Targeting big bluegills under the ice can require finesse and some fine tuning, but when the bite is on, the extra effort is worth it in winter! Simonson Photo.
By Nick Simonson
When bluegills are thick below the ice, no winter fishing experience could be faster. However, not all days are like those which rival mid-summer schools on the feed, and unlocking the jaws of the biggest bull bluegills can take a bit of finessing when winter coverings take hold of a body of water. Having the right offerings and the correct presentations, along with a few quick trouble shooting techniques can ensure that a connection is made with almost every bluegill that makes its way up the sonar display.
Start Small
Diminutive by their nature of being the base of most forage in any lake, bluegills have smaller mouths, and obviously, target smaller prey items. Rare is the day that a bluegill inhales a minnow on a hook, so adjusting offerings in sizes more akin to their predominant menu items is key in catching more of them in winter. Jigs as small as 1/50th of an ounce may be required to catch even large bluegills, as they target small underwater food items such as blood worms, nymphal stage insects, and even things as tiny as daphnia.
Utilizing the smallest jigs one can get away with, while employing models that still fall down the water column quickly – such as those made of tungsten, which is denser than lead – are a great place to start when figuring out what bluegills want. On those tougher days, the small jigs will work, and when they’re feeding more aggressively, anglers can upsize and catch active fish, or to keep smaller ‘gills off while targeting the bigger panfish in the pod. Remember when utilizing tiny jigs that smaller diameter line such as one- two- and three-pound test will help get the offering down faster and provide a more natural presentation.
Work It
The typical prey items that bluegills pursue in winter aren’t highly mobile. Unlike the small minnows of summer they can easily gorge on around docks and weed lines, smaller life forms that comprise the bulk of bluegills’ diets don’t do a whole lot of darting, swimming or fast moving. Thus, a subtle jigging motion is often the best way to entice a bite. Sometimes even a simple squeeze of the fishing rod handle, or a slight tremor of the index finger and thumb is enough to set fish off, especially when employing a spring-bobber rod which imparts the slightest action through the super-sensitive bonus hook eye that also doubles as a bite detector.
When bluegills show up on a sonar readout, raise the offering slightly above them in the water column. As these fish have eyes mounted on the top of their heads, a bait positioned in their field of view will get more attention than one directly in front of them or slightly below their sightline. Once they move in, give a slight jiggle or pulse to impart small actions to the lure and bait, and then pause to see if the fish takes. Keep a close eye on that spring bobber and set the hook if it jumps up or bends down slightly, as bluegills can inhale and exhale a bait in less than a tenth of a second!
Tend the Line
If bluegills are coming in, but not biting despite a variety of presentations, there may be issues with the equipment and not the user behind it. Before dropping a jig down into the water column, check how it sits in the hole. If it’s got any spin to it, cut it and the bottom 12 inches of line off and retie it. Every 10 fish or so, this process may be necessary, as the side-swimming circles bluegills often employ in battle impart a lot of torque on the line, which in turn causes a lure to spin unnaturally under the water.
Additionally, when retying, make sure the lure rides with the correct positioning by ensuring proper knot placement at the 12 o’clock position on the hook eye. For those horizontal jigs, like Fat Boys, Genz Worms, and similar small go-tos for bluegills, this helps the offering lay flat and present a payload of a waxworm or maggot as a quivering tail on the offering, making it look more alive and natural when a bluegill uses its relatively big eyes to look things over. Check the knot after every fish to make sure it did not slip down the side of the eye to ensure each presentation is its very best.
Offering up the properly sized baits on light line while employing a spring bobber will help produce, detect and convert more bluegill bites through the ice this winter. Check for any unnatural lure spin which might be occurring, and cut and retie to eliminate it, while resetting each knot in the right place for an ideal presentation. Take these tips and others you learn along the way to a favorite panfish water and make big bluegills a huge part of your winter success this ice season.