Green Sunfish within walking distance

[kastmaster]

Bored, near home, why not? Sometimes you gotta scratch the itch.These fish are shy and see a lot of people on the banks and I had to keep a low profile. If you flick an unhooked worm or sowbug into a pool, they will slam it. Attach same to a hook and they are much more cautious. They won't touch anything on a hook that isn't already resting on the bottom, at least today. Quit after 21 or 22, lost count. Wondering how many individuals I caught 2x or more, cuz it isn't that big of a pool.

[Gotfish?]

When a bait or lure is on the bottom, they don't seem to notice the line attached to the hook. With something like the Tokyo rig, there is even a wire between the lure and the bottom and the bass don't seem to mind.

I think the fish were more line shy than hook shy but you would have to do some experiments to know for sure.

[kastmaster]

Appreciate the insights, thanks. Definitely a good set of pools to experiment with.

When a bait or lure is on the bottom, they don't seem to notice the line attached to the hook. With something like the Tokyo rig, there is even a wire between the lure and the bottom and the bass don't seem to mind.

I think the fish were more line shy than hook shy but you would have to do some experiments to know for sure.

[Gotfish?]

Some people think the reason a drop shot works so well is that the line continues down to the bottom instead of stopping at the hook. So it looks like a baitfish or other creature is feeding on a plant stalk rather than like a fishing line tied to a baited hook.

The way to test out that hypothesis is to compare a drop shot to a dropper rig that positions the bait at about the same distance from the bottom but with several inches of leader. If the water is clear enough that you can see what is going on, that will help a lot in doing the experiment.

https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/dro ... heepshead/

Would love to hear what you find out.

[Midnightpass]

Interesting… And those green sunfish have such pretty markings.. Nice itch scratching….
Butch

[kastmaster]

Forgot to mention that I only caught fish when casting (more like swinging in this spot) the line to a horizontal presentation as far from my vantage point as I could without hitting weeds or shore. Once the bait settled for >10 seconds, that's when they took it. The horizontal presentation I guess makes much of the line 'disapper' against the bottom, while also minimizing my presence. A lot of analysis for an urban, wary little fish that still can't resist a worm. Good teachers.

[Gotfish?]

Forgot to mention that I only caught fish when casting (more like swinging in this spot) the line to a horizontal presentation as far from my vantage point as I could without hitting weeds or shore. Once the bait settled for >10 seconds, that's when they took it. The horizontal presentation I guess makes much of the line 'disapper' against the bottom, while also minimizing my presence. A lot of analysis for an urban, wary little fish that still can't resist a worm. Good teachers.

Sounds like you are casting the worm without any sinker. Try putting a small split shot 12-24" ahead of the bait so the line lays against the bottom better. You could also use fluorocarbon line which sinks better and is less visible (but still visible) underwater. A split shot is much less expensive though.

A worm under a bobber is the classic method for bluegill fishing, especially for teaching children. But a worm on the bottom often works better.

A bluegill and a worm (or any other fish and a bait) are a lot like a fat man and a bowl of candy. He knows he shouldn't eat any but put the bowl in front of him long enough and he will eventually have some. That is why it is best not to have any candy in the house.

[Carpkiller]

A wise old man whose name rhymes with Fishsticks taught me this...

A tiny (1/32 or 1/64 oz) jighead with 3/4 inch grub will get 'em. If you put it on the bottom and leave it there, next to a likely-looking rock or crack, with a very slight twitch every so often. Once you get the boss fish to whack it, the others hiding under the same rock will go after it as well.

This definitely supports the idea that a lure on the bottom takes their focus off the line....

[kastmaster]

Thanks! Great example of a lure that looks nothing like a natural food item to them. The twitch is key! This will be my new approach at my spot.

A wise old man whose name rhymes with Fishsticks taught me this...

A tiny (1/32 or 1/64 oz) jighead with 3/4 inch grub will get 'em. If you put it on the bottom and leave it there, next to a likely-looking rock or crack, with a very slight twitch every so often. Once you get the boss fish to whack it, the others hiding under the same rock will go after it as well.

11-05-06 Fishhand.jpg

This definitely supports the idea that a lure on the bottom takes their focus off the line....

[kastmaster]

Round 2 with some micro grubs, using the same hook this thread began with. Let the grubs settle to bottom, with long, long pauses between twitches. Tried pink first and watched several fish peck at it but lose interest after tasting. Tried green next, no luck. Cut off a tiny portion of the pink grub and managed to briefly hook one fish. Finally scrounged a mealy worm looking thing from under some leaf litter and BAM, the skunk was lifted. Only fish today, although I managed to find a couple of sowbugs for bait that were quickly stripped from hook. These fish are good teachers. [edit I attached grubs directly to my bare hook, no jighead, since I wanted to keep hook size the same as original thread]

[Gotfish?]

Bluegill really like scent. You might try some Gulp baits, at Barrett they absolutely hammer those. Gulp maggots are about the size you are using. They stay on the hook a lot better than sowbugs or meal worms.

[kastmaster]

I hit a bigger deep pool downstream yesterday and landed 35 fish in a couple of hours. Used a tiny sliding bullet sinker and bead above the hook with worms. These fish, as opposed to those in the shallow pools, were willing to chase and strike the worm during the retrieve, though I caught most just letting it get picked off the bottom. The amazing thing was that fish were topwater slamming some unseen prey items! Now I need to make myself some tiny insect flies! This has potential to get very interesting.

[Gotfish?]

All those nutrients from sewer leakages should provide for a good insect hatch. And any mosquitos should have plenty of homeless prey to feast on. I have seen lots of crawdads in smelly creeks near my place, one man's sewage is another animal's treasure.

Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards though.

[kastmaster]

All those nutrients from sewer leakages should provide for a good insect hatch. And any mosquitos should have plenty of homeless prey to feast on. I have seen lots of crawdads in smelly creeks near my place, one man's sewage is another animal's treasure.

Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards though.

Yep, hand sanitizer, 3x, 4x Lava soap, 1/2 hour hands in the sunlight post-fishing here! I've run into homeless on this creek that give me the stink eye when I show up. I always leave them to it, to return another day. Same competition vibe as the steelhead and trout folks.