Hook for bluegill/red ear

[jmt870]

What hook do y'all like? Using a cricket hook now. The fish always swallow the hook? Thanks.

[fr8dog]

I've started using a 1/32 oz jig head with a #8 (?) hook. Was crappie fishing a while back and the bluegills were nipping the tails so I took off the twisty tail and stuck a small piece of nightcrawler on under a slip float. Works like a champ and they rarely swallow it.

[jmt870]

Thanks. Never been much on panfish. Sure Is a good time with the kiddos though.

[Quillback]

I use Eagle claw long shanked panfish hooks. They bend pretty easily, the panfish can't bend them, but you can when you pull them out of a deep hooked fishes mouth with pliers. Hook will come out and you can bend it back in place and keep fishing.

[doctorxring]

I've started using a 1/32 oz jig head with a #8 (?) hook. Was crappie fishing a while back and the bluegills were nipping the tails so I took off the twisty tail and stuck a small piece of nightcrawler on under a slip float. Works like a champ and they rarely swallow it.

^^THIS^^

Someone on Crappie.com gave me this same tip a couple of months ago. I've been using a 1/64 oz. jig with a #4 hook under my quill slip float for gills.
It's amazing how well this works against deep hooking. I went gill fishing yesterday and caught about 30 bluegill. Only one
could be called "deep" hooked. And these were good size fish. It works !

.

[TeeDee]

most all my bream fishing is done with a crappie jig. normally 1/32 or 1/16 oz jig with a #4 aberdeen or more recently a #4 sickle. Get some nice sized panfish and they are never deep hooked. Straight cast and retrieve over bed areas and other likely spots.

[RFeyoMN]

One trick I learned a long time ago was to hold your line tight and swirl around the fishes mouth. Not sure why, but this always works on bluegills.

Also, I use mostly the long shank aberdeen hooks.

[Crestliner16]

I use a drop shot or octopus in #1 and #2 Bluegill have a larger mouth plus they usually don't swallow the hook. If your catching small gills step up in size, and be subtle with your presentation.

[Cfrench085]

If using an Aberdeen hook bend the eye of the hook slightly up or down. By doing this you can tell which side the point is on with a deep hooked fish. Also bending the point slightly to one side will get you more hookups.