Bluegill fishing was as hot as the weather only not as sticky. One nice 'gill after another were hoisted aboard and deposited into the livewell. Often a double header took place. Other boats were not nearly as fortunate as we were.

We were fishing a deep, inland lake in Michigan that is heavily fished during the summer. Many anglers complain about their lack of success after the fish leave the shallows. I, on the other hand, enjoy fishing the deep water much better than the shallows. Regardless if it's summer, fall or winter, as long as the fish are deeper than 10 feet, I feel confident that a limit will be taken.

One particular style of baits produces more bluegill than any other lure. And the best news is the cost is less than a cup of coffee for two or three lures!

If you are interested, try adding some "glow" to your baits. This technique is not new, but definitely is not used to its' potential. Phosphorescence is an ingredient added to the paint on the lure, and when exposed or activated by light, the lure glows. The duration of this glow depends on the amount of light and the intensity of the light.

This "magic" bait is my favorite on bluegills bar none! I use these baits year-round on a least one rod. I use them when I'm ice fishing at any depth, when I'm fishing deep, open water or any dark-colored/stained water.

The author's son, Eric, holds up a bluegill caught on a glow jig.

More Fish See The Bait
The advantage of this method is obviously the added visibility. The more fish that see your bait, the better your odds of success. This is not a cure all to your fishing woes, but an enhancement.

My first experience with these baits came during the winter. Glow in the dark teardrops were the hot bait, and we tried them and they did produce better. Were they red hot as we hoped? NO, but they caught plenty of bluegills with some bonus perch and crappie.

Bluegill fishing regardless of the depth will find me with glow bait. Summer fishing at 20 feet to 30 feet deep is ideal for this presentation. Where legal, the addition of a double hook rig with a glow teardrop on each produces many doubles.

On any given day while panfishing I carry over 100 glow teardrops. All sizes and a couple of brands make up my fly box with these wonderful baits. All of my Michigan master angler bluegills came on these baits.

The first key to improving your success is adding as much glow as possible. This is done with a camera flash and some tinfoil. Any inexpensive camera flash will suffice. Take some tinfoil and form a pocket around the front of the flash. This makes a cup or a funnel effect which directs your entire beam onto the lure.

The end result is a maximum glow that will last awhile. Drop this bait down into the depths and an eerie glow will slowly disappear. If the fishing is fast you will rarely need to "charge" the bait. It will give off a slight glow on its' own.

When the fishing is slow or the fish finicky, then a charge every 15 minutes or so will greatly improve your success.

I will not try and explain why the bluegills are attracted to it because it really doesn't matter. The point is that they are attracted to it! Countless times when fishing with someone that is unaware of what I use I will outfish them two to three times to one.

Ice Fishing Baits
The basic lures are ice fishing baits. Two basic designs are used, and for the active or aggressive fish nothing beats a teardrop. Numerous styles are available, and some offer an offset hook. Others create a wobble when jigged. Some are thin and others have a more rounded body.

I use all with equal success. Each rod is set with a different style and a slightly different color. I let the fish determine if there is a preference on any given day.

Another great lure that virtually is never used in the summer is the ice fly. Once again there are a couple of variations, but they all are similar. The key is their very light design and how they flutter in the water. They often mimic different water plankton than the standard teardrop. I believe that bluegill are curious by nature. If you ever drop something into the water off of a dock you will see the fish rush up and look at it. Therefore, I believe is part of the answer on why these baits work so well.

When visibility is a concern such as in deep water, when ice fishing and in dirty water, these baits really improve.

During the summer I use two lures at a time. I tie on two of the quick clip snaps that allow easy changing of lures. These little miniature snaps are used all year. For ice fishing they are a must because no one likes to constantly cut their line and retie the small teardrops.

After tying on two quick clips a small snap is added about 1-foot below the lowest quick snap. A small bell sinker is added. Anything from 1/8-ounce to 1/2-ounce will be used depending on the wind.

Flash-'Em
Give each lure a shot from the flash and add a wax worm, spike or a cricket. You can then send it down to the bottom and hang on.

If the fish are suspended, which happens often then count your line down. Stay above the school because the bluegills will feed up much quicker than feeding down. An easy way to count your line is knowing the distance from your reel to the first eye. On most of my rods that distance is close to 2 feet.

During the winter I use only one hook and normally no weight. It takes some time to get your bait down to the fish but they bite so softly it requires patience.

In the winter bluegills are notorious for watching a bait. The slower the bait falls, the more fish that will be caught. This is why I believe that on the slow days a spike will out fish a wax worm. The slow descent really helps.

Speaking of slow days, regardless if whether it's due to a cold front or whatever, those new glow-in-the-dark spider ants are fabulous. They flutter sideways and sink so slow while emitting a glow that bull bluegills have a hard time resisting it.

When the fishing is tough in the summer I will remove all weight and allow it to free fall to the desired depth. This extremely light presentation drives the fish crazy.

A very sensitive, light-action rod is required. I like a longer rod regardless if it's winter or summer. A long rod allows the use of lighter line without the fear of it breaking. It also plays a very important role in this type of fishing. B & M Tackle makes a crappie rod that works well in this situation.

By the time the fishing day is over it might be hard to tell what glows more, your face or your lure!