Which Bluegill Swimbaits Catch More Bass? Let’s go underwater and find out! There are a ton of bluegill imitators on the market but some have terrible hookup ratios. Today we explore which baits get the most bites, which hook up the best, and when to throw them. Whether you’re sight fishing for spawning bass or blind casting for aggressive post spawn bass that are eating bluegill, these baits will help you catch more fish.
Its no secret that bass love to eat bluegill. They’re a consistent food source from coast to coast but imitating them can be very difficult. The key is to focus on baits that have smaller profiles and either have an exposed hook or are so soft that a hidden (weedless) hook can easily pop through. Over the years we’ve narrowed our selection from dozens of bluegill swimbaits to just a handful of bluegill imitators with great hookup ratios.
Below is a breakdown of the baits we use when bass are chasing bluegill. All of these baits can be used for bed fishing or open water casting alike. Don’t get caught up with colors, instead focus on profile and action as you select the best baits for your lake.
Bluegill Swimbaits…
-Mattlures U2 Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2s1dqyf
-Mattlures Ultimate Bluegill: http://bit.ly/2aAuAz5
-Mattlures Hammer Tail: http://bit.ly/2FsZhA3
-All American Sunfish: http://bit.ly/2ahBNOT
-Huddleston Bluegill: http://bit.ly/2FqvvQW
-Rago Bluegill Line Through: http://bit.ly/2JR2iS7
-Storm Wildeye Sunfish: http://bit.ly/2psTO6t
-Storm Wildeye Bluegill: http://bit.ly/2uBZ1Mf
Bluegill Imitators…
-Dirty Jigs Finesse Jig: http://bit.ly/2eJinXo
-Dirty Jigs California Swim Jig: http://bit.ly/2auXfmx
-Keitech 3.8 or 4.3 Fat Swing Impact: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v
(Male Perch or Green Pumpkin Fire)
-Basstrix Bait Fry: http://bit.ly/2prMB8n
-Basstrix Bluegill: http://bit.ly/2dPHA4e
Hooks…
-Stinger Treble Hooks- Owner ST-56 Size 2: http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW
-Trokar 5/0 Swimbait Hook (for All American Sunfish): http://bit.ly/2iTeTSh
-Split Ring- Hyperwire Size 4: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX
Big Swimbait Combo…
Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 966: http://bit.ly/2x9kxuS
Reel- Tranx 300 HG: http://bit.ly/2kYsvRw
Line- 65 lb Power Pro Maxcuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ
Leader- 25 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9
Budget Small/Medium Swimbait Rod (jig rod)…
Rod- Shimano SLX 7’2″ Heavy: http://bit.ly/2L3wppO
Reel- SLX 150: http://bit.ly/2NfdOnk
Line- 50 lb Power Pro Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b
Leader- 15 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9
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Sun Shirt w/ Hood: http://bit.ly/2vgTOst
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Reaper Hoodie (Hoodie with Warm Face Cover built in): http://bit.ly/2yRURSd
Horizon Sweater (Water resistant, great for layering): http://bit.ly/2gTC1oB
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Equipment We Recommend…
Minn Kota Ultrex Trolling Motor: http://bit.ly/2vFQypW
Humminbird Solix 15 Electronics: http://bit.ly/2pAkXr2
Minn Kota Talons: http://bit.ly/2F0QBSP
Hot Foot Throttle Control: http://bit.ly/2ob4kgO
Loc-R-Bar Boat Security: http://bit.ly/2CMF1NP
Favorite Storage Box: http://bit.ly/2fvjcFB
Favorite Pliers: http://bit.ly/2tfxFvw
Favorite Split Ring Pliers: http://bit.ly/2fT4Qw0
Favorite Wire Cutters: http://bit.ly/2soB34k
Favorite life jacket: http://bit.ly/2odXXIP
Favorite sunglasses: http://bit.ly/2glE3eN
Hero7 Camera: http://bit.ly/2RsLpjB
ElectroSamson Scale: http://bit.ly/2f7QgQ9
Frabill Net: http://bit.ly/2FNdnQr
Lure Retriever: http://bit.ly/2TLTJc6
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Loved the video keep them coming
Wait till you see what I'm coming out with.
What about fall 🤔 do bluegill color work and if so what color swimbait would I put on that kind of spinner bait
Would you guys ever be open to do a q+a for Reddit, or even a magazine?
put em back in the water ya animals
Stupid question here but what do you mean by "sight fishing"? I'm a 100% bank angler so far (less than a yr into LMB fishing) and I can't recall seeing a bass follow the bait or see them protecting their pad. Great content and very informative. Please keep up the great work!
Love your videos, I'm learning so much while I can't go fishing. Hoping it pays off this spring!
Thanks Matt. Well done.
Had a nice bedfish hit my bluegill yesterday but I think the lure was too big now I'm here looking to downsize, they been killing the dark sleeper and the ned rig though…also what you said about the pb is so true I was hoping my ned past her n she wouldn't budge as soon as I threw the bluegill she got aggressive
I was watching a couple of male bass today that are up shallow. They definitely were not liking the bluegills/sunnies around.
Thanks for sharing
What exact Trokar hook are you using for the little creeper? Wheighted or not wheighted?
Thank you for the video. Love how informative you are.
I love watching y'all and this under water video is to die for you can learn so much about the way bass react
WOW – great presentation. I'm in Australia and going to be using these on Murray Cod and Yellow-belly is deep log cover. in brown muddy fresh water. Got to use weed-less in my neck of the woods as there are a lot of logs and tee tree branches. Thanks for taking the time and posting.
In depth look. Pun intended?
About two weeks ago I worked a 5 pounder on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia for two hours. Had to catch the male twice before he left the bed for long enough to catch the female. She ended up eating a 6 inch ZMan Swimmerz on a Swing head. One of the coolest things I ever saw was a a big carp comes swimming along on a collision course for her bed and she got PISSED. Chased that carp around for about 30 seconds right in front of me. Makes you Wonder if a big carp colored swimbait around that bed would work well. Thanks for the great video!
will the hammer tail mattlures work as a bed bait? the boot tail ones are sold out
I'v been tying on those Storm swim baits on my kids rods for years. Always love the smiles I get as they catch fish after fish in the ponds we go to. Also we all murdered them (we're talking 40 plus fish in a less than 2 1/2 hours) using their shad version on a power plant lake last summer. Very sturdy bait that holds up fist after fish and so easy even for young children to use.
Savage Gear is coming out with 4” pulse tail bluegill is 2 different setups. With top hook or ready for weighted swimbait hook. Have 2 on backorder from tackle warehouse.
Just caught a 7lb 7oz on a little creeper sunfish this past Sunday in 44 degree water
Dude i watched this soaking up all the info it had because I like using bluegill swimbaits. Huddleston bluegill and live target are my main baits being thrown, but my hook up ratio is low. Bite is there but they shake hook. I now currently throw on a heavy mach crush with braid and at first thought i wasn't giving the bass enough time before setting hook, playing with the count before setting. Are they just biting the tail? This happens alot, but i still catch good fish. Any advice?
I took your advice and went out and bought the 3-pack of the big size storm bluegills, but I had a problem that maybe you could help me with. I took the treble hooks off the bottom like you, and I caught two fish, but they got off. I'm using a spinning reel, and a medium heavy rod, with 30lb braid. The only thing I could come up with on my own was maybe I didn't keep enough pressure on the fish. As you know the fish don't weigh as much with braids like they do on plastic line. Please reply, love your Channel, you and Roland Martin are who I listen to the most for advice, thanks so much.
Tie a bluegill on and watch how long the bass stalk and push that bluegill around before they eat it. If you can't see the bluegill you will feel it desperately trying to escape the bass several times before the bass eats it. The bass expects the fish to have a chance of getting away and wants to hunt it. It's very hard to get a swimbait lure to play out this hunter prey dance. That's why the catch rate is normally a pittance on any plastic blue gill imitator lure.
To stay artificial . One actually has a better chance of catching the same fish with good sized worm, or creature baits on a jig head. Or just getting lucky with any offering from finesse to standard other than big swimbait lures. My catch rate of the bigger fish on the same rock piles has been best with power worms and green beaver baits compared to glide baits and soft swim baits, (get none or small stupid fish). Of course someone can catch them all with real bluegill. Those smart and cautious fish( bigger ones) are not often falling for the bluegill swim baits.
Using them on a spawning bed for 10 minutes or more . Doesn't count as a swim bait catch.
Can you do a video on fire tiger colored baits?
When do the bass start to move up in the north? Still waiting lol….
Are there concerns about throwing a bait into a bed and actually hitting the eggs? Could your bait not damage the eggs if you drag it through the middle of them?
great channel 👍 and nice videos
You guys have great content, I've learned a lot. Have you ever fished Lake Mead? If so, what was successful for you?
Do you guys own the tactical bassin name? Or are you guys just sponsored by them?
The bass where i live won't touch swimbaits.
They destroy those bluegill shallowrunner crankbaits though.
You guys know that every time you mention certain baits they become out of stock at tackle warehouse? Think that’s coincidence or how much you influence us? Lol
We don't all have the time or equipment to video underwater footage . Some bass were just testing the lure. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you
Incredible Video Congratulations Fisherman!
Have a blessed week and lots of Fish!
Hug!!!!!! 👍🎣🐟🐠
I strive to get those underwater shots, nice
Good info as always Matt. Nice job on the video guys.
I can’t wait to try this. I have some of these now and will be trying soon. Thanks for answering my question from last week in the video. Great explanation as always.
Hey Matt, I'm pretty new to bass and fishing so I've never fished during the spawn. Everyone on their videos talks about sight fishing and locating the beds that way, but what if the water clarity is to bad. How do you locate beds and catch fish through that bad visibility?
Another great video Thanks Matt
I’ve been bass fishing for about 5 years now and am starting to pick up some ‘big’ swimbaits to learn more, pick up a new tactics, and get better at bassin in general. Starting out with a 168 S-waver, only thrown it a few times but already have had a couple confirmed bites, no catches yet but the season is still early. I have to say I am applying the information in this video and it is helping a ton. Going to pick up a few more baits particularly bluegill baits soon with the spawn coming up. Thank you guys! TacticalBassin is hands down best informative Chanel on YouTube! You guys rock!
Matt have u ever tried a square bill on bed fish?
I was literally just about to look up some videos on the Matt lures bluegill because I own one but hardly throw it. And then BOOM! It’s like you read my mind lol YOU’RE THE BEST MATT!
That first bed fish has line hanging from its mouth, someone done broke off on it
Well said about being responsible, a lot don’t realize how important these big females are to sustain the population
Great information as always. Love these videos.
Hey Tactical, any reason why the Jackall gantaral and gantaral jr weren’t talked about? I think they have really amazing action and paint jobs and at least in my experience work amazing in bodies of water where bluegill are a primary forage.
Savage gear makes some 3" long with a paddle tail and a jig hook that come in a 3 pack. I think the price is around $10.
What s waver color should I get to look like a bluegill?
Make a video on how to fish pressured lakes 🙂