Big Gils Need Love!!

Big Gils need love too!!! Hoping to find some “Bull Dozers” today…….And boy did we find the Mud diggers!! Biggest Tank Gil went 11 inches, and I thought I’d hooked a smaller Bass until the circle!! Also happened upon the BROWN fish!! I’m not gonna lie the Daze Super Noodle was flexed fighting those angry Smallmouth!!……Another Smallie!!

It has been about a year since I chased big Bull Gils, but it didn’t take long to remember how exciting it is. I also quickly remembered little triggers in jigging techniques that seem to differ between “Donk” slabs and “Bull” Gils. I have found BIG gils have crave the “tight shake” all the way through the bite. Small ones will hit it on the pause, but seems the biggest and baddest need the the magical motion. Noodle rods or Spring bobbers……….Very nice for this ice bite!!

Smallies are a flat out blast!! Only reason they didn’t jump was becuase of the Ice roof. They just ease ease ease their way to the Diamond Jig packed with Euros. Then suck it in like a big slab Crappie. When sticking those beautiful bronze fish you are igniting a serious storm under the ice!! How much fun is that!!

Back to the Slabs tomorrow…..Just in case they thought we forgot about them!!

Diamonds continue to be Ice Fishermans Best Friend!!

Yum Yum, someday Chris Someday. Great pics

making me jealous good sir…..congrats on the fish….there is nothing better than catching bulls…late ice cant come soon enough

Nice bulls. I found a little pothole lake close to me with big gills but the strange thing is you offer the normal baits and they wont even come up and look but if you drop a 1/16 th spoon down and they are on it like white on rice. This goes for big and small gills and the stunted crappies that own the lake. I,ve never had fish completely ignore a diamond jig and waxie like they do in here.

Ajs

Crazy AJ.

Have you used Euro larvea instead of Waxies?? I like to gob them on a Diamond jig 5-7 at a time. Also be sure to slightly pinch the Euros, and you will notice if you look close they have 2 tiny eyes. Carefully hook just under the skin betwen the eyes. They will wiggle like you can’t believe when hooked correctly. a gob of wiggling Euros on a Diamond Jig usually is absolutely lights out for me with a tight shake of the rod. I’ve never been able to get the right action with a spring bobber, so my noodle rod gets the nod for me whenever possible. Got to love those big Bulls!!

Nice job on the gills. There is definitely a skill involved to get the bulls. Crappies are easy to catch compared to big gills. Are these Rainy Lake gills? Don’t need to the know the lake if it’s not Rainy, I’ve just never seen you post anything about sunfish on Rainy. Best fishing is yet to come!

Chris,
Great GILL and Smallie.
what is the pinch for, waking them up, or squeezing some ooz out of them.
Keep them coming.
thanks,
Jack

Nope definately not Rainy Lake. I wish we had giant Bulls in here though! Could you imagine the size they would be?? LOL!!

Hey Jack the slight pinch is to allow the angler to slide the hook ever so carefully just under the skin, so the guts don’t ooze out. If you don’t gut hook them or kill them they wiggle a bit more, and in my opinion much more deadly!!

thanks Chris,
I’ll be trying it this weekend.
my club is helping out with an Eagan kids event tomorrow, and Sunday is my club tournament day over near Waconia for multi-species.
KEEP those great Posts coming.
thanks again,
Jack

Get after them Jack!!