by Jordan D., June 07, 2004

Spring brings about many fishing opportunities for anglers of all skill levels. Bluegill and Perch offer some of the most fast paced fishing action that there is. Although these fish can be caught year around, they are most plentiful and available for fishermen in the spring and summer months. These are great fish to target for youngsters whose attention span is short, or a beginning fisherman to get hooked on fishing.

Location

Perch and Bluegill can be found in almost any of your local lakes and because they are so close to the bank, a boat isn’t needed and you can fish anywhere where there is structure. They generally tend to stay in schools, so once you find one there is bound to be many more close by. Beginning in late April, when the water temperature begins to hit the mid 60’s, Perch and Bluegill will come out from the deeper water that they spent the winter in and move into the shallows. They are generally structure oriented, meaning that they prefer to be around underwater vegetation, underwater logs, and around docks in 1 to 3 feet of water.

As they move into the shallows they will begin to start feeding heavily on insects, worms, and small fish to prepare to spawn. This is called the pre-spawn period. During the remaining part of spring and all summer, through the spawning period, Perch and Bluegill will stay in these areas.

When?

The best time of year to catch Bluegill and Perch is anytime after they move into the shallows. From the pre-spawn time in late April, to the spawning time throughout the summer, these fish will be readily available anytime of day. There is no need to get up early to fish for these feisty fish, because they can be caught just as well in the middle of the day as they would be in the early morning or late evening.

Techniques

There are a variety of different ways to get Perch and Bluegill to bite. They tend to eat just about anything that is placed in front of them. For youngsters, you cannot beat fishing with a tiny piece of worm about a half inch long threaded on a size 10 or 12 hook under a small bobber. Other lures such as one inch long curly tail grubs on a 1/64th oz jig head, small spinners, or feather jigs will work as well as anything. For the fly fisherman, I like to use a size 10 royal coachman as an indicator and a size 14 pheasant tail nymph underneath it. You will get half of your fish in the dry and the other half on the nymph.

You can also use small panfish poppers for an exciting top water bite. Any of these techniques will work, just as well as the other. One thing to remember about these fish is that they have very small mouths, so small baits and lures are a must.

Gear

The ideal rod for panfishing would have to be about 5-6 feet long in an ultra-light action. Bluegills have a unique body style that allows them to put up an excellent fight for their size that can be a blast on ultra-light gear. I prefer to use four pound test, but any size of line will work, as they are not line shy. You can also bring a variety of different lures to experiment with, but a tub of worms, a hook and a bobber will keep you fishing all day long.

Table Fare

Perch are arguably the best freshwater eating fish available. It is hard to beat beer battered perch filets for a killer fish and chips combo. Bluegills have a similar taste, but are more difficult to filet due to their body style. Both have a flaky white meat that is very tender and sweet.

Conclusion

To end this off, I encourage all of you to take a youngster out fishing for some panfish in your local lakes, even if it is just for an hour or two. Teach them how to fish and teach them proper fishing ethics and they will remember them their whole life. I hope that this article has showed you how to catch perch and Bluegill. Good luck and tight lines!