Perris Lake Bluegill tips

[tunagod1]

Pound for pound bluegill are among the hardest fighting fish around.
The florida strain bluegill in Perris lake can make for fast action and a good time for all.

Setup:

At Peris lake, we use a simple dropshot setup with a twist. We use 2 lb test, a 3/16 oz weight, about 18" above the weight I tie a dropper loop. I cut the loop on the top side about 1/4" from the dropper loop knot and tie the hook on the tag end of the dropper loop. We use a hook called an Izuo improved self hooking hook. Don't bother traing to find locally, I have to special order them from Hawaii. The #11 or 12 is the best size for bluegill. Owner makes a nice little wire hook that is also very effective.
Keep the drag loose because you never know when a nice Bass will jump on, we have caught bass to 6.5 lbs using this technique

Areas:

Typically this time of year the bluegill have already spawned once so they may be a little more scattered than in late May and June.
On overcast mornings work the shallow areas from 5-9 ft and 10-16 ft when the sun comes out. Usually fish the backside of the island or the Island itself.

Bait

Crickets for Bluegill and redworms for Redear.

Finding the school:

Find areas that quickly transition from deep water to shallow, we already have established areas so those are usually the go to places first. Work the shallow stuff early and transition to deeper water once the sun is out. sometimes I find them midday in the shallow stuff behind the Island, but not often. Don't camp out in an area unless its productive. We only fish and area for 15-20 min before moving on. Fan cast to different areas work the bait back to the boat. Use the lift and wind the slack technique when slowly working the bait back to the boat. Bluegill tend to be school fish so when you catch one, cast back to the same spot. It doesn't take long to tell if the larger models are there.

I have included some pics of the setup and of the catch