I had this in the "Bank Fishing", but thought I would check with you experts.

Recently I have been targeting big catfish using live bluegill. Unfortunately my first 2 spots have a large concentration of turtles. So my live bluegill are no longer live and have their heads and guts missing.

Am I possibly not rigging my bait correctly so it can get away from the turtles? Using a 3 way swivel with about a foot of line for the bait.
Do I need to pack up and find a new spot?
Wait till Winter?

Just gotta move to new spot.

I use a slip bobber and arrange the depth so the blue gill is a few feet off the bottom. It will reduce (but not eliminate) turtle mortality. I've done well with this, in combination with just replacing the bait more often.

I hate to move to a different spot when one spot is productive.

If you got a lot of turtles around, that blue gill on the hook can't get away. Turtles look for easy targets to eat and that neck from them will stretch out a ways. I never had much luck with turtles around, they usually get the bait. Just move to new spot.

I know some people really like bluegills but in my experience shad outperforms every time hands down. Chicken breast has worked better for me than gills too. Ill probably keep trying them some but with as much shad is in the lake and can be caught from almost any ramp...ill stick with shad

Have had the same trouble with turtles. i haven't found any answer to them, except to move. They will eat most any bait that cats will eat, which is about everything.

This is what you do to turtles. They will eventually learn.

Shad are better most of the time, if you can get them and keep them alive. But my experience is that blue gill live longer than shad in most bait buckets, and there are times when live bluegill outperform dead/cut shad. Depending on the bank fishing spot, it's also usually easier to fish a second pole and add new bluegill to the bait bucket.

I try to think about how to help that bluegill avoid the turtle for longer. Keeping it off the bottom helps a lot, as does a lighter sinker, as does a longer leader between the sinker and hook, as does a lighter hook to improve its swimming mobility.

Thanks guys for all the feedback!