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Thread: Bass or Bluegill for kids

  1. #1

    Default Bass or Bluegill for kids

    I’m taking my 8 year old son and a friend to Perris this Saturday. I’ve never targeted bluegills at Perris. I went on Monday morning and fished for 4 hours. Got 6 small LMB on Drop shot and split shot plastic worms east end and climbers near sunken trees. Should I actively look for Blugills/Redears for the kiddos or just stick to Bass?
    Water level was Full! Temps 82-84. 10-14 feet visibility.Click image for larger version. 

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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Beaumont, CA
    Posts
    503

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    khanhqpham,

    I am not a bluegill fisherman, always fish bass; but I would imagine the bluegill are going onto the beds right now. I can remember seeing a year ago, after the bass were off of the beds, hundreds of bluegill bedding in the shallows on the northwest end of the island. Last year a guy on this website emailed me a picture of a bluegill set up, since I didn't have a clue on how to fish them. I will insert a copy of what he sent me. Good luck with your son. I hope the very best for your success, 'cause your son will always remember the times fishing with Dad!

    Click image for larger version. 

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  3. #3

    Default

    thanks.... i'll try for Bass for the first 2 hours and try that set up for gills on the northwest part of the island.

  4. #4

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    BassinPLS.... Thanks... my son is actually a good luck charm when it comes to fishing. He’s never been skunked so he’s known only victories, never defeats. Of course I never take him bass fishing in the middle of December!Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by khanhqpham; 07-24-2019 at 12:46 PM.

  5. #5

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    yes get the bass if they are biting!.. when the bite dies down for bass go deeper or go for bluegills.. with that photo with that rig.. you don't have to cut that line to tie the hook.. the trick to that rig.. is to double the loop line through eye of hook (*though super small hooks its more of a pain if you don't have 4 lb line or less.) wrap it around hook and its good to go but do the loop knot 3 times... you can use any size line really and weights.. and just do a second loop on the bottom and you can just loop the weight easily if you don't have split shots. .. a ultralight rod with 2 lb line is fun though because you can feel those little fish fight good. you can also do one loop knot 1 foot off floor and another one 2-3 foot up and you can get double ups.. up to 3 hooks in cali. but so you can work bottom and a little above at same time.. gl out there. I use size 6 mosquito circle hooks.. those tend to get small and nice size bluegill and I can use 6 lb mono loop knot on the eye of it still. but usually not the babies so depends on the size you find. going to smaller hooks. but 6 is good. just pinch nightcrawler in half and use piece of one.. also try full incase there is huge one that will smash the bigger worm. bluegill also bite a lot faster then say tossing near a bass.. so if you aren't getting bites move on. I also use a worm threader to get the worm on line easier(*why the loop knot cut or just used as loop is good for this rig the worm can be halfway up the line and not get all tore up) and it help to catch bluegills.. and keep bait for more then one fish and the ones that try to steal it..
    Last edited by jdogg661420; 07-25-2019 at 01:01 AM.

  6. #6

    Default

    I was the person that made that drawing that I sent to BassinPLS. You really don't have to trim that bit of leader, but with the water being so clear, you don't want it doubled up. And you don't have to do the overhand loop knot 3 times. Twice is fine. I've never had ANY fish break or untie that knot. 2 lb test is used because the larger Bluegills can be line shy, again because of the clear water. I use a medium to large round split shot crimped on lightly at the bottom, so if it gets snagged between some rocks or in some branches, you can just pull steady and the weight will just slide off. Cheaper than losing expensive drop shot weights or hooks. You can put 2 hooks on this set up, but it can be a tangled mess at times. I like just the one hook set up. I'm after big fish, not lots of fish. I also use the black Eagle Claw "Laser Sharp" Circle Hooks in a size 8 and 10. The fish hook themselves when they take your bait and swim away with it. Plus, they rarely get hooked deeply. They almost always get hooked in the corner of their mouths, which is great for catch and release. Please help us keep Lake Perris as a big Bluegill fishery by releasing the big ones. We release all fish that are over 9 inches long. Besides, the smaller ones taste better.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Beaumont, CA
    Posts
    503

    Default

    fishmounter,

    Thanks for sharing ... again!

  8. #8

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    I have been . Lake Perris fishing for panfish several times in the past few months (since April), fishing from shore or docks. Strangely, the best fishing for Redear and Bluegill was in April, before they started filling the lake the rest of the way up. Since then, I have caught quite a few incidental bass, mostly small, and only a few small Bluegill on worms. Last time, a couple of weeks ago, I kept catching little bass, but around dusk, I hooked two large fish that I think were bass. The first one broke off at the hook on my 4 pound line, and the second fell off my little panfish hook after being on the line for a minute or so.


    Reasons for the poor panfish bite could be: 1. The cold water from Silverwood

    2. The fish aren't biting well because they have so much food to eat now. (The fish even look very well fed and I am sure they are growing fast).


    3. I was not fishing where the most fish were, although I have tried several spots.


    The water should not be too cold now, so maybe they are biting better. I suspect that the panfishing will be better in the fall though.

  9. #9

    Default

    Hey Robert, I'm not the expert at this lake, my fishing buddy is. (you know who) But I'll tell you what I know. You are correct with No. 1. The water would start to warm up, then it would drop down a few degrees. Finally the water temp would warm up with the hotter days. When a lake rises as fast as it did, it kind of freaks out the fish and the bite can be thrown off for a while. The water level and temperature went up and down quite a bit during the spring. Also for the Bluegill, the larger ones are in deep water, like 20 feet or more and hang around structure, just like the bass do. Also Robert, while using an ultralight outfit, I've hooked quite a few big 'Gills that pull and fight so hard that you think you have a good sized bass on. Then after a while you can tell it's a big Bluegill. Still will take a couple minutes to land when you have made a long cast and are using 2 lb test line. And yes the fall bite should be good and hopefully cooler than these awful hot days.

  10. #10

    Default

    I agree that the main issue is probably the increase in water level and the influx of cold water. I think the larger panfish are normally in deeper water during the summer too. In the spring, and maybe in the fall, they are often shallower.

    As for the 2 larger fish that I hooked, I was left wondering about them, but they were very likely bass, since for one thing, mainly bass were biting there (on the pier at Sail Cove) and the way they inhaled the bait like bass, and basically swam toward deeper water once hooked, without much change in direction. Plus, I was using pieces of nightcrawler since I had run out of redworms. By the way, I think I hooked a large carp there in May, like over 10 pounds, but again, I didn't see it. This one went under the pier and far to the right side, almost spooling me before I started to turn it on my 4 pound line. I got the fish something like halfway in, before the line got snagged in a cable or something and broke. Oh well, it would have been a miracle if I had landed that fish. I also hooked a fish that same day which surfaced well out from the pier and looked like a good size trout from what I could see (about a pound more or less), but it fell off the hook.

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