Before you start bluegill fishing, it is necessary to acquire the proper outfit, or you won’t be able to cast the small baits involved. I recommend a light-action spinning rod from 8 to 9 feet long. You want a spinning reel, either closed or open face, with 4-pound test monofilament line wound on your reel.

I seldom use live bait for ‘gills and crappies. Minnows and worms are a hassle. I just use jigs. They are easier to tie on your line. A fisherman spends more time with his hook in the water with artificials. The more time your lure is in the water equates to more fish caught.

My favorite jig is a 1/64-ounce, black jig called “Little Nipper.” I adorn it with a Power Bait Crappie Nibble. It really catches fish. Fish are used to seeing small, black bugs fall into the water. This lightweight lure tumbles slowly down the water column, giving ‘gills a chance to look at it. The scent from the Crappie Nibble further entices the fish. So, I have two “teasers going for me: sight and smell.

If the bite is slow with the black jig, try a perch-colored tube jig. I attach the bait to a 1/32-ounce jig head. I adorn my offering with a pellet of Berkley PowerBait Crappie Nibbles. I like a number 8 hook. It’s small, but a ‘gill’s open mouth is about the size of a dime.

I like to fish farm ponds when I’m short on time. On most ponds, one bank will taper into deep water, while the other bank will be abrupt or drop immediately into deep water. Fish the bank that gradually goes into deep water.

Fish sort of close to the dam. That’s the area the ‘gills will nest, and after hatching the fry, the big boys will swim out to deeper water. If possible, fish into the wind. If the wind makes casting unmanageable, cast side-arm, keeping your lure low to the water so the wind can’t catch it.

I fish Lake Miami in southern Iowa a lot. I do best there on a cloudy day with a gentle breeze from the south. If I am fishing from the bank, my first stop is the levees. Both sides of the levees are lined with rock. On both sides of the rocks, sunken brush piles teem with hungry bluegills.

The distance between the water’s surface and the brush pile is around two feet. The trick is to get your lure into the water about a foot above the brush piles without getting hung up. To avoid this hassle, some folks use a slip-bobber. They rig a line with the slip-bobber 18 inches above the bait. If you get hung up, shorten the distance between the bobber and the bait. Cast out in two or three different places. Say you don’t get hung up and catch a ‘gill. Problem solved. Quit fiddling with the bobber. Start fishing.

When I start fishing for bluegills after the spawning period, I go to farm ponds. Why? Because farm ponds are shallower than lakes and warm up earlier. Warmer temperatures cause fish to bite.

I position myself on the bank in front of the empty nests. Take a longish cast into the water, out beyond the nests. My retrieve is the countdown method along with a yo-yo action caused by the up-down movement of my rod. After three futile casts from the same spot, I change spots. If the weather is coolish, I move towards the deeper water towards the dam; if it’s warmish, I’ll move towards shallower water.

Fishing with a cane pole

Warning: Keep the shadow of your cane pole out of the water! A moving shadow will spook fish!

The proper cane pole setup can just be the ticket for bluegills. For best results, the length of the line should be the same length as the length of the pole. When you have a fish on, raise the pole until it is straight up. The caught fish will swing into your hand like baseball speeding into a catcher’s mitt. It works every time.

I use a 6-pound-test monofilament leader tied to my heavier main line with a blood knot. Directly below the knot, I attach a keeper, a bead, and then the slip bobber. Below the bobber is another bead and a small clamp-on sinker. The sinker is about 6 inches above a size 8, golden wire, long-shank hook. I use nightcrawlers for bait.

At first light, I’ll fish the levee and stop fishing after catching 20 ‘gills from 7 to 8 inches long. If the levee gets crowded, I’ll move on. Walk the edge of the dam. I fish out past the surface moss and always pick up a few that way.

Never pass up an indentation on the surface moss. That gap means a change in the water’s depth or the lake floor. I call those fish magnets. Your cane pole will work splendidly on those hard-to-get places. Raise and lower your baited hook in the open water beside the moss and hang on!

Sunken wood such as tree branches or standing timber is a fish magnet. Slide the baited hook on the wood. Fish as deep as you dare. The big boys are close to the bottom. Put your bait in danger of being snagged. Good luck!

You’ll find plenty of helpful summer fishing tips in the summer issues of MidWest Outdoors. Subscribe on our website.