Bluegill is one of the most popular game fish. These panfish are found in waterways throughout North America and are a favorite game fish among novice anglers who are just cutting their teeth. Bluegill are relatively easy to catch compared to larger game fish species. Where you might bass fish all day and get a couple bites, you’re sure to catch your limit of bluegill in no time if you can find a good location.
Even though you can catch a bluegill with a line, hook and the right bait, you’ll have better success, and catch larger fish, if you use a fishing rig designed to improve your presentation of bait or lure. The same fishing rigs that work for other game fish species will also work for bluegill. Just remember that bluegill have small mouths. When setting up a bluegill rig, you’ll want to keep your hook size between No. 6 and No. 10. You may also consider using long shank hooks that will allow you to easily remove the hook from their tiny mouth.
Bluegill can be caught using various common fishing techniques including bobber fishing, bottom fishing, drift fishing and even fly fishing. When selecting, bait, lure and fishing rig, take into account the fishing technique, season and location you’ll be fishing. Below are popular fishing rigs commonly used to catch bluegill.
Used for casting and dragging across a target area where fish may be located
A bass fishing rig that can be fished deep, shallow, and anywhere in between
One of the most traditional and effective rigs for catching a large variety of fish
Simple and proven rig for catching trout, walleye and other freshwater game fish
Can be fished at various depth with an easy adjustment to a bobber stop
Without question two of the best presentations for catching bluegill—and the rigs you want to have on hand for fishing bluegill—are the drop shot and bobber rigs.
Drop Shot Rig
Hands down one of the best rigs for reeling in large bluegill consistently. If you want just one rig for fishing bluegills, this is it.
To create the drop shot rig for fishing bluegill we recommend a size #4-#10 long shank hook, such as an Aberdeen, paired with a 1/8oz tungsten drop shot weight that you can clip onto your line. Alternatively, you can use a lead casting weight instead of a tungsten weight. What’s the different? Price! A 1/8oz drop shot weight typically comes in a package of 4 that will run you about $8 ($2.00 per weight). Compare that to the lead casting weight that comes in a package of 18 at a price of $3.50 ($.20 per weight). So if you’re made of money, go with the tungsten. If you’re like the rest us, a casting weight will get the job done.
When tying on your hook start a good distance up the line to ensure a minimum 10-12″ between your hook and weight. If you plan on fishing higher up in the water column you can increase the distance between hook and weight to about 2 to 3 feet. The easiest knot for attaching your hook midline is the Palomar. It’s sweet and simple. The uni or dropper loop knots will also work but are a bit much for the drop shot rig. Just make certain that your hook is facing downward toward the weight when finished. This can be accomplished by running the tag end of the line back through the eye of the hook (front to back) and then pulling the line tight.
For attaching weight to line, we recommend the surgeon’s loop. Tie your knot, then thread the loop through the eye of the weight, wrap the loop around the entire weight, back up around the eye, and tighten.
For targeting bluegill, the best setup for fishing a drop shot is a ultralight to light spinning combo with 2-6lb test mono or fluoro line.
How to Fish the Drop Shot
The drop shot rig is commonly fished vertically off the side of a boat but it can be cast a little distance as long as you maintain tension on the line and keep the bait up off the bottom. A drop shot can be fished at different depths along the water column, but about 1 to 2 feet off the bottom is a typical spot for target bluegill in lakes and ponds.
When you cast and retrieve a drop shot your weight will be moving along the bottom, or just off the bottom, with your bait above. When vertically fishing from your boat, you want your weight on the bottom with your bait suspended above at the target depth. Again, if you going to be targeting a couple feet off the bottom, the distance between your weight and bait will need to be a good 24+ inches.
A drop shot is great to use on windy days when other rigs are difficult to fish. It also keeps tension on the line which makes it much easier to tell when a small panfish, such as a bluegill, takes the bait.
Effective baits to fish on a drop shot when targeting bluegills are Berkley Gulp Minnow, crickets, leeches, or earth worms.
Bobber Rig
The bobber rig, or “float” rig, is really your second go-to rig for fishing bluegill next to the drop shot. Another version of the bobber rig, called the slip bobber rig, it basically the same setup but allows the bobber to slide up and down the line freely over a set distance. A bobber rig allows for pinpoint accuracy when targeting cover, long-distance casting, and targeting bluegills in both the shallows and deep water.
If you want to keep things simple, all you really need for this rig is a size #4-#10 long shank Aberdeen, or a comparable hook, 3-4 split shot sinkers (or egg sinker), along with a basic spring loaded easy clip on bobber, or old school bobber with two bobber stops placed above and below the bobber. You can also incorporate a swivel—with to small beads placed above and below for buffer—but the swivel isn’t really necessary.
The key to setting up the bobber rig for bluegill is (1) matching the amount of split shot you add to the line with the bouyancy of the bobber so it doesn’t take much pressure to pull the bobber down so you can tell when you have a bluegill on the line. (2) Placement of the bobber on the line is key. You want your bobber positioned at the depth the bluegill are going to be at.
When you first start fishing, you may not know at what depth bluegill are holding. If you’re using sonar, you can typically figure out where the fish are hanging out in pretty quick order. Otherwise, you’ll want to test several depth until the bluegill start biting.
Once you find your target depth, adjust the position of your bobber on the line. If you’re using a spring bobber, simply release the spring and move your bobber up and down the line to achieve desired placement and bait depth.
This simple, classic bobber setup will catch you a lot of bluegills, as well as a variety of other panfish.
