Do Bass Eat Bluegill Swimbaits? Underwater Video!

We cast a bluegill swimbait to an aggressive largemouth and watch him tear it apart! He wasn't afraid to eat the swimbait over and over! We hope you enjoy the underwater footage!

This underwater video is different from what we've done in the past. This is one of a series of underwater bass fishing videos we'll be rolling out in the coming weeks that don't have voice over or other audio. The purpose of these videos is simply to watch bass in their natural habitats and watch how they respond to swimbaits, jigs, worms, etc. 

Its amazing what you can learn by simply watching the fish's interactions with each other and with the lures. 

Great Swimbaits For This Technique...

Mattlures Ultimate Bluegill: http://bit.ly/2aAuAz5
Mattlures U2 Bluegill: http://bit.ly/2s1dqyf
Rago Bluegill: http://bit.ly/2qhAdt7

Proper Equipment For This Techinque...

High End Combo:

Rod- NRX 7'5" Heavy 894C JWR: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq
Reel- Metanium MGL: http://bit.ly/2ezIBfB
Line- 65 lb Power Pro MaxCuattro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ
Leader- 20 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Mid-Range Combo:

Rod- E6X 7'5" Heavy: http://bit.ly/2bQNaBn
Reel- Chronarch MGL 150: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB
Line- 65 lb Power Pro MaxCuattro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ
Leader- 20 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9 

Budget Combo:

Rod- Dobyns Fury 7'6" Med Heavy: http://bit.ly/2bGvlVV
Reel- Shimano Casitas 150: http://bit.ly/2geKxsp
Line- 65 lb Power Pro MaxCuattro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ
Leader- 20 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Camera Used- GoPro Hero5: http://bit.ly/2iwZqqU

Best Sunglasses for Seeing bass in the water: http://bit.ly/2glE3eN

Best Baits to Target Bluegill Eaters

We focus a lot on trout and shad imitators out West but we all know that bass love to eat bluegill. When the water begins to warm the bluegill becomes a major forage base for bass and you shouldn't overlook them. This week Matt breaks down his Top 5 Baits to best imitate a bluegill so you can begin to catch those big summer bass. 

The key to successfully imitating bluegill is to find baits that not only get bites but are also slim enough to have a high hookup ratio. There's nothing worse than getting giant bites and not hooking the bass! Below you'll find a breakdown of Matt's favorite bluegill imitating baits and the reasons he chooses them. 

The first category is the Squarebill crankbait. Bluegill eaters spend most of their time shallow and around heavy cover so the squarebill is a great option to coax a bite. Matt's favorite all around bluegill imitating squarebill is the River2Sea biggie. You might remember our squarebill debate from THIS VIDEO. 

The second category is the swim jig. When imitating a bluegill I love to use a keitech fat swing impact as a trailer on my California Swim Jig. This combination creates a wide thumping action that imitates a bluegill's tail really well. Quick tip: a chartreuse/blue keitech paired with a very natural looking jig adds a little chartreuse flash and really looks nice in the water! ...see picture below.

The third category is the soft swimbait. The two most widely available baits that best fit this category are the Mattlures Bluegill and the All American Sunfish. Both baits have a very natural profile and are great around cover. Quick Tip: The All American Sunfish needs to be rigged on a swimbait hook of some kind. My preferred hook for this bait is the 5/0 trokar. 

The fourth category is topwater. My favorite large bluegill topwater is the MS Slammer. Its not perfect, but its good enough to get those monster bites and that's what counts! Another great option is the Jackall Gantarel. If smaller baits are your preference, you can't beat the popper. Personally, I'd throw the yellow magic though there are many other great options out on the market. 

The fifth and final category is the Senko. I hate to say it but the senko works incredibly well on bluegill eaters! They're ambush predators and the slow fall of the senko , especially when wacky rigged, really lures them out. Color comes down to personal preference but something with a bit of a chartreuse tail should get the job done. 

I hope you find these tips helpful! As always, we love hearing from you so feel free to leave a comment with your own experiences or even a topic idea for a video you'd like to see us do. Thank you for your continued support of tacticalbassin!