Rebel utltralight fishing lures make bluegills smack the top with gusto, but many anglers don't think to fish these great baits for panfish.
Throw an ultralight crankbait beside a downed tree and wobble it on the surface like a topwater lure, and you can expect the same reaction as if you had thrown a live grasshopper to the same spot. Fishing lures that imitate insects get attacked by bluegills and are some of the best baits to use for late-summer and early-fall fishing.
The banks of most rivers and lakes have gotten quite active by the end of summer. Grasshoppers hop in the tall grass, while ants, beetles and various other insects scurry up and down logs. Some terrestrial insects inevitably end up in the water, whether due to errant leaps, wind gusts or other influences. Meanwhile, damselflies, midges and other aquatic insets hatch regularly, creating a bug smorgasbord on the surface.
The result is that sunfish spend a lot of time looking up on summer days, and they will devour anything that looks like a meal on the surface. Fly-fishermen know this, and many fish almost exclusively with panfish poppers or bass poppers this time of year. However, few other anglers have embraced the value of using ultralight fishing lures as topwater lures.
Rebel Crickhoppers, Big Ants and Bumble Bugs are ideal baits for working the top. While all three have diving bills, which allows them to run as crankbaits, all three also float, so you can use them as surface lures. Crickhopper Poppers, of course, can be worked exactly like the fly-fishermen's beloved poppers.
The simplest way to work one of these lures on top is with short twitches of the rod tip, which cause it to dance on the surface or dive ever so slightly and then pop back up. You also can "wake" a Crickhopper, Big Ant or Bumble Bug by reeling slowly and steadily and keeping the rod high. The broad wobble will kick out a wake that will bring bluegills running.
For any retrieve, let the bait set a moment when it lands and occasionally stop it and let it rest. Terrestrial insects typically stop from time to time, whether to reorient themselves or to rest. The fish seem to hone in on their prey during the pauses, because when bugs (whether real or artificial) begin moving again, they often get blasted.
Finding the best ultralight lure any given day comes through experimentation and observation. You'll find plenty of clues to likely best bets if you pay attention. 'Hoppers tend to be more abundant around grassy banks, making Crickhoppers natural first choices, while ants more often abound around timber. If you notice plentiful flying insects, whether they are bees, flies, dragonflies or something else, try a Bumble Bug.
One great benefit of fishing ultralight plugs for sunfish is that they tend to produce larger-than-average fish. Bluegills of all sizes will attack these baits, but you'll hook more big bream. Adding thrills, bass and other larger game fish don't know what you are fishing for, and they too enjoy easy meals when grasshoppers find themselves afloat.