Greatest underwater bluegill video of all time.

[Aquaman]

Actually I could only find a couple of other videos, so I don't know if this is saying much--but I really liked it.

I'd love to hear any NEFGA members observations in regards to what we learn from a video like this.

A lot of things came to mind.

Greatest underwater bluegill video of all time! - Bluegill - Big Bluegill

[MA Machine]

The Video confirms why I: 1. Use small pieces of worm the only cover the very point of a small gold hook when using worms to fish for Gills. 2. Use 1 /32 jigs with small straight tailed plastics for jigs. 3. Very light jigging action for gills, a slow glide works better 6-12 inches off the bottom. That's a cool video. I was really suprised by how clear it came out. What was the deal with the little gill swimming at a 45 degree angle? (1 minute and 14 seconds from the end of the video and several other parts)

[Aquaman]

Originally Posted by MA Machine

..What was the deal with the little gill swimming at a 45 degree angle? (1 minute and 14 seconds from the end of the video and several other parts)

I'll be honest....

I've got a few 'gills that aren't too bright.

[fishinwithdad]

VERY educational little video there! Soooo many little behavioral quirks of gills are so very apparent there. The way the bait gets treated looks just like how it should up at the bobber; after seeing it under water, it makes total sense.

I guess the most surprising thing was how much time they spent looking at it without touching it.

That was great!

[jetdriver1]

Sheesh. No wonder I didn't catch very many bluegills on whole night crawlers....but leaches run up the hook and line worked just fine!

Best Fishes,
Jet

[buglem]

Very cool. You must have found the world's toughest nightcrawler. Couldn't believe they didn't tear it apart!

I'm with MA Machine. Shows why small baits work best (I'm also a big fan of 1/32nd ounce jigs) and why you get more hits than hook-ups on a whole crawler. I was a little surprised to see how far some of them could take that crawler in their mouth though!

Great video!

[holdemplyer]

Fantastic Video Bruce! small jig head tipped with crawler or gulp fry is my set up of choice for gills, and that shows why!

[Chad]

Great video, Bruce.
I'm not sure if the time sequence has been altered/adjusted, but it seems as though the BG drive to eat the worm is most intense initially. BG continue to take interest as the bait stays in the water, but their nibbling and running off with the worm seems to wane. Some interesting implications if that's true.

[thedarkarcher]

maybe its like when you eat 6 peanut butter cups and the sixth one just doesn't taste as good as the first....

[thedarkarcher]

i'd like to see what happens with a plastic worm, how about episode two?

[Catfishsteve]

Ok, well, I thought the whole thing would have been better if he had been set to music.



I think it shows a number of things. I'd say it bears out my observation that you need to really match the size of your bait to the bluegills. I've noticed that the smaller the nymphs and bugs and I throw at bluegills, the better I do, usually. Their eyes are really good, they don't have trouble seeing little bits of stuff. I was watching bgs feed from up on the dock at WC the other evening. They were feeding heavily, but you couldn't even see what they were eating, it was so small. Their natural food, a lot of it, is very, very small.

Bluegill obviously also relate heavily to what they see other bluegills doing in terms of eating. If they see pursuit and attack, they come over to get into the action.

This was really neat to see and I think you are on to something.

I would like to know what size tippet you'll use when you cast your Aquaview/live worm rig with your flyrod?

[Alex T.]

Very aggressive to begin with but their intensity wears off quick once they figure out they won't get the whole thing. PETA could have a hay day with that worm's feelings.

Alex

[bassnbaseball]

That is really cool Bruce.

[Aquaman]

Originally Posted by Chad

Great video, Bruce.
I'm not sure if the time sequence has been altered/adjusted, but it seems as though the BG drive to eat the worm is most intense initially. BG continue to take interest as the bait stays in the water, but their nibbling and running off with the worm seems to wane. Some interesting implications if that's true.

Besides the fact that I took out some of the more boring moments, the video is intact as far as time sequence. I agree with your assessment that they became slightly less impressed with the worm after they found they couldn't simply carry it away.

[Aquaman]

Originally Posted by Catfishsteve

...Their eyes are really good, they don't have trouble seeing little bits of stuff...

I noticed that, too.

I thought it was amazing how the bluegill would turn at various angled--very quickly I might add--to try to figure out an attack angle. There vision seems to be great.

I guess they are carnivores after all...so vision would be an important commodity.

[Aquaman]

Originally Posted by Alex T.

Very aggressive to begin with but their intensity wears off quick once they figure out they won't get the whole thing. PETA could have a hay day with that worm's feelings.

Alex

I asked the worm afterwards...and he said that his feeling were hurt.

[Aquaman]

From Daryl B....

Bruce,

I watched your video. Remember the guy from "Laugh-In"? "Very interesting".

Look close at the mouth structure of bluegills, they do not have big mouths, their mouths are made for sipping. Ever hear bluegills sipping insects off the surface, sounds like kissing? Bluegills are "kissers". Bluegills are made for sipping, picking relatively small food organisms out of the water or off of substrates. Lord knows worms or nightcrawlers must smell and taste really, really good to them, but they ain't made for engulfing the whole worm. So they start sipping on the end, the only thing they can handle.

I also believe that bluegills are very much near-sighted. Bluegills are very good at looking for relatively small food items and examining them at a close distance. That is how they find and eat things like zooplankton and damsel fly larvae and midge larvae and . . . .

I have not bought a box of nightcrawlers or worms for bluegill fishing in YEARS. I hate pinching 'crawlers into the little pieces you need to be effective for bluegills. Small leeches are an excellent bluegill bait. Crayfish tails are a great bluegill bait. Wax worms are a great bluegill bait. I will tell you that the biggest bluegills need some "meat" to grow large and fat, but even those bluegills as big as your face are still sippers--they still make their living sipping aquatic insects.

The behavior of that small bluegill that swims through the frame is also curious. I wonder if that was some type of social display?

You know you can observe a lot about fish by watching them.

Daryl B.

[OldBaldGuy]

Originally Posted by Daryl

You know you can observe a lot about fish by watching them.

Daryl B.

"B." = Berra?

Fun video, Aquaman. Did you notice that some of the times when it looked like they would take the bait, they didn't? And other times, when they seemed disinterested, they bit anyway? I've had exactly that same thing happen.

[Aquaman]

Originally Posted by OldBaldGuy

"B." = Berra?

...Did you notice that some of the times when it looked like they would take the bait, they didn't? And other times, when they seemed disinterested, they bit anyway? I've had exactly that same thing happen.

You're not talking about bluegill...are you?

[UKcat]

Originally Posted by Aquaman

I'd love to hear any NEFGA members observations in regards to what we learn from a video like this.

I think what I'm learning here is what I think I already knew...(HUH?) What I've always suspected, when fishing Senkos for bass, there are tons of times that I will feel that "tap...tap", but no hookup results. Other times, you can actually feel the Senko being shaken about like something has it by the tail.

After watching these guys rip that crawler around, I'm pretty sure it's the same thing with a plastic worm. Will it help me catch more bass...? Probably not, but now I won't get so upset for missing so many hooksets.