Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2014 - 32

by Ben Moyer

photos by the author

The Bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus as it's known to ichthyologists,
is too abundant, too much fun to catch and too good to eat to
ignore during the winter. Bluegills offer winter anglers choices.
They're a valued target for serious ice anglers, but they can
also star in more casual outings aimed simply at staying active
outdoors after the hunting seasons. Either way, winter Bluegills
are fun and more than worth the minimal effort and expense it
takes to pull them up through a 7-inch circle.
A lot of anglers use sonar to help them find Bluegills through
the ice. And, while that's certainly the most efficient way to seek
winter Bluegills, you can do almost as well on smaller lakes and
ponds by simply paying attention to the bottom and shoreline
structure when you are fishing the same waters during warmer
months. My fishing partners and I like to keep it simple. We
note the locations of weedbeds, channels and downed trees
during the spring, summer and fall and fish over those features at
appropriate times during the winter.
It's always a good rule to get out and fish as soon as the ice
is sufficient. At that time, you can catch Bluegills in the same
locations you caught them in summer and fall, before they move
to deeper water. If you don't hit Bluegills in those familiar haunts,
try drilling a few holes over shallow weedbeds under that first
ice after freeze-up. Be as quiet as you can over shallow water and
give the fish some time to recover from the disturbance before
deciding that they're not present.
Early ice Bluegills will bite readily when you find them. If you
don't get action within 20 minutes or so, move to a new location.
Keep moving until you find fish.
The best advice for winter Bluegills in Pennsylvania is to keep
your tackle and technique simple, small and slow. Although

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * January/February 2014

Bluegills can generally be enticed to bite throughout the day,
especially under the first safe ice of winter.

these fish crave winter nourishment, they're not aggressive about
getting it. Winter Bluegills want something small and motionless
or moving with subtle, non-threatening motion. Vigorous jigging
will only scare them off.
Purely by coincidence, we hit on what, for us, is the ideal
winter rod for Bluegills. Several years ago, we decided on impulse
to try ice fishing for the first time. The only ice tackle that was left
in the store at the time were several inexpensive, little Schooley
rods, about a foot long with simple plastic reel and a springbobber at the tip. We bought several and, for Bluegills, have never
felt the need for anything more complicated. The rods perch right
on the ice, on a built-in bipod. The orange-tipped spring-bobber
alerts you to the most timid nibble. However, any similar rig
would serve just as well.
The real backbone of your Bluegill ice tackle is the teardrop
jig, size #10 or smaller. Although, Bluegills rarely hit a bare
jig. Enhance a teardrop jig with a fresh waxworm, maggot or
"mousie," and you have the most effective and proven winter
Bluegill bait across most of North America's ice belt.
Interestingly, you can sometimes increase your catch
by changing the way your live bait is presented on the jig.
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2014

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