Bass attacking bluegill head on, and single top hook baits

[Kickinbass1011]

First let me say the only way I can think to word this right now isnt producing in the search bar. So I have a question that needs some opinions. How are your hook ups with bluegill imitating top hook soft baits (no trebs)? I know largies often go headfirst on gills. And this time of the year most places i go im throwing a soft top hook bluegill with no stingers of any kind. Ive never had an issue hooking up with a bluegill swimbait.  Ive watched bass many times chase my bluegills and attack from behind. Especially in spring. I believe I remember watching an episode of tactical bassin where Matt spoke of bass eating head on but i cant remember exactly what was in his lesson about the topic that day. Ive also heard and seen them attack from the side. And I do get hook ups that way. Whats your guys opinions?

[Harshwaters]

I don't throw any soft bluegill baits but i would think bass prefer to eat head first because it collapses the top dorsal fin which is nothing but sharp spines. Less likely to get stuck going down. I would think the hook up ratio would be good.

[chevro1et]

1 hour ago, Kickinbass1011 said:

First let me say the only way I can think to word this right now isnt producing in the search bar. So I have a question that needs some opinions. How are your hook ups with bluegill imitating top hook soft baits (no trebs)? I know largies often go headfirst on gills. And this time of the year most places i go im throwing a soft top hook bluegill with no stingers of any kind. Ive never had an issue hooking up with a bluegill swimbait.  Ive watched bass many times chase my bluegills and attack from behind. Especially in spring. I believe I remember watching an episode of tactical bassin where Matt spoke of bass eating head on but i cant remember exactly what was in his lesson about the topic that day. Ive also heard and seen them attack from the side. And I do get hook ups that way. Whats your guys opinions?

Overall, Matt Allen is not a big fan of mid / large bluegill profile baits, especially hard baits with fins. He feels that it impedes hookups. He does however, like smaller soft gill profile baits with a single top hook like the MattLures. 

[Kickinbass1011]

1 hour ago, chevro1et said:

Overall, Matt Allen is not a big fan of mid / large bluegill profile baits, especially hard baits with fins. He feels that it impedes hookups. He does however, like smaller soft gill profile baits with a single top hook like the MattLures. 

Which is what i throw majority of the time. That or either huddlestons or live targets. Ive been using weedless huddlestons alot lately and besides being able to better run them through weeds the hook is lower. Just gotta set the hook hard. Alot of places I fish unless i throw a yellow perch swimbait which is never the main forage, then I need to be throwing bluegills. I cant get around it. Other then fishing for shad eaters elsewhere. which I do. Speaking of yellow perch, those guys have barbed gills. Hurt like crazy. That would probably be another head first bait. Ive been tossing around the idea of throwing some carp swimbaits. Thats the only other larger forage.

[Kickinbass1011]

2 hours ago, Harshwaters said:

I don't throw any soft bluegill baits but i would think bass prefer to eat head first because it collapses the top dorsal fin which is nothing but sharp spines. Less likely to get stuck going down. I would think the hook up ratio would be good.

I just realized, everytime ive ever caught a bass with a bluegill in its gullet, its always been tail sticking out.

[dqb]

If they’re feeding they will try to eat headfirst. The chasing you see in the spring are likely bedding fish or fry guarders chasing bluegills away. They will try to bite any exposed fin they can, making treble baits more effective.

[Kickinbass1011]

29 minutes ago, dqb said:

If they’re feeding they will try to eat headfirst. The chasing you see in the spring are likely bedding fish or fry guarders chasing bluegills away. They will try to bite any exposed fin they can, making treble baits more effective.

I know for a fact-they are bed guarding. Or atleast on beds. I use soft baits in spring too. A mattlures or hudd is perfect because it sits straight up perfectly balanced almost. Not so much largemouth in my experience but Smallmouth will actually chase these things all the way to my feet before they hit them. Im talking 20 to 30 feet off the bed. Its like they chase them from the bed they are on up to the bank, and when they realize they have that  shot right at the rocks as im raising my rod tip that bluegill goes just a tad bit  sideways as if it might be getting ready to turn and evade and they SMASH them. Its my favorite way to catch spring smallmouth. Often times I dont even need a balanced bait. I can run a live target etc right across them and watch it get annihilated on a short strike almost every time. Im sure if they were more pressured it would be a different story. 
Camo and figure 8’s for those big spring smallies. Lmao.

Edited December 8, 2020 by Kickinbass1011

[CG_Fishes]

My PB came on a 4.5" mattlures hammertail gill. The fish engulfed the bait from the side/front, kinda diagonally. In my experience, fish don't always headshot the bait, it's just closer to the head than the tail, to orient the bait headfirst into their mouth. This has been my experience with all types of baits, it's always in the front half

[Kickinbass1011]

2 minutes ago, CG_Fishes said:

My PB came on a 4.5" mattlures hammertail gill. The fish engulfed the bait from the side/front, kinda diagonally. In my experience, fish don't always headshot the bait, it's just closer to the head than the tail, to orient the bait headfirst into their mouth. This has been my experience with all types of baits, it's always in the front half

I made a response up above about how i catch smallies off of bluegill soft baits in the spring. And basically they will follow my bait all the way to my feet. They literally wait till it is almost out of the water and almost in the rocks and HAS to make a decision on which direction to go. Then they take the shot and smash it. Whether that be from the front, back, side, bottom. Most of the time its from the side because depending on the direction of your retrieve they will actually stay sort of toward the side of the bait opposite of the bank. As if they are trying to keep that pesky fish PINNED to the shore. Its one of the coolest things ive ever witnessed in all my years of bass fishing. Absolutely astonishing.