Once again I couldn’t agree more with you on fishing bluegill beds for bass. Probably my go to bait is strike king space monkey in watermelon red flake or hard candy with a screw lock ewg hook or a weighted ewg depending on the depth. Most bites come 5-10’ outside the bed areas
Hi. Great show. Not sure if you got my last comment but very interested in learning what Rod lengths should used with what baits. Could you do a video on that. Thx
I just spent the day out on my local lake in my belly boat and i was around the bluegill beds just catching fish hahaha bluegill, pumpkinseeds, perch, large mouth bass and i even caught a pike!
The Dark Sleeper is absolutely lights out using it as you described for the guppy head. Works in the swim jig role too if there’s a bit more visibility as it’s more realistic
I've done well with a gill patterned frog walked over beds, gill patterned walking baits as well- but the bait that has always done the best for me is the Dolive Beaver by OSP. I put it on a Ned head (the 3") or small ewg hook (the 3.5- 4") and use as little weight as possible- no more than a 8th oz.- and swim it about mid column. In fact I landed 5 really nice spotted bass swimming it through blue gill beds this morning. Also got a 18 inch chain pickerel, I guess they eat gills as well.
You nailed it on lure choice for this, I always have a popper, prop and wacky rig on when fishing bream beds. The swim jig sometimes alternates out with a chatterbait or light spinnerbait depending on where the beds are. The only thing I would add for specifically targeting blue gill beds is a free rigged or weightless t-rigged bull flat. Or a buzzbait, in a similar scenario like you explained about the swim jig, but more so if the beds are scattered down a bank or wood line. If it's a fishery that holds bigger bass, a blue gill profile glide is also killer.
Great vid Matt! Always have my Dirty jig SJ tied on during the summer, Usually a No Jack or California SJ. Your Guppy head, 6lb line and a 2.8 Keitech caught me my first January fish from shore in Colorado 👍
Either camp out in high percentage spots like below dams and spillways or cover lots of water from the bank by casting and walking. Those were the two most productive things for me before I owned a boat.
Matt great video I have successfully fished around bluegill beds on small ponds with a 1/8 Oz or 1/4 oz black and blue ChatterBait with a Mister Twister 3 or 4 inch chartreuse with a black core/line grub the end of the grub mimics that short blue tail that a bluegill will have. The size of the pond or lakes bluegills will dictate whether I will use the 1/8th Oz or the 1/4.
Would you consider doing a leg break down? On a very clear Lake that turns into a riverine type system in the upper 1/3. About 30 miles long. Last year I returned to bass fishing for fun and am having a little trouble finding fish. Trying fish the Clearwater is very new to me. I wonder if I should take the run all the way up when I launch to find some off colored water or some current, and stay away from the super clear water with 15 ft of visibility on the lower end. Any suggestions?
Great video Matt, I have had good success with the pop r, question, do you use a snap or anything other than tying right to the bait? Thanks for all you do.
Matt on a totally different topic and maybe a good subject for a future video about monofilament. It seems that mono is hardly used or at least talked-about by any Bass Pros, or people here on RU-vid. Everybody's Talkin either about fluorocarbon or braid. I know mono is still used by some for topwater because if it's floating characteristics. But my question for you is is mono truly dead? Or do you find that it still has some Merit in the professional level or even for the novice Angler . I personally fish with mono, (Stren High Impact line) I'm also not a professional angler. Years ago in the late 80's early 90's Stren had a great mono that I used to throw all the time it was called Magnum. You may remember those crazy commercials that Roland Martin used to do for the fishing line. What was so unique about it was, it was an ovalized line supposedly had the same diameter of 14 lb test but the strength of 40. It cast great and I never had a fish beak my off fishing with it.
