What Do Bluegill Like The Most?
Fishing for bluegill isn’t difficult at all. You’d be surprised by all of the weird things that they’re perfectly comfortable eating. I’ve caught them on everything from Slim Jims to hooks that are completely bare.
If you want to catch them consistently, you’ll want to use bait that bluegill are attracted to. In this article, I’ll tell you about five baits and five lures that I’ve that I’ve found bluegill to like the most.
Related: How To Fish For Bluegill | Tips and Techniques For Beginners
Bait That Bluegill Like
1. Nightcrawlers
Nightcrawlers are the long pinkish colored worms that you can buy in a Styrofoam box at any bait shop. Walmart and other major retailers typically carry them, too.
They’re some of the best bait that you can use for catching lots of bluegill on a budget. Bluegill love to eat them, and they’re so long that you can easily break a single worm into three or four pieces, making them last a long time. So, you get your money’s worth when you use them.
To use these for bluegill, I recommend ripping off a chunk that’s long enough to cover the shank of your hook. Then, thread the piece onto the hook, and push the pointy end through in a way that allows a small bit of the worm to wiggle around. Bluegill love these, and if I had to pick just one, I’d say nightcrawlers are what bluegill like the most.
Related: How To Setup a Bluegill Rig
2. Corn
If you want cheap bait, you can use a can of corn. A single can has more kernels than you’re likely to need, and you can buy a can of corn for well under a dollar.
I don’t suggest using corn as your go-to bait, though. I’ve never caught anything big on it, and I’ve had trouble getting bluegill to eat it on days when the bite was already slow. However, it’ll work wonders if the fish are very active.
To use this, you have to be a little careful. Canned corn is fragile. Pierce the center of a corn kernel with your hook, and slide the kernel up the shank. Do that several more times until you have a little line of corn on your hook.
If you don’t want your corn to slide off every time you get a bite, try using fresh corn. The kernels are stiffer. It’s a little more expensive than canned corn, but it’s still cheap.
Related: Fishing With Corn: Do Fish Really Like It?
3. Meal Worms
Meal worms are my favorite bait for bluegill. I’ve caught many bluegill in a very short amount of time with meal worms. They’re perfect for quickly catching enough bluegill for a large fish fry.
To use mealworms as bluegill bait, simply insert your hook into the worm’s head, and thread its body up the hook. Leave a little bit of its tail free to wiggle. Even if the worm dies, it’ll likely still work to catch bluegill.
You can even easily grow your own meal worms at home to use for bait!
4. Small Baitfish/Minnows
Use small baitfish or minnows if you’re going after larger sized bluegill. Usually, the small fellas just can’t fit them into their tiny mouths. While you won’t catch as many fish and may even hook into a few little bass or crappie, your chances of hooking a giant bluegill will be significantly increase
Simply hook them beneath the spine and let them swim around in the water.. However, when placing your hook, exercise extreme caution. Their backs are rather simple to break, and once they’re dead, they’re not as useful.
5. Soft Bait/Crappie Bites
Crappie bites or soft bait nuggets have the appearance of neon-colored corn kernels. They come in a little jar and may be found at any big box retailer. They’ll attract less active bluegill far easier than corn will, but they’re also much more expensive, and you receive less in a jar.
You use them in the same way as you would corn. You can also use them to tip the hook of your favorite bait, increasing its usefulness.