Ice Fishing for Bluegills

Just curious to see what everyone uses for catching bluegills through the ice.

Here are a few of my thoughts:
I can usually find a few bluegills that are willing to bite, but always try to figure out what it takes to get the bigger gills – those 7-8 inchers that you can fillet.
The first thing is that the body of water you are fishing needs to have a good population of bigger gills. Seems like common sense, but some folks continue to fish bodies of water which have stunted gills wondering why they can’t get any big ones.

My bait of choice is a small teardrop ice jig tipped with a waxie. Early season, white and orange are good colors. Later in the season, black, brown, and darker colors can be great. If you are not getting fish, change color and keep trying to find a color they are interested in. As the season goes along, you will find the need to experiment. Don’t be afraid to try using lures without meat – like purest’s or rembrandt’s. Here is a tip that will put more fish through your ice hole for almost all species – tie a tight knot to your jig and try to get it to swim as horizontal as possible. I have outfished people 10-1 just because my jig was horizontal.
Having a vexilar or similar electronics is very valuable when fishing water more than 5 ft., but a good rule of thumb is to start deep – near the bottom. Fish about 1 ft. above the bottom and work slowly upward. There are times when the biggest gills will be very high up in the water column, so don’t be afraid to try fishing right below the ice. If you are consistently getting small gills, try fishing up higher – you may also get a few bonus slab crappies.
The use of a spring bobber will increase your catch dramatically. Gills will often inhale your jig and never move, so you never see the bite. A spring bobber is usually sensitive to allow seeing the bite, but not always. As you give a little action to your jig, pay close attention to whether your movement is making your spring bobber bend downward. You can also lift your rod just slightly and if the spring bobber bends down, set the hook.
Set the hook at the first indication of a bite. Gills usually inhale a bait, but if you get bites and are missing them – try changing your offering to something they will take more aggressively.
The jigging action for gills is two-fold. Use an aggressive jigging action to get their attention, but then use a very slow subtle action for triggering a bite.
As with all fishing, being versatile and trying different things will help you catch more fish.

Good Fishing,
Mike

Thanks for the tips Mike. Everyone can use all the possible techniques they can get their hands on when trying to get fish to bite and especially the bigger fish. If you are in an ice house and in shallow water you can see the fish as they approach your bait. Then you can try different jigging motions and be able to ”see” which one they prefer. If you are in alittle bit deeper water a Vexilar will show your jig and also where the fish are at and you can lower or raise your jig to the fish. There are all kinds of styles and colors of ice fishing jigs so next time you are going fishing stop at Hooked On Fishing and you will be able to see just what I am what I am talking about. Mike has 20,000 ice jigs on hand for you to check out. There are alot of colors and styles and to be able too see them all gives you an idea of what I mean. Thanks, Bill

here’s a question………

what seems to be the best way to rig up your waxie on the jig??? does it work best to thread it on like you would a plastic tail…….or just hook the tip of the waxie with the majority of it hanging off……..or perhaps even wacky style is the way to go…….

I always thread the waxie on the hook, with the idea of completely covering up all of the hook including the shank. I have done this for so many years that I really never try just a single hook through the waxie letting it dangle, but who knows – there are probably times when that would be worth trying?

Good Fishing,
Mike

I will usually partially thread it on enough to get it ouzzing out alittle to attract fish by the smell and movement. If that attracts the fish but they won’t bite then I’ll just hook one on so most of the waxie is just hanging there so it looks alittle more natural. Sometimes putting several waxies on one jig too will get them to bite better. What is your favorite presentation Jake and everyone elses too? Thanks, Bill

My goto bait is the Red Glow Genz Worm tipped with a wax worm. I too cover the entire hook with the wax worm. I believe it helps with those finicky midwinter fish.

Cut a small piece of your wife’s hair while she is sleeping, tie it on to a real small jig. It actually works quite well.