bait is anything smaller than 6 inches preferably inches long. The best option for keeping your bluegill bait alive for a long period of time is to hook the fish through the lips. We recommend hooking through the bottom lip first and come out through the top lip.
The hook will seal the lips of the bluegill shut. The downside to this method is that the bluegill tends to fish towards the surface of the water.
However this can be acceptable if you are fishing for Catfish or Bass near the top of the water. The best option for having your bluegill bait resemble its natural swimming motion is to hook the fish through the body directly in front of the tail. We recommended hooking the bluegill in the back side of its body as it allows for the fish to swim downwards which makes it look more appealing to a predatory fish.
The live Bluegill tends to cover more area within the water when they are hooked this way. When fishing for Bass, It is recommended to hook the Bluegill right behind the dorsal fin. As effective method for luring Bass to your bait is to pull the line when the Bluegill is hooked. This pulling motion forces the Bluegill to swim sideways, which makes the fish appear injured to a hungry bass in the area.
We have seen live Bluegill work extremely well for big Bass. It almost always seems to work out that if the Bass are biting, you could receive a bit in just under 10 minutes with a live Bluegill fish as your bait. Because they are found just about everywhere, almost all catfish seem to have access to bluegills. This high availability-rate coupled with their nutritional value makes them an excellent catfish bait.
Bluegills are one of the hardiest catfish baits around. They can tolerate less-than-ideal water conditions and oxygen-levels that would do-in more sensitive species shad, minnows, and trout. They also will stay alive better during the summer months than shad making them the perfect summer-time catfish bait.
Unlike shad which will die right after netting or shortly after being rigged, bluegills will survive a lot better and remain alive throughout the whole process as long as you only cast it once or twice. For a complete gear and tackle recommendation for catfish, check out my recommended catfish gear list which will help you catch more and larger catfish than anyone else. It is important to catch bluegills the right size for catfish angling.
Flathead catfish can consume larger bait than channel catfish and even blue catfish since their mouths are bigger. This is why big flathead catfish require large live bait whereas you can catch plenty of big channel and blue catfish on smaller live bait as well as cut bait pieces of shad and bluegills. For most blue catfish and especially channel cats, select smaller bluegills as bait.
There are a variety of methods you could use to obtain your bait. If trapping is permitted in your local waters, cloverleaf traps can be an excellent tool for catching all sizes of bluegills. Casting nets work really well for catching bluegills but you need to be careful. Casting nets have a tendency of being shredded by snags and debris which is exactly where bluegills like to congregate. Instead, focus throwing casting nets at bluegills in areas free of snags such as docks and alongside boats.
For most people, the practical way to catch bluegills will be by catching them on hook-and-line. Bluegills are easily caught on small pieces of worms, mealworms, grasshoppers, small minnows, corn, and pieces of Slim Jims. When you start casting into a school of bluegills, it usually happens that the biggest, most aggressive bluegills attack your bait first.
Instead, find a new school of bluegills and keep moving around until you get your fill. To keep your bluegills alive and healthy, a well-aerated live well or bucket bait container with holes can be great. You could also use collapsible laundry baskets too which are cheap and provide great ventilation for your bluegills to remain lively.
An ultralight spinning rod, 4-pound test mono, and a size 14 fish hook is about it. A small bobber can help as well. I recommend either mono or braided fishing line. They both serve their roles. As far as terminal tackle is concerned, hooks and sinkers are what we need. You will want a good-quality fishing hook that is strong, flexible, and very sharp. You could use a bait hook or octopus hook, but I feel for catfish using bluegills as bait, you really should go with a circle hook. Using live bluegills is the best way to target trophy flathead catfish.
These monsters prefer their bait whole and alive. Channel catfish and blue catfish will also eat living bluegills but they have smaller mouthparts and simply prefer dead cut bait over living bluegills. To fish with whole live bluegills, you have two ways to rig it. In water without current, run your circle hook through the back behind the dorsal fin. To rig bluegill for moving water, hook the bluegill through the nose with the hook point oriented upwards.
This will make the fish more aerodynamic and reduce snags from moving debris. Sometimes bluegills die. Flatheads tend to opt for the live bait only, but cut bait is also a viable option to catch a flathead. Cut bait is nothing more than a dead fish cut into pieces, filets or chunks and used as fishing bait. There is nothing super flashy or fancy about the process or terminology involved.
You have a few options on where you get the live or cut bait for catfishing. First, you can just purchase cut bait at many bait shops. You can catch it yourself. This is a great method as well for having excellent active live bait ready to go for those monster catfish your targeting. This will depend a little bit on the kind of fish you plan on using for your live bait. You have several options, but these are the most common you will frequently see.
Using a net is one standard method people will use to catch the live bait after locating an excellent spot to do so. You can also just merely fish for bluegill with a simple rod and reel, small hook and nightcrawlers. Placing the hook just below the upper fin helps keep a large catfish from ripping the bluegill off the hook. If your using chunks, your goal is just hooking the live bait in a fashion that allows it to remain on the hook.
The first step in getting your live bait ready to go is determining which size and kind of catfish you are targeting.
NOTE- Be sure to check with your state fish and wildlife agency on the rules for using bluegill as livebait. Some states it may not be legal, and other states there may be certain rules around this.
Always check your local fish and wildlife rules to be sure your in compliance. Bluegill inhabit shallow vegetated areas or hang out near structure. A good place to start is around docks, lily pads, cattails or submerged tree limbs. Bluegill mainly eat insects, so crickets, live worms, wigglers, grasshoppers, and grass shrimp are all excellent live bait choices. They can also be caught on fish bites, bread balls, and a wide variety of artificial lures my personal favorite is a beetlespin.
Use a small bobber and split shot positioned inches above your hook. Cast into the small openings near the vegetation or structure and wait for a bite. Bluegills have very small mouths, so give them a one-second count before setting the hook. Usually, the smaller fish will bite first and near the surface, with the bigger bluegill hanging out near the bottom. Its always best to catch bluegill in the same body of water you are fishing for catfish.
This means the fish is already used to that water temperature and alkalinity. However, you can also catch bluegill from nearby ponds, lakes, or creeks and transport them to your catfish area with a bucket and aerator. If they are too small, they will have trouble staying on the bottom or may die when you hook them.
If they are too large, you may have trouble controlling the fish near structure or in a heavy current. Bluegill are pretty tough little panfish, and much more durable then farm raised baitfish such as shiners or shad.
The short answer is, all of them! Catfish are opportunistic feeders and nearly all catfish species will eat bluegill eggs, fry, juveniles, and adults if given the chance. Bluegill can be fished in a variety of different ways when trying to catch big catfish.
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