Catching Bluegills in Minnesota | Traditional & Fly-rods

Fishing for Bluegills

Catching Bluegills is fun for the entire family and whether you’re in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, or any of the other States the are still the best  tasting freshwater fish we have.

We start off in early May with using a fly rod and finding the Bluegills in the shallow water feeding aggressively and getting ready for the spawning season. We show and explain different methods on how to make your own top water spiders & poppers and where to find the materials. The different techniques we use to make the spiders & poppers take into account whether you have tools or not and the cost, making these for a fraction of what you can purchase them for.

Next is the bluegill spawning season, which many fisherman are not aware that you can have a great time catching Bluegills on a fly rod. This is not only the easiest way to catch bluegills, but the most enjoyable way. Fly Rods used for pan fish do not need to be the best and for as little as $30 you can be fishing with one. We also show how to use a fly rod, which for pan fish only requires you to toss the line 10 to 15 feet and still catch fish, as once the bluegills are spawning you can pull up close without spooking them. See also how to find the bluegill spawning beds and what they look like. Now since there are many species of Bluegills in each lake they will spawn at different times and depths, so we focus on both the shallow & deep water beds and which baits to use.

Once the spawning season is over and the bluegills are still only 3 to 5 feet down feeding we turn to a tube-bobber and a special jig tipped with a pin Gulp Maggot. This special jig is easy to make and so successful that I have found no other presentation that can out fish it. so take a look and try it.

As Summer warms up the water we then need to focus on deep water bluegills, 8 to 12 feet and use either slip-bobbers or a Cane-Pole. Here I like to use Crickets or Ant, but worms and gulp waits will work also.

Don’t miss our articles on how to Fillet & Cook these incredible tasting fish either!