I’ve been fishing a small lake east of Naples, Fla., for the past two years. Not only does it have a good population of peacock bass, but also a lot of monster Mayan cichlid and some of the largest copperhead bluegill I’ve ever caught. It’s not an easy lake to fish, but persistence usually is rewarded. A buddy and I drove down recently and did so-so. We hit a feeding period at mid-day that resulted in some monster Mayans and hefty bluegill. All fish were caught on poppers. Key to our success was casting the popper close to the shoreline, popping it once and letting it sit, and sit, and sit … If you could wait long enough, you’d eventually see a Mayan or bluegill rise up, look it over and inhale the offering. Loads of fun.
Your key statement is “if you could wait long enough”. It borders on being maddening to actually watch a big 'gill sit under that popper, spider, or beetle & leave it motionless, but the waiting will often result in some of the day’s monsters. Thanks for sharing & nice pics!
How many times have you been out on a slow day and had a bluegill hit when you turned to talk to your buddy? Or were distracted and were looking away?
Slow is the key!
