when i fish for bluegills if i set the hook i rip it right out of the fish's mouth but if i dont i get robed. do i set the hook. if i do then how?

I do not usually set the hook, the thieves bluegills are usually also makes them aggressive and they take the hook without assistance. A real sharp hook is hard to beat. What do is usually when they commit and take the bait I pull up any slack, usually by just lifting the rod tip up and let tension set the hook for me. Last year I caught my first real "monster" bluegill ... if there is such a thing (guessing it was close to 1lbs or more), and when I saw the bobber run, I just pointed the rod tip straight up and turned the reel about a 1/16th of the turn and he came to a screeching halt when the hook pulled through and set itself.

Circle hooks are good for live bait fishing for panfish and other small fish. They pretty much "set" themselves in the corner of a fish's mouth if you just remove the slack from the line and allow the fish to pull a bit. Sharp hooks are a must and don't believe that just because the hook is new that it is sharp. I buy nothing but premium hooks and even so find an occasional dull hook in a package. This problem is worse with bargain hooks. Tom

Posted By Pegsguy on 19 Apr 2011 01:46 PM
Circle hooks are good for live bait fishing for panfish and other small fish. They pretty much "set" themselves in the corner of a fish's mouth if you just remove the slack from the line and allow the fish to pull a bit. Sharp hooks are a must and don't believe that just because the hook is new that it is sharp. I buy nothing but premium hooks and even so find an occasional dull hook in a package. This problem is worse with bargain hooks. Tom

they make circle hooks that small?

Posted By ralphrox on 19 Apr 2011 12:01 PM
when i fish for bluegills if i set the hook i rip it right out of the fish's mouth but if i dont i get robed. do i set the hook. if i do then how?

If you are fishing for panfish you have to be extremely careful and super gently set the hook. I for example have a spare $9 dollar fiberglass Shakespear Durango rod. Its a Ultra Light 5" footer and I just barely give it a slight twitch to set the hook, and I mean slightly. But normally they will darn near set them self and the slight pressure of the rod bending will due the trick of setting the hook.

But now that you have the hook set, be gentle and patient when reeling them in. Most panfish have very very tender mouths and even the act of reeling to fast will rip their mouth a part.

I normally have my Mitchell Reel on a Med action 6"6' rod, but keep the little Ultralight 5 footer for when panfishing and as cheap as they are I really recommend them. I tend to mostly bass fish, so I also have a tendency to count to 3 and give a sharp jerk on the rod. So this little rod helps me correct my self when I am not paying attention.

Cheers.

For your hook set, just lift the rod rather than swinging it. It's a gentler action and should set the hook for you without ripping the fish's mouth or pulling the bait away from them.

If you're getting robbed by bluegills, you may be using too large of a hook. I like to use a #8 or 10 circle, baitholder or aberdeen hook for bluegills. When you get a bite, simply lift the rod and start reeling. If you wait too long they may swallow the hook though. The aberdeens make unhooking easier because the shank is longer.

You may also want to look for some ice fishing jigs such as Genz Bugs or Hexi-Flys. These are designed for panfish and the hooks are very sharp. They are heavy enough to be cast-able with light line and an ultralight rod.

If using bobber, use a smaller one.

I generally like to use soft plastics. Sometimes they do end up stealing the plastic, but that's after several of bites that has shredded the plastic. When I use small cranks and spinners, the bites are usually ferocious.

I'm assuming that you're using live bait, right?

If so, are you using nightcrawlers?

If you are, then your problem may be that you're using too large of a worm.  The 'gills are likely grabbing the end of the worm, dragging it a few feet, and when you set the hook, you are ripping the bait right out of the hook.  I've witnessed bait stealing like this many times.  The typical bait stealers are usually smaller Bluegill that aren't large enough to take the entire bait, they just grab a piece of it.  You can solve this problem by either using smaller worms or by using chunks of larger worms.  This way, if they grab part of the bait, they'll be easier to hook, since the bait is smaller.  Using smaller hooks also help significantly, as well.

If you need more info on Bluegill, you should seriously visit my website.  It has a lot of good tips that are based on my own experiences and observations.

Here's the link:
http://anglerslodge.weebly.com/

Hope you find what you're looking for!

fisherfanatic's right. thats what happens to me when i go fishing for those pesky gills