Written by Your Hobie Lynx is an excellent little craft to take on pocket water. Lightweight, with a shallow draft and a slim profile, it can get into even the thickest stuff.
Plus, the Hobie Lynx’s MD 180’s kick-up fins are perfect for getting back in there among thick cover and obstacles where all the bluegill are hanging out in the summer heat.
And, at the end of it, if you’re successful, you’ll have a mess of ‘gill for a summer fry. Here are 4 proven tactics to catch bluegill during the hotter months of the year.
Fish and Cut Bait
Probably the most reliable method of all, all you need in terms of terminal tackle are some light aberdeen or baitholder hooks and some floats. You can rig a swivel and fish with a leader if you want to reduce line twist but you won’t be dealing with much of it.
There are lots of good baits for this: nightcrawlers, mealworms, wax worms, bread, hot dogs, cheese, chicken liver, crickets – you name it, bluegill will eat it.
Just one thing: the bluegill are bait thieves. You don’t want any of the bait to be dangling or trailing off the point of the hook. Cover the hook or place a small piece just on the tip of the hook, so that when a bluegill sucks it in, you won’t miss the hookset.
Small Spinners
Small spinners that run shallow and turn reliably at low speeds are ideal because you’ll be fishing in shallow water and a fast retrieve is rarely if ever successful when targeting panfish. Consequently French and Colorado blades are among the best here, followed by Indiana blades.
Opt for the smallest spinners you can find – size 0 Mepps Aglias and 1/16 oz Rooster Tails work well. Cast to structure, or over the bluegill redds, then retrieve the spinner as slowly as you can to keep the blade turning.
This is one of the most effective methods for targeting panfish with artificials.
Very Tiny Plugs
Bluegill also love very tiny plugs, provided you have the patience to fish them slowly enough to get their attention. Consider a floating option like a Rebel Crickhopper, a suspending model like a Rapala Husky Jerk 6 (the smallest option) or even a Yo-Zuri Snap Bean (a proven panfish-getter).
Cast these to structure, let them pause for a second, then begin a very slow twitching retrieve. The smaller and shorter the twitches, the better. You want these things in front of their faces so you can entice them.
Streamers and a 3wt Fly Rod
This last method is also a highly effective way to target bluegill, especially in summer when they are thick in the shallows and clustered up around structure.
Get a lightweight fly rod – a 3wt is ideal but 2wt and 4wt alternatives work well – with floating WF line, and throw a small streamer at the bluegill. Bright colors, like white, chartreuse, and pink are effective here. A woolly bugger is a greater pattern, too, and so is a San Juan worm, even though that’s not a steamer.
Cast into the shallows, let the streamer sink for a second or two, and crawl the line back to you. You should be getting a bluegill nearly every cast if they are in the area.
Get Out There!
The fun of bluegill fishing is threefold. The fish are cooperative and easy to catch, bag limits are overall extremely generous in most if not all states, and they’re delicious, too.
So what are you waiting for? Your Hobie Lynx is the perfect backwater craft for chasing these panfish in the heat of summer. Rig her up, get your tackle together and hit the local hole. You’ll be glad you did.
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