Deep Water Monsters

When people think “bluegill”, they often think shallow water weed beds and submerged structure. You’re on the right track, but don’t be afraid to try the deep water for suspended fish.

On this outing, we targeted pan fish in over thirty feet of water, our trip was a success with landing a handful of very respectable fish. Most of the fish caught were found in water forty feet deep suspended ten to fifteen feet off the bottom.

While marking fish on the Vexilar, we soon realized that in order to get to the bigger fish, we had to use a little bigger jig with multiple wax worms. The jig had to fall fast enough to get past the small fish on the top of the school, once the jig reached the lower 1/3 of the fish, it seemed the fish were all 9-11 inches.

We found the Clam Pro Tackle Tungsten Dingle Drop (Chartreuse/Orange Glow Spot) worked best, but it was not quit heavy enough to rocket past the small fish as it sank to the bottom. So in this situation, I tried a bomb spoon laced with multiple wax worms.

The name implies as that thing fell to the bottom of the food chain. I slowly worked the spoon back up, only jigging in the bottom 1/3 of the school. Sure enough, that is where the big boys like to hang out.

Don’t be afraid to tie on a bigger jig and don’t always fall for the first fish to move on your Vexilar.