Bluegill fishing can be one of the best ways to spend your time on the water. In this post I’ll share with you the best bluegill lures that will help you catch fish.
Best Bluegill Lures
Bluegill Soft Plastic Lures
A good bluegill soft plastic is small, durable, and has great lifelike action. There are different types of plastics, but the main four types are minnows, swimbaits, creature baits, and worms.
Bluegill Plastic Swimbaits
Mule Fishing Donkey Tail Jr .
Micro swimbaits are another classic profile. They mimic baitfish just like a minnow, but they provide way more action. Most swimbaits have a boot tail at the end that give it a kicking action even in the slightest of current. When fish are feeding aggressively they will follow that action if it swims by.
Mule Fishing is an easy favorite and the
Bluegill Plastic Minnows
A soft plastic minnow is a classic bluegill lure. The profile is recognizable and effective in most fishing situations. You have a think body that narrows down to a tail. The key to a good minnow is the action of the tail and the durability of the tail.
Mule Fishing Mule Minnow
Available in 3.2, 2.2, and 1.2 inches.
My favorite soft plastic minnow is the
Bluegill Plastic Creature Baits
I’m using there term creature baits very broadly here. Craws, bugs, anything that isn’t a minnow, swimbait, or a worm. Creature baits are great for mimicking bugs, insects, or craws. It’s always good to have a different profile in your back pocket when fishing and bluegill fishing is no different.
Mule Fishing Horse Fly
The Mule Fishing
Bluegill Plastic Worms
Real worms are a great bluegill bait, but for those who don’t want to mess with real worms or want something they can reuse plastic worms are a great alternative. A good bluegill plastic worm is durable and has lifelike action.
Berkley Gulp! Earthworms
Berkley Gulp! Earthworms is my favorite plastic worm for bluegills. They are 4 inches long and can be cut down to size. They have great lifelike action and have Berkley’s amazing scent. Put these on an aberdeen hook on a float rig or on a light jig for a slow sink and bluegill will be going mad to bite it.
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Micro Crankbaits for Bluegill
Everyone likes a good crankbait and throwing ultralight crankbaits for bluegill is loads of fun. When bluegill are aggressively feeding toss around a micro crankbait and get ready to have some fun.
Rebel Super Teeny Wee-R Crankbait
The Rebel Super Teeny Wee-R Crankbait is one of my favorite micro crankbait for bluegill fishing. The fat baitfish profile is great for streams, creeks, and ponds. You can wake it under the surface or dive it 3 feet deep whenever fish are feeding up shallow. This thing is tiny at 1.5 inches in length, but effective with a strong little wobble.
Bluegill Topwater Lures
When bluegill are feeding on the surface it’s a great time to start throwing around some bluegill topwater lures. The small profile and profile of a good micro topwater lure will draw strikes from aggressive bluegill in the Summer and Fall.
Rebel Crickhopper
The Rebel Crickhopper is one of my favorites on the list. It’s bug profile and realistic paint job make it best bluegill lures for topwater fishing. You can wake it across the surface or even crank it a little bit to make it dive below the surface. I’ve had the most success with a small wake and then a pop and pause.
Rebel Teeny Pop-R
My other favorite is the Rebel Teeny Pop-R. If you’re a fan of a popper you’re going to love this because it’s just as effective and a great way to catch topwater fish. If you’ve never seen a bluegill blow up on top, you will see it with a Teeny Pop-R. The dressed back treble gives bluegill a great target to key into.
Best Bluegill Fishing Kit
Everyone likes a good fishing kit that takes all the guess work out of finding the right hooks to pair up with the right plastics. A good bluegill fishing kit comes with colors proven to attract bluegills and has almost everything you need to get out on the water.
Leland’s Panfish Magnet Kit
My favorite bluegill fishing kit is the Panfish Magnet Kit from Leland’s Lures. It’s similar to their Trout Magnet kit, but has colors more suited for bluegill fishing. It comes with 15 black 1/64oz jig heads and 70 split tail meal grub plastics in 7 different colors. My favorite colors from the kit are bulldog, bison, and rootbeer.
Best Beetle Spins for Bluegill
A Beetle Spin or a micro spinner is a great beginner lure because it’s easy to work and its highly effective for bluegill fishing. There are tons of brands out there that that have small micro spinners like Northland Tackle, Eagle Claw, and Johnson.
Johnson’s Original Beetle Spin
The original Beetle Spin is a classic and should be in every bluegill anglers tackle box. The flash of the blade make it a dynamite lure that will draw aggressive strikes from big bluegills. They come pre-rigged and have extra plastics in the pack. If you run out of plastics you can easily slap on your favorite small plastic.
The “Mule Spin”
This is a Frankenstein lure. Part Mule Fishing, part jig spinner, all dynamite bluegill lure. I recommend a 1/32 oz
Bluegill Rigs
There a lot more bluegill rigs you can fish beside your standard ones. Each one with has a unique action or presentation.
Drop Shot Rig for Bluegill
If you’re a finesse bass angler you are familiar with the drop-shot rig, this is a micro drop shot rig. When you are fishing bodies of water that have a lot of scum or grass on the bottom, a micro dropshot rig is the ticket.
To set up your double jig rig you would set it up a lot like a drop shot rig, but with a jig on the bottom instead of a weight. Take your first jig and pull a lot of tag end and then tie a loop knot. I recommend a loop knot here so your jig can move freely and still give a horizontal presentation. Then on the end of your line you tie whatever knot you’d like to secure your bottom jig. Cast it out and have some fun.
Bluegill Fishing Tackle
We have to talk about bluegill Tackle and what you’re going to need. You can go with what you currently have in your tackle box, but if you want to get serious about bluegill fishing, you’re going to need specific tackle.
Rod and Reel for Bluegill Fishing
A good ultralight spinning combo will make any bluegill feel like a monster. This is where Bluegill fishing becomes real fun. If you don’t want to buy a combo and purchase your own rod and reel you can also do that.
A good spinning reel for bluegill fishing should be 1000 size or smaller. You don’t need a lot of line and you need to be able to cast out ultra light lures. When it comes to the rod you can go anywhere from 5ft long or 8 ft. long. It really depends on the conditions you are fishing, but either way we recommend you get an ultralight powered rod. This will provide the most fun and give you the ability to cast the lightest of lures.
What is the Best Fishing Line for Bluegill
The best fishing line for bluegill is anything from 2lb test all the way up to 6lb test. The factors that you need to keep in mind are the size of your reel, the power of your rod, and the weight of your lure. If you are going true ultralight, you’re going to want to stick to the lighter side. 2-4lb test is the sweet spot. This will allow you to cast the lightest of lures.
Professional-grade mono fishing line delivers a versatile combination of strength, sensitivity, and control for exceptional performance in any situation.
I like Berkley Triline Sensation. It’s a great quality line that does not break the bank. 2lb test or 4lb test is where I usually play and it has worked well for me.
Hooks and Jigs
Bluegill are notorious for biting super big hooks, but it’s not the ideal set up. The best hooks for bluegill are anything between a size #10 hook all the way up to a #4 sized hook. We prefer size #8 and #6 hooks because they are small enough to hook even the smallest bluegill.
Weights
These are completely options on most set ups, but if you are running a worm and float/bobber rig, you’re going to need some kind of weight to help cast out your lure. I like a good assorted split shot set up. This gives you the option to pick the right weight of split shot and take them off easily.
Best Bluegill Jig Heads
Not all jig heads are created equal and if you want to get serious you are going to want the best ultralight jig heads. Now you can go with Mr. Crappie jig heads, classic Arkie jig heads, Panfish Magnet jig heads. Those are all great. But I love the 1/64oz. Mule Fishing Mule Jigs.
1/64oz. Mule Fishing Mule Jigs
They come in multiple sizes and colors, but for bluegill fishing we like the 1/80-1/32oz sizes. Our favorite is the 1/64th oz. Not too small, not too big, just right. The head size allows your lure to stand upright on the bottom and provide action like a micro ned rig.
Throw this on a medium to ultralight rod in the shallows and you’ll be catching all the bluegill in the pond. The different color variations allow for visibility in different water conditions.
Best Lures for Bluegill
Hopefully you’ve learned about a few new lures or learned some new techniques to take your bluegill fishing to the next level. If you want to learn more about bluegill fishing and ultralight fishing take a look at the links below!
Ramon Contreras
Ultralight multispecies angler sharing his adventures catching fish big and small, but mostly small 😅Signup for my monthly newsletter to get content and gear recommendations every month. I'll send you stuff I like, I will never spam you.
