Bluegills: A fish for all seasons

An ideal local fishing outing for me is finding and catching a quantity of large bluegills and crappies. At day's end, I am usually a happy camper.

In countless columns I've stated that, inch for inch, a large bluegill caught on 2- or 4-pound test line is, for me, as good as it gets.

I was due to fish for walleyes and bass with Mr. Natural, guide Darrell Baker, but because the powers that be closed the entire Fox Chain to boating, I chose to make the rounds of several ponds again.

Late last week my old angling pal Roger joined me at one pond location for a couple of hours of panfish action. Roger moved back here last winter from southeast Florida after his mother passed away, and this was the first time he fished in Illinois in 14 years.

Equipped with two ultralight rods and reels and 4-pound test mono, along with a handful of Mini-Mite jigs, we "attacked" the pond with great fervor.

Roger made the first three scores by bringing in some very chunky 'gills. His next three casts then produced two crappies and a small bass.

"This is great," he called out to me as I was finally into my own "trophies." The Mini-Mites did what they always do, trigger strikes from very aggressive bluegills and crappies. We caught and released more than 30 fish, not bad for slightly more than an hour's worth of enjoyment.

The other day photographer Mike Seeling and I returned to the same spot. Unfortunately the larger fish weren't cooperating. Seeling left, and I returned home.

After a cup of coffee I decided to hit one more area pond. I rigged an original Mini-Mite under a small, Lindy slip float. The pond was ringed by cattails, newly emerging from their winter sleep period.

A slight breeze pushed the float close to the bank, and I watched it disappear beneath the surface. A fast wrist set was all I needed because the fish was firmly hooked.

The drag on the reel buzzed as line went zipping off into the unknown. Thirty seconds later I saw my prize. This was a monster 'gill, measuring close to 10 inches.

A half-dozen more casts turned up only two more of these brutes, but at least I knew they were there.

A fixed and balsa slip float is an excellent tool to use, especially on ponds with heavy weed growth. The float will help keep a hook or jig off the bottom. I like to look for open pockets in the weeds and then make a cast to the edges of the pockets. I generally get strikes using that method.

As I've stated in the past, local pond fishing can be a lot of fun, especially for panfish. But I also have nailed some very nice largemouth bass as well using the Mini-Mites tipped with small pieces of night crawler.

Every time I present one of these panfish-pond columns I get a raft of e-mails asking where these bodies of water are located.

Let me save you some time.

Ponds like the ones I frequent are scattered throughout the Northwest suburbs. You can find them in apartment complexes and industrial parks. They're in shopping centers and even on main roads.

Just obey the "no fishing signs" if you encounter those warnings.

All you need to bring is an ultralight spinning rod, a handful of jigs and some wax worms to tip on the jigs. The final element is nothing more than a willingness to have fun while learning the habits of a great fighting fish.

Summer or winter, the bluegill is truly the star of a real good action day.