Gear: Hook size matters when catching bluegill—or any fish for that matter

Source: Mr. Fisherman.

When it comes to bluegill and oter panfish, I am a big fac of size 12 hooks. Why? Because the hook-up rate is higher.

Sure, you can use larger hooks, say a 10, 8, or 6.

But panfish come in a variety of sizes, and the smaller ones are less likely to be caught by size 6 than a size 12. Your bobber will drop or your popper will vanish, but the fish will get away.

I relearned this lesson yesterday, when I ran out of size 12 poppers. With no other choice, I put a size 8 hook popper on my line and began flipping the fly out. I caught fish, including a whopper of a pumpkinseed. But again and again smaller fish battered the fly and did not connect.

Not to belabor the point, but….. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen novices trying to fish for bluegills and the like with hooks that are sized for bass or small catfish. They get frustrated as fish pick the worms off their over-sized hooks, and complain aloud about not catching fish.

You can save yourself much misery if you follow this simple rule: hook down if your bait is being stolen.

To be sure, the “size matters” rule goes the other way. You do not want to fish panfish with tiny hooks, say size 16 or higher. Those hooks can easily disappear down the gullet of the fish. Then you will struggle to get the hook out of the fish, the fish will leak blood, and you might end up with no hook and a dead fish in hand.

Do yourself a favor and print out a copy of a hook chart, like the above one from Mr. Fisherman. Hook size matters for all fish, not just bluegills, sunnies, and pumpkinseeds.

Scoring Panfish and More by Fishing Deep at Punderson Lake in Ohio

Fishing with a bobber and worm is a time-tested way to bag fish, especially panfish. But when the water temperature gets high, fish often move deeper in search of cooler waters.

So fish down low. Tie a sinker to the end of you line, and a small hook (size 8 or 6) a couple feet up. Add a wriggling red worm. Cast gently, let the sinker hit bottom, them tighten your line. Wait for the gentle tugs, then lift straight up. Boom—fish on!

Using this technique at Punderson Lake in Ohio, we scored bluegills, pumpkinseeds, sunfishes, channel catfishes, and yellow bullhead catfishes.

Review: Fishing Ranger Lake in Strongsville, Ohio

They stock this small lake with “largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, crappie, and rainbow trout. The lake is stocked with trout in the winter for ice fishing.”

You can see what fish are in there any particular season at https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/parks/visit/parks/mill-stream-run-reservation/ranger-lake.

The parking lot (directions here) is small, and this little lake has maybe 100 feet of shore fishing. This looks to me like a good place to put in a canoe or kayak, which you’d need to lug maybe 75 feet.

You will not see any fish caught in this video. We stopped by after an early morning rain and right before another rain—less than ideal conditions for chasing panfish and bass. But, this video will provide you with a view that will help you judge whether you want to visit Ranger Lake. For sure, I’ll return to try it again—with a kayak, and maybe even a fly rod.

Lake Medina Surprises Me with a 30″ Northern Pike

Lake Medina is a sizable, beautiful lake where you do not need a fishing license to enjoy its waters. The water is clear, the shored are rocky, and there’s a huge amount of space to shore fish. Kayaks can be put in on the northern side of the lake — although it is about a 500-foot haul from the parking lot just off Granger Road. (I have not clue what the southern side of the lake looks like. I never made it there.)

When we arrived around 9am, my eyes popped—a couple of largemouth bass a short distance from the shore! And bluegill and other panfish immediately began hitting worm on bobber.

Yes, There Are Fish to Catch at Lock 3 in Akron!

This downtown Akron spot is in for the performance space, Children’s Museum, and bars. But Lock 3 has a canal (hence the name) and its still spots have fish: bass, bluegill, catfish, and more.

A bobber and worm works, as does a 2.5″ Gulp minnow on a small jig head. I caught this fish on my daughter’s pink-purple Zebco rod. No need for heavy line or tackle here. The water is no deeper than 4 feet. 8-pound line is a happy medium. (Yes, you could use 10-pound or 12-pound, or 4-pound or 6-pound, although the latter two might bust if a big bass hits it. You do have to pull the fish up 12-feet or so to get it out of the canal.)

Gulp 2.5″ minnow: https://amzn.to/2L9DMLA
1/4″ jigheads: https://amzn.to/2upatv7
8-pound monofilament: https://amzn.to/2uoY368

Entryway to Lock 3 in Akron, Ohio.

Scoring Bluegill, Pumpkin Seeds, Small-mouth Bass, and Channel Catfish Near DuPont Circle

Talk about urban fishing!

One can fish Rock Creek under the Lauzun’s Legion Bridge. There’s a slab where one can drop a line into the water about eight feet below. Pumpkinseed are plentiful, and bluegill also can be found. (Both can be used as bait for catfish.) They hit worms very hard, and can be landed with bread or dough balls too. A bobber can scare them away, so consider just dangling your bait in there and watching them come and strike.

Go here when the weather is above 50 degrees, otherwise you may not find fish here—the water is only a few feet deep. (Come winter fish move to deeper water that is less brisk.)

I have frequently seen small-mouth bass and small catfish (maybe 15 inches) in the water, but they have proven very leary to respond to the various lures and baits I have tossed their way.