Texas Fishing Forum

Live bluegill?

Posted By: WillieRip

Live bluegill? - 05/19/17 11:01 PM

Any of you use live bluegill for cats?
Posted By: jmh004

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/20/17 12:36 AM

Yup
Posted By: G Love

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/20/17 12:53 AM

Yeah. Like Green Sunfish better.
Posted By: steveiam

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/20/17 12:57 AM

Originally Posted By: jmh004
Yup

This^^^^
And as cut bait also-
Posted By: fence

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/20/17 02:47 AM

Live sunfish is about all I fish with. As mentioned above the green sunfish or goggle eye is the best baitfish. They stay lively all night on a hook. They are also slimmer and softer fined. I believe the fish like them better.
Posted By: KyleW

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/20/17 02:52 AM

What's your favorite spot to hook them when fishing them whole? To keep them lively of course. i'm new to live bait fishing usually just cut up some shad but caught a lot of bluegill today
Posted By: fence

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/20/17 02:59 AM

I hook them just behind the dorsal fin about a fourth of the way down if that makes sense. Occasionally when fishing in heavy current I'll hook through the lips.
Posted By: Andrew Taylor

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/20/17 03:29 PM

big flats love em clap
Posted By: 🍀El Gato Azul🍀

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/20/17 06:04 PM

I love the smell of chopped Bluegill in the morning. Smells like...victory!
Posted By: kykat

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/21/17 09:19 AM

Great catfish bait and easy to catch with a cast net or r/r. Remove the scales off the end of the hook after running it through the bait fish.
Posted By: SARG

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/21/17 12:00 PM

Hook'em forward of the eyeball sockets** with a good 8/0 and theyll live much longer then the meat stab method
(*** In one eye hole and out the other without damaging the eyeballs on either side)
Posted By: WillieRip

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/21/17 12:55 PM

Thx guys. I haven't had any luck with using bluegill as cutbait. Since I catch most of my bluegill with live bait and I see tons of guys using live shad for spotted bass, I figure give live bluegill a try.
Posted By: taterpop

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/22/17 05:44 AM

BlueGill will catch but they get stiff fast.Sunfish will still be swimming circles the next morning on a setline .
Posted By: SARG

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/23/17 11:25 PM

Alot has to do with how they are hooked
Most way over do it and generally kill all the bait regardless of species with rigging
Thru the forward eye holes and they all live for days if undisturbed.

Originally Posted By: taterpop
BlueGill will catch but they get stiff fast.Sunfish will still be swimming circles the next morning on a setline .
Posted By: Wildman of the navidad

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/24/17 01:40 AM

I alway hook mine on the underside of the tail when fishing with rod and reel and hooked top side when using them on a line just how I do it ...I prefer goggle eyes jus cause u can't hardly killem and I have a spot close by full of em
Posted By: G Love

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/24/17 03:21 PM

Originally Posted By: taterpop
BlueGill will catch but they get stiff fast.Sunfish will still be swimming circles the next morning on a setline .


Solid advice here.
Posted By: steveiam

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/24/17 03:26 PM

Ok I'm gonna ask-
Surely I'm not the only one that doesn't know the difference between a sunfish and bluegill-
For all My years, and I've lived quite a few-
I've thought I was caught catching "perch"-
School me please-
Posted By: 🍀El Gato Azul🍀

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/24/17 03:45 PM

Bluegill is a type of sunfish. In Texas we call em Perch, Bream or Gills. I use Gills, Greens, and redear shell crackers and they all work good. The tpwd website has a discription of each.
Posted By: OPTIMUS PRIME

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/24/17 04:04 PM

I like the warmouth! That is one bad little perch dude!!! roflmao roflmao roflmao thumb
Posted By: SARG

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/24/17 04:13 PM

Them polly wogs though whip
Posted By: G Love

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/24/17 05:01 PM

Originally Posted By: steveiam
Ok I'm gonna ask-
Surely I'm not the only one that doesn't know the difference between a sunfish and bluegill-
For all My years, and I've lived quite a few-
I've thought I was caught catching "perch"-
School me please-


They're all Perch to me. From 17-21 I almost exclusively Flathead fished in the Brazos, during the warmer months. I definitely noticed that Green Sunfish stay alive a lot longer than Bluegill do. Bluegill will go nuts on the hook for several minutes then die in a little while. Greenies will kick around all night in some cases.
Posted By: SARG

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/24/17 11:10 PM

Exactly why I dont understand some folk believe there is a super strain of the same basic genius? ?
Posted By: taterpop

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/25/17 02:50 PM

Originally Posted By: G Love
Originally Posted By: steveiam
Ok I'm gonna ask-
Surely I'm not the only one that doesn't know the difference between a sunfish and bluegill-
For all My years, and I've lived quite a few-
I've thought I was caught catching "perch"-
School me please-


They're all Perch to me. From 17-21 I almost exclusively Flathead fished in the Brazos, during the warmer months. I definitely noticed that Green Sunfish stay alive a lot longer than Bluegill do. Bluegill will go nuts on the hook for several minutes then die in a little while. Greenies will kick around all night in some cases . As said, I have picked up a line in strong current with a Sunfish on the line all night and noticed how lively they still were.Where you hooked them they would have a hole in their back around the hook from swimming.
Posted By: G Love

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/25/17 03:22 PM

Originally Posted By: Sarg
Exactly why I dont understand some folk believe there is a super strain of the same basic genius? ?


It's not a super strain lol. It's a different fish, in the Sunfish family. Kind of like a Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. Bluegill-Green Sunfish-Redear Sunfish-Redbreast Sunfish-etc..

They react differently than a Bluegill does when used as bait. I know, I've witnessed it over years of fishing with them. lol
Posted By: spazm09

Re: Live bluegill? - 05/26/17 04:32 PM

From what I understand, and have witnessed on a small scale in my aquarium, in general, cats will try to swallow them head first to avoid the spines on the fins. Probably not always, but in general. With that being said, they'll stay alive longer hooked up in the head area.
Posted By: MercuryJump

Re: Live bluegill? - 06/01/17 08:04 PM

If the bite's on they'll be all over'em like a baptist on a covered dish!
Posted By: WillieRip

Re: Live bluegill? - 06/03/17 01:47 PM

A sunfish has a bright orange with turquoise spots and lines. It looks like a saltwater reef fish. My state, Alabama, has a good summary of the various types of bream: http://www.outdooralabama.com/bream-sunfish-0
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