New to the forum. My question is on plastics & soft baits for bluegill. I know that the choices are endless. Just for the sake of discussion, if you were looking for something up to 1in, 1 to 2in & 2 to 3in. I was thinking, little grubs & split tails for up to 1in, shad 1 to 2in & twister grubs 2 to 3in. just wondering what your thoughts are.
P.S. I am just looking for numbers not large size bluegill
Small ribbed paddle tails like a Mighty Might are great, bring live bait though, they can be finicky and they have a great sense of smell.
I use Gulp crickets all summer. Beats trying to keep live bait in hot weather. Mayfly larva under the ice. Catch as many fish as I did with live bait. Up to a dozen with one bait.
Look into EuroTackle’s micro finesse series soft plastics. The EPF Swim and EPF Grub are pretty awesome. The Swim is a 1” paddle tail that works quite well. Pair with small lead jig/tungsten jig and you’re good to go. Don’t hesitate to throw a float on top. I like slip bobbers if I use a a float. Very quick and easy to change depths when needed.
Don’t overlook tying or buying some flies either. Personally, I almost fish panfish exclusively with a size 12 foam beetle and a small clear casting float on my ultra-light spinning setup. Works very well and catches everything from gills to smallmouth to trout.
I don’t know what waters you’re fishing but if numbers are the game I wouldn’t personally use small soft plastics. But that’s me. Honestly you’d probably have better luck using a bare hook with a few strands of colored thread tied to it Ora chunk of thin rubber and. Again, that’s me. Fish are dumb dude. If it looks small and squiggly… they will more than likely try to eat it just out of pure instinct. Especially, if size isn’t your goal and you’re focused on only numbers.
Having said that, the Eurotackle finesse stuff is pretty good. I’ve also had good luck with Northland Impulse soft plastics.
Steven, where do you get mayfly larva?
All very helpful, thank you so much
Not over thinking, just have empty slots in my plastic box. I just figure guys like talking about what they use to catch fish. Thanks for the replacement tails tip, I wouldn’t have thought of that.
If you can’t geek out a bit about trivial stuff on a fishing forum what’s the point? Glad you posted Rick!
Steven, where do you get mayfly larva?
Impulse seem to have good sent, and lasts for several fish. Black works best for me. Red blood worms good too. I very seldom buy live bait. They work good ice fishing and through ice-out. Then I switch to the gulp.
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Thanks Steven
Beats babysitting live worms on a 90 degree day.
All great info, thanks
New to the forum. My question is on plastics & soft baits for bluegill. I know that the choices are endless. Just for the sake of discussion, if you were looking for something up to 1in, 1 to 2in & 2 to 3in. I was thinking, little grubs & split tails for up to 1in, shad 1 to 2in & twister grubs 2 to 3in. just wondering what your thoughts are.
P.S. I am just looking for numbers not large size bluegill
You’re on the right track Rick. Small soft plastics get it done! But a few things to consider:
jig head weight and hook size
lure size, shape and action
I rarely go heavier than 1/16 oz. Hook sizes that fit to 1/2 the lure’s length allow the best action the lure was designed to produce and action is everything when it come to povoking fish to strike! I make most of my own soft plastic lures but if I had to choose, Crappie Magnet grubs are a sure thing when rigged on a 1/24 oz jig with #6 hook. It’s double tails have the right amount of flex fish jump on:
even this large pickerel got into the fun:
Straight thin tails are great!
as are min-sticks:
Fork tails do well:
Note the many species that strike small soft plastics and the variations in shapes and colors.
very cool pics! thanks for sharing!
Gulp Minnows and Eurotackle B Vibers. If I’m not using live bait I’m using those.
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