Can we have a blue gill thread?

Nothing says 4th of July like getting the kayak out and spending some time sight casting to little bluegill with a fiberglass 3wt. Unless of course it is doing that, then when you get back to your takeout spot finding some shade and schracking into a cold frosty beverage of some kind.

Topwater was slow but did manage a few ‘gills and an immature bass on the beat up old Betts spider a friend from the south gave me years ago. The perch and bluegill were both keyed in on a little olive sparkle bugger. Not as fun but still….. better than being hunched over my laptop working.

How everyone has a good weekend!
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Nothing says 4th of July like getting the kayak out and spending some time sight casting to little bluegill with a fiberglass 3wt. Unless of course it is doing that, then when you get back to your takeout spot finding some shade and schracking into a cold frosty beverage of some kind.

Topwater was slow but did manage a few ‘gills and an immature bass on the beat up old Betts spider a friend from the south gave me years ago. The perch and bluegill were both keyed in on a little olive sparkle bugger. Not as fun but still….. better than being hunched over my laptop working.

How everyone has a good weekend!
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Heck yeah!!
 
Okay while not a bluegill (I believe they were pumpkinseeds) they were beautiful fish, and they were definitely biting today. Pulled in 9, a few more bit and got away. Watching them swim, with the light hitting them it was awesome to see.
 

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Not on the fly... my youngest trolling a wedding ring and nightcrawler at Potholes for walleye or perch and ended up with what would be just about anyone's PB of a bluegill. I know it's bigger than any gill I've ever caught. Thing was an absolute tank. For reference, he's 6'3" with big hands and that's my Bass Pro net that is perfect size for carp, summer steel and pinks.
He totally engulfed the ball of night crawler & #4 Gamakatsu hook!
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Yesterday I went out at dawn to try a, new to me, panfish technique that I’ve seen posted here. It’s basically just the same indicator technique you’d use for trout chromie fishing. The small lily pads found on my local lakes grow in deeper water than their larger cousins. So I paddled in and with my sounder measured them at ten feet. So I set my indicator at eight and placed a balanced dragon nymph on point and a black micro leech three feet above. I cast as close in as I could, kicked back with my coffee, and just let it hang. Almost immediately , bobber down. A nice bluegill. Next cast, a LM bass. Unexpectedly, I caught more bass than bluegill. If my bobber would sit more than a couple minutes I’d throw in a couple of strips and bam, another bass. The movement seemed to get them motivated. So, another enjoyable Summer morning spent fishing for pan fish…I used to be a diehard trout man but I’ve really grown fond of panfishing in the hot days of Summer..
 
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Ok bluegill fans…..check this toad out! Local lake, full sink with a small green nymph. Coulda sworn it was a bass! Helluva fight! Tom and I C&R’d at least 60-70+ bluegills, bass and some trout. Emergers, indicators, full sink and dry line with a small nymph.

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