Recently I have had some luck with Berkley's Gulp Earthworms, but is there a better option? Should I start the worm farm I wanted or keep leaning towards artificial lures such as jigs and whatnot? I am on the hunt for the bigger bluegills for the frying pans.

There are anglers who post here that use artificial baits just about all the time they fish. They have all caught many many of nice big Bluegill,Redear, Bass, and Crappie. I am sure you will get some good replies to your post.
As for me I just about always use the "Bait of Champions", Worms. I have also used the Gulp Alive Worms with good results. I have seen a lot of post over the years about worm farms but for me it seems like a lot of work.
I would rather just drive a mile to my local Walmart and buy them.

I love using small spinning lures along with flies for my fly rod. When using lures I tie them on a ultralight rig. Rooster Tails, Little Georges, small crank baits, along with various jigs have given me some super results.


Worms are just to much trouble for me to keep. Also a mess to use.

I strictly fish with artificial bait. I use mostly either a Matzuo Nano Crank (5/32 oz) or Strike King Bitsy Minnow (1/8 oz). I'm the world's worst drop shot fisherman (a man's got to know his limitations), but I have had good luck fishing Gulp Minnows on a 1/64th oz jig head on 4 lb test line.

Consider flies. To me its by far the best way to catch big 'gills. Small nymphs are terrific, poppers also deadly, and some streamers can be very effective. It doesn't take much to get started and it can be a lifetime of effective enjoyment. To get the largest 'gills in the bunch just upsize your fly slightly.

I used to use worms exclusively until I found the Gulp Alive 1" minnow. Now I use these guys 90 % of the time. The main reason is that I believe they catch bigger fish more consistently. You don't have those little gils nibbling away on these minnows, like you do with worms. It is a bonus that there is way less mess. I wouldn't mind the mess if it were the reverse & the worms caught bigger ones. Also, another bonus is that bass love them. I also have a few lures that I like to play around with from time to time & my favorite is the Yozuri Rattlin Vibe...they make a tiny one that is good on Bluegill.

For bluegill fishing at our pond, for years we used small crappie jigs with yellow niblets, but when we recently switched to a small hook and the 1” Gulp worms, the fish went wild. Caught them easily. That said, I also caught a bunch while using a beetle spin. And yesterday, when nothing was biting, I went to the baitcaster and tried a bunch of spinner baits. A small white Strike King spinner worked on Bass and a few large Bluegill.

I can’t wait to try those 1” Gulp worms on the Navasota River.

Vogey, Sunday I tried some of those gulps on Fayette and did quite well. I picked my daughter and wife up at the ramp for a boat ride at noon and while waiting for them, the minnows I saw right next to the ramp matched the gulps perfectly! No wonder the gills and bass are feasting on them!

I just ordered some of the 1” minnows. Sounds like a great idea. Should I use just a small or medium hook or maybe a small jig head?

Never target sunfish. The ones I have caught have been on artificial baits such as lures. The sunnies were caught by total accident.

Photofishin...I would love to see some pics of your Fayette bluegill from Sundays trip if you have some & don't mind posting...

Panfish in general bite the same baits - niblets, live stuff like that used for ice fishing (maggots, wax worms) rigged on small spoons, trout flies and an unlimited number of soft plastics rigged on ball head jigs 1/16 oz or lighter that you cast out and retrieve very slow with pauses and slight changes in lure speed.

Thanks for the education and info. Much appreciated. Looking for the next vid.

If the cost of worms keeps going up I just might have to look into artificial baits or starting a worm farm! On the second thought. NOT!