Okay, you, the most loyal bass fisherman in the world has had a day of non-stop work at the office, and you need to go relax. It's a beautiful afternoon, and you'd like to be on the water, but you don't have the energy to launch the boat... what can you do? Grab your ultra-light, head to the nearest public access area to your favourite lake, pond or river and catch some feisty bluegills!!

Also known as sunfish, these fish are often called "pests" because of how well they seem to know how to strip a hook of live bait, and how they strike lures that are much too large for them to inhale, so they nibble on tails, etc (of, oh let's say plastic worms).

The bluegill's great taste is not a huge secret, and many people often chase these bad boys and catch bucket fulls for their wonderful sweet taste. That's fine, if you like to eat them, go right ahead. In most places they are plentiful enough to take bucket fulls without harming the population. I myself usually prefer catch-and-release. Think about it... they're relatives of the bass. And I guarantee you, if they grew to the size of a bass, they would put up just as much of a scrap, perhaps more!

But, if you use light enough tackle and you know how to catch them, it can be a lot like bass fishing! First of all, get the lightest rod available. Some even use ice fishing rods to catch bluegills. I prefer a 4'6" ultra-light spinning rod/reel with 4lb. test Berkley Trilene XL. You don't need heavy line to catch these little scrappers.

For tackle, if you're a fan of live bait, go with worms. They stay on the hook better than minnows and the bluegills will eat them up just as well. Wax worms are often the bait of serious-bluegillers. If you don't want to spend the money or time on live bait, go with the tiniest plastic grubs or tubes you can get your hands on. I mean like 1/32 oz. jig heads tipped with a 1" jig. Sometimes you can get away with a 2" grub, but I stick to 1" 90% of the time. For real success, tip the jig with a little bit of worm. This usually entices the bigger ones of the pack to strike. Also, small Rebel crankbaits, Terminator Tiny-T spinnerbaits, or 1" spoons are a good choice. Fly fishermen even have luck with tiny floating flies, like blackfly imitations or even bees.

Some people may disagree with this, but my favourite time of year to catch bluegills is around their spawning time. When the bass are nesting, I can do the bass a favour by catching the pre-spawn bluegills away from their nest. If my lure is small enough and I keep my distance I can usually leave the bass completely unaware that I am even in the area. Meanwhile, I'm helping it by taking it's predators, the bluegill away from the nest. After bass finish their spawn, the bluegills usually start a spawn of their own. They spawn much like a bass by creating nests and guarding/fanning the eggs.

Unlike with bass, their nests aren't usually too spread out, as seen above. This means that you can go to several nests and catch/release the bluegills, and usually they will go right back to their nests anyway. If they don't, the bluegill population is usually high enough that it won't affect it too much. In some places they try to control the bluegill population by keeping the nesters at this time. As I said, some will disagree with this, but I really do not think it affects bluegill populations at all.

During other times of the year, or if water is too murky to find nests, just look for shallow shore-based structure and cast to it. You can usually do this from shore and catch plenty, especially in the early fall. You may want to use a small float if there is lots of bottom structure, as like bass they often grab the bait and run for cover. Play around with them as you reel them in, because they are a lot of fun on this light tackle.

I honestly think of bluegills as bass, just scaled down. The similarities are amazing, especially with the smallmouth bass. You can really see why bass are in the sunfish family if you spend a day, or a morning, or an afternoon chasing bluegills.. and let me tell you, you won't regret it! Good luck, and tight lines!