San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

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.

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.

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

Gotfish? wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2026 7:19 pm 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.

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.

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

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.

kastmaster wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 5:27 am 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.