Fishing Articles & Pro Fishing Tips

Over the span of his professional fishing career, Author and Outdoor Educator Joel DeBoer has authored many, many top-notch articles on the "How To's" of becoming a better angler. On this page you will find just a sampling of some of his articles and tips - we hope you enjoy!

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Bluegills 101
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A young woman stopped me recently and asked why I hadn't written about bluegills in awhile - I didn't have much of an answer.  While larger gamefish occupy much of my fishing time, I do not think there are too many anglers, myself included, who do not enjoy catching a pile of bluegills when given the chance!  For one thing they're abundant in many waters, often willing to bite, and make for tasty table fare.

That doesn't mean catching decent-sized 'gills worthy of the livewell is a cinch. Small ones come easy, but getting the big bulls takes some research and work to find.  Bluegill lakes do have some characteristics in common. For one, the fish usually relate to weeds and the bottom content they prefer consists of a variety of hard and soft bottoms.  Some bluegill lakes are very shallow but in general, the presence of deep water near shallow bays where bluegills spawn and feed is a plus.  During the heat of summer, look for many of the largest bluegills in a body of water to suspend over deep water or relate to deep structure.

A strong predator base is a second critical factor. Bluegills have a tendency to overpopulate and remain small unless predators like largemouth bass, walleyes or muskies are present to thin their ranks. Biologists will tell you that angling pressure can impact whether big bluegills are present. Finding big 'gills begins with a lake map. Look for shallow, weedy bays with deep water nearby. The shallow weed edges may hold fish. Once on the water, use an underwater camera or your sonar to search for the deeper submerged weed beds. The best vegetation is cabbage or similar, leafy weeds. Depending on water clarity, productive beds may be relatively shallow or quite deep.

Every weed bed has an inside edge, outside edge and a top edge. Add to your understanding of the layout of weeds by slowly moving around the edge watching your sonar and GPS. Note the turns and points that serve as fish holding areas and use the wind. A slight breeze blowing into the weeds is good because it stirs the food up, triggers fish to feed and doesn't spook the fish as you motor around.

Start with a quality sensitive rod like a 5-1/2 to 6-foot St. Croix ultra light. Light bites are telegraphed more noticeably by using a good, high quality rod. Spool up with 4 or 6 pound test line. Try targeting shallow fish by casting and swimming light jigs or use a slip-bobber rig. If things get tough, try downsizing your jig by using a micro sized ice jig. Your odds of success will go up by tipping your jigs with a small chunk of nightcrawler, a whole wax worm, or a few maggots. I prefer to cast parallel to shoreline weed edges and once fish are found, switch to a slip-bobber rig.  To avoid line damage, try using a small rubber-core sinker or soft split-shot to balance the float so the rig will do its job and detect light bites.

Bluegills are fine quarry for fishermen and fisherwoman of all ages. Please practice selective harvest and respect the resource - future generations are counting on all of us!  I'll see you on the water… 

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