Sunfish and Bluegill Fishing

Sunfish and bluegill are fun to catch.  This is especially true if you're fishing with kids.  Find a school of these panfish, use the right bait, and your kids won't be able to keep their hooks or lures in the water.

So let's start with step one - where to find them.  Bluegill and sunfish frequently hug the shoreline, especially when there's cover like grass or rocks.  Check this out.

That rock pile screams fish, including bluegill and sunfish.  Take a closer look.

Lots of cover, and deeper water in front of the rock pile.

Now the bait.  I'd say the big three are worms, corn, and the Rebel Crickhopper.  Today we just had corn and the Crickhopper.  As you can see, we caught some large sunfish.  The kids had a blast.

If you use corn or a worm, I recommend one split shot weight and a size six baitholder hook, which is a small hook.  To rig the Crickhopper for these fish, you need only tie the lure to the end of the line.  No weight needed.  You want to fish it on or close to the top.

All fish were returned to the water unharmed.  Use extreme caution when fishing on or around structure.

Tight lines!

How to Fish Flood Waters

Some people see swollen bodies of water and think that the fishing's shot.  Not me.  I look at a playa lake that's overflowing its banks, and I see one thing.  Opportunity.

Flood waters can be a cornucopia.  The reason is simple.  Fish can only go where the water is.  When that playa overflows its banks, the fish's playground gets a lot bigger.  Suddenly the fish has a whole new feeding area.  It's a shallow, grassy area full of food.

Take a look at this flooding from the rains a couple days ago.

See the sign way out in the middle left?  That's normally where the shoreline is.  So all of that space between the sign and the water's edge is a new playground and a new feeding ground for the fish.

Take a look at the submerged grass.

That submerged grass screams, "Fish!"  Maybe not right at the water's edge, but just a couple feet from it.  I actually saw some smaller fish swimming in this area.

Granted, I gave them some help.  My bait was whole kernel sweet corn.  I cracked the can and poured the juice into the water.  Then I threw some corn in.

I put some of that same corn directly on a carp hook and also on a hair rig.  Either way, the fun times rolled!

At one point, I had a fish on each line at the same time!

I strongly recommend using carp hooks because they're light weight and easier for the carp to suck in.  If you don't have carp hooks, a size 6 works well.  You need only one split shot weight.  Keep things light.

All fish were released unharmed.  Tight lines!

Best Time of Day to Fish

Hands down, the best time of day to fish is early morning, as the sun's rising.  The advantages begin before you ever put a hook in the water.  Case in point.

If you take a minute to observe the water, you'll probably notice that it's teaming with activity.  This is especially true in the summer.  Fish are a lot like you and I.  They don't do much when it's hot.

An early morning and some cut sunfish or cut bluegill can yield nice results in the catfish department.  Take a look.

Trip # 1

Trip #2

Trip # 3

You'll notice that all of these are channel catfish.  Channels thoroughly enjoy cut bait.  That said, there's an exception to every rule.  The first and largest fish was actually caught with corn.

All of the catfish were released.  Tight lines!

Hair Rig and Catfish

I geared up this morning the same way I do anytime I fish in town.  One pole had a hair baited with corn for carp.  The other simply had a hook and worm for catfish.

I did catch a couple of carp in the 3 - 4 lbs range, but the catfish were just as interested in the corn as they were in the worms.  That didn't surprise me.  What did catch me off guard is how well the hair rig landed them.  See below.

You'll notice the hair with corn off to one side.  The fish was caught on the bare hook.  Take a closer look below.

I caught a variety of small catfish today using both poles.  They ranged from just over fingerling to just over a pound.  I also caught one bluegill on the hair rig.

Now that it's staying warm, fish of all varieties are biting. Here in town, you need a fishing license if you're under 17.  There's also a two pole limit.

I recommend going at sunrise.  There's lots of feeding activity then.  Also there's this.

Tight lines!

Two Foot Long Carp Caught on Corn

Winter's a tough time of year for fishermen.  Fish feeding slows WAY down because the fish are cold.  They're not spawning.  Basically the fish are going to exert minimal energy to eat enough to sustain them.  So bites are few and far between.

To succeed, the bait has to be something that's very aromatic and very oily.  In this case, I used corn.  It paid off to the tune of 7.61 pounds of carp!

The carp below weighed in right at 3 pounds.

Below is today's prize catch.  Its weight was good at 4.61 lbs.

That guy put up one heck of a fight, let me tell ya!!  If he looks long, it's because he is!  Below is a picture of him with the net I used to land him.  You can see that he's almost as long as the net handle!

The total official length was 22 3/4 inches!  I'm invoking the fisherman's exaggeration privilege to round up to 24 inches, which is two feet.

How to Catch Fish with Corn

I love corn.  I love to eat it, and so do fish.  They like it A LOT.  There are several reasons.

First, it's easy to see, even in heavily stained water.  It's hard to miss something that's bright yellow!  Second, it's aromatic.  It expels a strong, sweet odor and a lot of oil the SECOND it hits the water.  Third, it tastes good, but we've already covered that.

So, step one is buying the right kind of corn.  In order to stay on your hook, it needs to be whole kernel sweet corn.  The stuff costs less than a dollar a can.  See below.

Step two, CHUM.  Buy two cans so that you can throw liberal amounts in the water.  When you open a can, pour the juice directly in the water.  I call that the dinner bell.

Next up, the hook.  I use the Eagle Claw baitholder hook, size 4.  See my post about hooks for a photo.  The barbs do a superb job of holding the corn, even when you cast.

When you bait, put enough on to completely cover the hook EXCEPT for the very tip of the point on the hook.  That has to be exposed so that when you jerk up vertically to set the hook, it makes good contact with the fish's mouth.  Take a look below.

The tip of the hook is hard to see, but it's exposed.  If you have a hard time seeing it, so will the fish.  That's a good thing!

One last thing about corn - it keeps well. I would suggest keeping a can in your tackle box at all times.  Also make sure you have a can opener or a knife on hand.  Or you could just buy the cans with tabs for easy opening.  I'll let that be your call.

As usual, check the rules and regs in your area to make sure corn's a legal bait.  Happy fishing!