Big ’Gills Can Be More Like Their Largemouth Cousins Than Their Younger Siblings.

Hard-core anglers usually possess an insatiable appetite for new techniques. These techniques are mined from a variety of sources, but one common practice is to take tactics used to catch one species and modify them to fool another. 

For example, the parallels between largemouth bass and bluegills can’t be ignored. In addition to being related as members of the sunfish family, it’s undeniable that both species love weeds and readily bite jigs. Thus, drawing on the insight of four bass and bluegill experts from eastern Ontario, I have harvested a variety of largemouth-inspired strategies for icing ’gills — particularly big ones.

It Starts in Autumn

Ottawa, Ontario, resident Steve Barnett is an accomplished bass angler with several tournament wins to his credit. But when ice covers his favorite bass lakes, Barnett turns to the largemouth’s smaller cousin. And thanks to his autumn bass fishing, he knows where to look.

“A lot of my ice spots for bluegills are the same deep weed areas that I fish for largemouths in fall,” Barnett said.

Shallow plants are the first to die back in autumn. Bass and bluegills move to deep, healthy weeds when the shallow greenery dies off. Classic deep-weed spots include points off of flats or bays, off-shore humps, and bars off of shorelines. Barnett uses a global positioning system during autumn bass outings to mark the best greenery, and then returns at first ice to target ’gills. 

Another scouting tip Barnett offers is to judge a new lake’s potential by using the largemouth population as a litmus test to choose waters deserving further investigation for bluegills.

“If a lake has big bass in it, there’s a good chance it’s got the right ingredients to hold big panfish too,” he said. 

Deep Water, Big Fish

Before retiring from tournaments, Jim McLaughlin of Brockville, Ontario, won 28 events, including two CFT Canadian Classics in the 1980s. His winning strategy often involved catching big largemouths on deep weedlines and off-shore structures. 

Not surprisingly, his affinity for cavernous cover also influences his ice fishing.

“There are always big panfish near deep water,” McLaughlin said. “Not necessarily open water, but inside the deepest edge of a weedline or relating to bottom around a drop-off.”

In many cases, he said, the edge of a flat adjacent to deep water, and bars or points associated with weed-covered structure are particularly productive.

However, patterning large bluegills demands more that just locating the border of an outside weed edge. You must find the best growth in a lake and concentrate on its optimum sections. This strategy echoes open-water largemouth fishing, where the “spot on the spot” is where the biggest bass live. 

Comparably, structure and cover anomalies will concentrate bruiser bluegills. A variation in bottom composition, change in vegetation, bend in the weed edge, contour ripple, or cover such as logs or boulders, will corral the biggest bluegills. 

The Flow Factor

Current is an often overlooked factor in fish location, McLaughlin said. When the winter doldrums set in, he focuses his bluegill hunting on shoals and bars on lakes with water movement. 

“In winter, you don’t need a lot of flow to get benefits,” he said. “A little bit of current can make a big difference. It carries oxygen, food, and can even out temperatures beneath the ice. It can also sometimes help keep the deep weeds healthy, so they’ll hold bluegills for a lot of the winter.”

Bluegills will inhabit areas that are near but buffered from any significant flow. This lets them reap the rewards, such as lush weeds, without wasting energy swimming in current. 

McLaughlin footnotes this hard-water hint with caution: Current makes ice thickness unpredictable. Safety should always be your No. 1 priority. 

Locate the Lead-In

“Look for the lead-in,” is one of Jack Levert’s favorite sayings when fishing largemouths. This mindset helps him understand fish location and succeed in tournaments. What does that mean? The Ingleside, Ontario, resident describes lead-ins as the routes fish use to move in and out of shallow areas. These aren’t interstate highways but leisurely routes filled with plenty of stops. 

These entrance and exit pathways will stall and concentrate bass, and they’ll also have the same affect on bluegills. 

For several winters, Levert, Barnett, friend Rob Jackson and I have enjoyed steady late-ice action fishing lead-in weeds in front of large spawning bays, tributaries and reedy shorelines. In many cases, the shallows are loaded with panfish, but the bulkiest bluegills are often on the outermost vegetation. Common spots include isolated weed clumps and outside bends or fingers off of larger beds.

“I see it with my underwater camera a lot, Jackson said. “You could be fishing a great-looking weed bed, but if you’re too far inside, you’ll only get small ’gills. You’ve got to be along the outside edge or the points of the deep weeds. That’s where the big bluegills hide.” 

Lead-ins are also important to pattern bluegill morning and night bites. 

Several years ago, I joined McLaughlin on one of his favorite dusk-bite bluegill lakes. Our efforts concentrated on a 15- to 18-foot soft-bottom flat. The spot on the spot of this area is where the deep flat intersects the inside turn of a shallow water drop-off, which also leads into the lake’s biggest weed flat. 

McLaughlin calls the zone a food shelf. Bluegills will use the weeds to evade predators or to munch on vegetation-loving invertebrates. At dusk, they’ll move out and hunt on the soft-bottom flat when nocturnal edibles and zooplankton get active. 

To experience the best action during the brief twilight feeding frenzy, it’s critical to have holes drilled near and along the inside bend.

It Begins With Balance

Although they fish for bass in many ways, McLaughlin, Barnett, Levert and Jackson all regularly use flipping jigs. Their confidence in this bass technique influences their hard-water bluegill methods. To succeed on ice with jigs, Jackson stresses the importance of a properly balanced outfit. 

“You’re not going to use an extra-heavy rod to finesse largemouth bass,” Jackson said. “The same goes for bluegills in winter. If you’re over-powered, you won’t have the sensitivity to feel hits. Not only that, you need an ultralight rod with the right action to properly present tiny ice jigs.”

Like their technique-specific sticks for bass, these anglers match the jig weight and the degree of finesse required to fool bluegills to whether they use a standard, noodle, or spring bobber rod.

Two-pound test is the go-to line in most instances, and it’s got to hang straight. Stretch it out if it’s corkscrewed, Jackson said, as line coils will dampen and conceal hits.

First Impressions

Regardless of the species, McLaughlin is uncompromising about a perfect first impression. I’ve seen him pull back a bass jig in mid-air if it was slightly off the mark (which is a rarity) and then re-do the pitch to ensure a flawless presentation. 

The same scrutiny applies to icing bluegills. His Vexilar is dialed in, his shelter is in place, and any other tasks are completed before he starts fishing. The rationale to this fastidiousness is that a fresh ice hole represents a clean slate. The best chance at coaxing a bite is delivering a perfect presentation the first time. 

This is important for big bluegills, because substandard offering just won’t cut it with old, wise ’gills. 

If you botch the first drop, you might turn off fish. 

Stay in Character

Many anglers make the error of getting so fixated on fish location that they sacrifice a proper presentation while rushing to get into the strike zone. 

A loud lure splash to a shallow-water largemouth or an anchor-fast drop of a jig over a bluegill’s head will spook fish. 

For bluegills, the best practice is to keep the jig looking natural from the moment it gets wet. With active fish, or in deep water, you can accelerate the drop, but jig continuously so the bait stays lively. 

When the fish are fussy, take your time on the descent. You’ll hook more fish if the jig’s action is true to form from when they first see it until it’s in front of their faces. There are other benefits, too.

“Bluegills can suspend at slightly different depths in weeds — like bulbs on a Christmas tree,” Barnett said. “Slowly swimming your jig down helps you target these hovering fish. You might even attract and catch fish that are outside of your sonar cone.”

Profile Particulars 

For bass and bluegills, shape is an important element to jig choice. It influences sink rate and action. These aspects — combined with whether its profile mimics bluegill forage — can be deal-breakers for scrutinizing sunfish. 

A standard line-up includes horizontal, tweaner (45- to 60-degree angle), and vertical (tear drop) jigs. But variations exist within these categories. 

For example, the flat-bellied shape of the Northland Gill Getter will spiral and dart more on the drop than a thinner horizontal jig, which helps trigger bites from discerning bluegills. 

Of course, tipping a jig with maggots or waxworms influences action and can slow the fall, much like a trailer does with a bass offering. 

Weight is also noteworthy. Ice jigs on the heavy side are advantageous to get past leaves and stems when spelunking weeds. 

Levert and Barnett place a lot of stock in jig details. Why? Using custom-made football jigs, the duo won Canada’s 2008 Renegade Bass Classic and took home a $55,000 Yamaha-outfitted Ranger boat. 

“A football jig wobbles when it falls,” Levert said. “This is a subtle but distinct difference compared to a generic bass jig, and it can get you more bites when the fishing’s tough.

He’s just as fastidious about jig action beneath the ice. Although fond of horizontal baits, he often turns to maggot-tipped teardrops for fussy shallow-water bluegills. 

“Teardrops come in three categories: thin, average and wide. The thinner they are, the tighter the spiral or shimmy on the fall. I use the mid-range ones the most, but you need to pack all three, because bluegills can prefer one action over another some days.”

The reality is that bluegills eat a variety of microscopic items that feature different underwater movements. Experiment with different shapes and weights of ice jigs, whether to imitate the profile and loosely replicate the aquatic maneuvers of their food, or to add (or remove) pizzazz from a jigging sequence. It will help you pattern the best profile and action to get the most bites.

A Range of Motions

Analysis of fish activity and matching a presentation accordingly is the bread and butter of fishing success no matter the species. Slow-moving or belly-to-bottom fish are less active than suspended, faster-moving ones. Outside of sight-fishing scenarios, sonar and an underwater camera provide a window into fish behavior and their reaction to your jigging moves. 

Hops and darts of a bait can be good when bluegills are wound-up, but don’t overdo it. Levert uses the term “power-finesse” to summarize his jigging approach, which ranges from vibrant shakes (think jogging on the spot) to a subtle, soft, pulsating motion. 

When Levert first starts flirting with fish, he keeps the jig’s depth fairly constant. The degree the jig rocks and quivers is influenced by the intensity of his hand-shakes, which are customized based on what his sonar’s telling him about his quarry’s mood. After the jig attracts a fish, he increases the tempo slightly, sometimes raising the lure to try and trigger a strike. 

Amidst this bustle, he frequently includes plenty of pauses to let fish lock-in on the bait and get a good attack.

Jackson is also an advocate of long pauses. 

“Sound, speed and profile can all trigger hits, but so can time,” Jackson said. “If you think you’ve waited long enough when trying to finesse a fussy bluegill to bite, wait a little longer. 

“When I start to see a fish signal flicker on my sonar, I often just keep the jig still, and a lot of times, they’ll slide in and slurp it up. 

“When they don’t, that’s the sign to add fresh bait, try a jiggle or a slow-raise, or tie on a different type of jig.”

Color Considerations

Barnett is a huge believer in color when it comes to bass. That mindset carries over to bluegills.

“Having the right color of jig can help you catch numbers of fish when they’re favoring a certain hue,” he said. “But it’s more than that — sometimes color is the key to triggering the big fish to bite.” 

He has tested his theory on ice and open-water, trying the same style of jig in different patterns and even switching rods with fishing partners. The result: Cycling through different colored ice jigs to find the day’s favorite makes a difference on active and inactive fish. 

“A lot of folks go crazy on white, chartreuse and pink,” he said. “These work, but you need to try blacks, browns, oranges and reds, too.”

Glow patterns and metallic finishes also deserve water time.

Yet, Barnett points out that getting choosy about color is best left until you’ve located fish and are refining tactics to catch more and bigger bluegills. 

Conclusion

Like their bass cousins, bluegills can be fussy feeders. When faced with tough fishing for bluegills this winter, consider using these largemouth-inspired tactics. Plus, as long as you remain focused on icing sunfish, thinking about summer conditions can be a pick-me-up when fishing in freezing temperatures.

— Tim Allard is an Ontario-based hard-water expert and author-photographer of the book, “Ice Fishing: The Ultimate Guide.”