Big bluegills can be had – here’s how

Walleyes will always be my favorite fish to catch through the ice, but during the 2022-23 season, I had a banner year locating and catching big bluegills.

Catching good numbers of bluegills isn’t a big deal, but catching the big ones is another story.

Here are some tips.

The bigger the better

The big bluegills caught have come from areas that are loaded with perch just before sunset. These pesky perch inhale any tiny baits such as tungsten jigs and ice flies. The tiny fish are a real pain.

Many of my friends fish only with tiny baits for bluegills, but my choice is to go with big baits right away. My choice is typically a smaller walleye-sized spoon with a “flapper” blade, and I work the bait vigorously. Thus, the tiny perch either bounce off the spoon or just swim and watch.

This eliminates the bothersome perch nibbles. Big bluegills have no problem taking in a large bait, even with their tiny mouths.

When the sun goes down

As the sun goes down, big bluegills get active. I’ve noticed that bluegills that are active start small, with the larger fish arriving just after sunset.

It’s not unusual to catch big bluegills and crappies well into the evening, as late as 9 p.m. It doesn’t pay to get on the ice until 4:30 p.m., and then just wait them out.

Bring the shine

There is no doubt that after dark, ultraviolet and glow baits are important in catching bluegills. Fishing in deep water – 25 feet or so – after dark requires a bait that is bright and noticeable.

It doesn’t hurt to give those glow and UV baits a shot of light from your headlamp just before dropping them down the ice hole.

Bobbers, you ask?

I’ve been testing bobbers with small ice flies and for this angler, it’s too distracting. There are times when a “dead rod” with a bobber works, but I’ve found the most active and largest bluegills want something that presented aggressively.

Bobber rigs can catch a lot of fish, but it’s the active jigging that puts the big bluegills in the bucket.

Limit not needed

Big bluegills are extremely rare and deserve to be released, for the most part.

My rule of thumb is to keep three for a meal and release everything else. There is no reason to keep a full limit of these breeders.

If you insist on keeping a full limit, keep some of the smaller males. I have seen good bluegill lakes get decimated from overfishing because once the bite starts, anglers get greedy and take more than they should, often “double-dipping” – which happens when a good bite is on.