As an avid fisherman, few things are more exciting than catching your bait alive and knowing you have a greater chance of hooking into your following big catch. Live bluegills make excellent bait for catching larger panfish, bass, catfish, and more.
However, keeping bluegills alive in your tackle box or livewell can be tricky if you don’t take the proper steps. In this post on how to keep bluegill alive for bait, I’ll share my best tips and tricks for transporting and storing bluegills to ensure they stay lively until you’re ready to put them on the line.
With the right tools and techniques, you can keep your bluegills kicking all day long so you have fresh bait whenever a fish strikes. Let’s start with some essential dos and don’ts for keeping bluegill alive for bait.
What Will You Need?
Before diving into the steps for keeping bluegill alive, ensure you have all the necessary equipment. You’ll need:
- A bait bucket or live well
- An aerator or air pump
- Ice packs
- Bait net or scoop
These tools will ensure that your bluegills stay healthy and lively throughout their time in captivity.
10 Easy Steps on How to Keep Bluegill Alive for Bait
Step 1. Acclimatize the Bluegills:
When you first catch your bluegills, allow them to acclimatize to the water in your bucket or live well. Transfer them gently using the net or scoop and leave them there for around 15 minutes before sealing the container. This helps the bluegills adjust to the temperature and conditions, reducing stress and increasing their chances of survival.
Step 2. Maintain the Water Temperature:
Keeping the water temperature consistent is a critical step in ensuring the survival of bluegills. Rapid temperature changes can stress the fish, reducing their longevity. Use ice packs to cool the water in the bait bucket or live well if the outside temperature is hot. However, be careful not to expose the fish to the ice directly. Wrap the ice packs in a cloth before placing them in the water, and monitor the water temperature regularly to ensure it stays within a comfortable range for the bluegills.
Step 3. Aerate the Water:
Ensuring proper aeration is one of the most critical factors in keeping bluegills alive. Bluegills, like all fish, require oxygen to survive. Without an adequate oxygen supply, they become stressed and may eventually die. Use an aerator or air pump to inject oxygen into the water. This maintains a healthy oxygen level and creates water movement, mimicking the bluegills’ natural environment. Remember to check the air pump regularly to ensure it’s functioning correctly.
Step 4. Avoid Overcrowding:
Be careful not to overstock your bait bucket or live well with too many bluegills. Overcrowding can cause significant stress to the fish, deplete oxygen levels more quickly, and lead to a rapid buildup of waste products. As a rule, maintain one gallon of water for each bluegill in the bucket. This ensures each fish has enough room to swim and enough oxygen to breathe, significantly improving their survival rate.
Step 5. Change the Water Regularly:
It’s imperative to maintain clean water conditions in the bait bucket or live well for the longevity of your bluegills. Over time, waste products build up in the water, leading to poor water quality that can stress the fish and lead to their demise.
Regular water changes help keep the water clean and refreshing for the bluegills. Aim to change around 25% of the water every few hours, replacing it with fresh, clean water of a similar temperature. This helps dilute waste byproducts and replenish vital minerals, keeping the bluegills healthy and active throughout your fishing trip.
Step 6. Keep Handling to a Minimum:
While checking on your bluegills regularly may be tempting, it’s best to keep handling to a minimum. Excessive handling can stress the bluegills and damage their scales, making them less effective as bait. Use a bait net or scoop to move the bluegills when necessary, and always ensure your hands are wet before handling them to minimize scale damage. A calm and undisturbed bluegill is an effective bait, so try to disturb them as little as possible while they’re in the bait bucket or live well.
Step 7. Feed the Bluegills:
If you plan to keep the bluegills as bait for an extended period, you should feed them. It is not usually necessary for short fishing trips, but providing them with appropriate food for longer durations can help maintain their vitality. Live bait like worms or small chunks of bread can be used. However, don’t overfeed them, as this can quickly degrade the water quality. A small amount of feed every few hours should be sufficient.
Step 8. Keep Bluegills Out of Direct Sunlight:
Bluegills, like many fish species, are sensitive to drastic changes in temperature, which can be caused by direct sunlight. Exposure to the sun’s rays can heat the water in your bait bucket or live rapidly, causing stress to the bluegills. Therefore, store your bucket or live well in a shaded area whenever possible. If shade is unavailable, consider using a towel or a cover to shield the container from the sun, helping maintain a consistent water temperature and prevent overheating. Keeping your bluegills comfortable and stress-free is critical to their survival.
Step 9. Monitor Bluegill Behavior:
Observing your bluegills regularly can provide valuable insight into their health and well-being. Healthy bluegills should be active, quickly swimming, and showing no signs of stress or discomfort. If you notice any sluggish, erratic, or abnormal behavior, it may indicate that the bluegills are stressed or experiencing suboptimal conditions. Check the water temperature, oxygen levels, and overall water quality if this occurs. Adjust as necessary to rectify any issues and ensure the optimal survival of your bluegills.
Step 10. Use the Bluegills Responsibly:
Once you have done the hard work of catching, acclimatizing, and caring for your bluegills, you must use them responsibly to respect the health and well-being of the fish population in your fishing spot. Avoid leaving unused bluegills at your fishing site, as this can throw off the balance of the local ecosystem and potentially spread diseases to the wild fish population.
If you have bluegills left over at the end of your fishing trip, consider releasing them back into the water where you caught them. Always uphold good fishing practices by treating all fish species, including baitfish like bluegills, with respect and care.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your bluegills stay alive and healthy for longer, providing optimum bait for a successful fishing trip.
5 Additional Tips and Tricks
- Use a Livewell: A livewell is a specially designed tank to help maintain ideal conditions for your bluegills. It has built-in features such as an aerator and temperature controller, making it easier to ensure the well-being of your bait.
- Understand Bluegill Signs of Stress: Keep an eye out for signs of stress in your bluegills. Rapid gill movements, discolored scales, or a loss of balance can indicate that your bluegills are getting stressed, which might require immediate intervention.
- Regularly Check Water pH: Your water’s pH level can affect your bluegills’ health. Ideally, aim for a pH level of around 7, which is neutral. A simple pH test kit can help you monitor the water’s pH.
- Use Dechlorinator for Tap Water: If you’re using tap water in your bait bucket or live, treat the water with a dechlorinator. This neutralizes chlorine and other harmful chemicals that can harm your bluegills.
- Plan Ahead: Last but not least, always plan. Be prepared with the tools and resources to ensure your bluegills remain stress-free and healthy. It’s all about proper preparation, observation, and quick response to potential issues.
With these additional tips and tricks, you can become a pro at keeping bluegills alive for bait.
5 Things You Should Avoid
- Neglecting Water Changes: Regular water changes are critical for the health and longevity of your bluegills. Avoid allowing waste to build up in the water, leading to poor water quality, stressing the fish, and causing their demise.
- Overfeeding Your Bluegills: While feeding is essential for maintaining your bluegills’ vitality, overfeeding can quickly degrade water quality. Avoid giving them more than a small amount of feed every few hours.
- Exposure to Direct Sunlight: Direct sunlight can rapidly change water temperature, causing stress and discomfort to your bluegills. Avoid leaving your bait bucket or live exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods.
- Excessive Handling: Despite the temptation, try to minimize handling your bluegills. Over-handling can stress the fish and damage their scales, making them less effective as bait.
- Using Bluegills from Unknown Sources: It’s always best to catch or purchase them from reliable sources. Using bluegills from unknown or potentially contaminated waters can introduce diseases or parasites into your bait bucket, endangering the health of your other fishing gear and the fish population in the area.
By avoiding these common mistakes, you can ensure that your bluegills stay alive and healthy for longer, providing you with the best bait for your fishing needs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, how to keep bluegill alive for bait can significantly improve your fishing experience and increase your chances of catching the big one. Every detail counts when keeping these fish alive, from using proper bait containers to maintaining water quality.
Following the tips and tricks outlined in this blog post, you can ensure that your bluegill stays lively and attracts those elusive catches. Remember always to handle them carefully and release them back into the water if they are too small for consumption. Your efforts in preserving their well-being will benefit your fishing endeavors and contribute to the conservation of this critical species.
So confidently head out there and show off your newly acquired knowledge to fellow anglers. Now go get them; catch that trophy fish you’ve been dreaming about! Thank you for reading, and happy fishing!