My quest for a citation redear

[biggiesmalls]

I want a citation redear. Plain and simple, that's what I want (among a few other things) this year.
I've got a local pond that I KNOW produces some large redear, well above the 11" citation size. I've seen at least one redear in there that dwarfed the bass it was swimming near, and I'm sure there's probably more.
I've hit this pond up maybe three or four times going for one of these big redear over the past week or so, and I've seen them close but they shy away from the baits I'm throwing. So I got out tonight with a 9' 5 weight fly rod, ultralight fly reel, and super simple drop shot rig. Had a large hit but it wasn't meant to be - the hook was spit after 7 or 8 seconds of that classic move of the big sunfish - using the flat side to their advantage and just swimming around in big circles.

These fish have me possessed - so I'll be fishing there every day if I can. I'll try and update this thread every day, to see what's going on with it.

Tonight when I fished it was around 20 mph winds and 55 degrees. Tomorrow morning in the time span of 4:00-6:00am, it'll be a little under 40 degrees with 14 mph winds. Wind chill of 30 degrees, so I guess I'll be busting out the heavy coat and boots.

Will update it tomorrow. Probably going to take up at 4 to fish, then fish a bit and come back to sleep. Will update it after I wake up again.

Tight lines
Drew

[xjchad]

Sounds fun!  Good luck!

[David Hall]

Can't wait for the updates, feed the obsession!  Can't wait to see pics of you with one.

[biggiesmalls]

Thanks for the replies. Hopefully a 4am trip in 30 degrees pays off, lol.
Plan is to fish deep, fishing a drop shot rig without any kind of terminal on there except a small sinker and a single hook. Live cricket for bait. That's what I used today, when I had that heavy hit. Instead of an aberdeen, we're going to try a small circle hook. Keep with the live crickets. Using a 9' 5 weight fly rod, because I want that distance in order to fish deep.

We shall see, we shall see.
Drew

[Swami805]

Love it, man on a mission. We have a lake by here that puts out some absolute tank redear. Hope you get one tomorrow, That's hardcore.

[philaroman]

marble-sized lump of carp dough-bait, suspended 1-2' off the bottom, under a float...
carp are still asleep; bass don't want it; smaller panfish can't handle the size
(well, not quickly & their attempts are an attractant for big mama)
cats may be an issue, but even those are still sluggish -- just raise the bait higher

better hurry up, before the carp get active, but even then...
if you have to cycle through some 1+ to 10+ lb. rough fish on light tackle,
before you get your heart's desire, BOO-HOO  

[Tiddlerbasher]

Uk guy here - what's a redear?

[biggiesmalls]

Little report, I got out tonight. Fished a total of around 2 hours and 15 minutes, not a ton but man in 30 degree chill and 20 mph winds it feels like a while lol. Got one fish, a decent ~7" sunfish. No big mama though - no hits or anything. Fished live crickets for a while, with no hits. Then switched to the Gulp crickets, after maybe 20-30 minutes got that 7" sunny. Fished a bit more, nothing. Snagged a rock and broke off, so I came in to warm up and rerig for about 10 minutes. Went out with a Rebel crankbait for 15-20 minutes, didn't get anything. Came in and started typing this
I don't like the tackle I'm using now. Ordered a 7' light action rod, my two choices right now have been a 9' 5 weight fly rod and a 5' uiltralight, neither are really the preferred rod for this type of fishing. Also going with some 4-6 lb fluorocarbon line instead of this old 4 lb mono.
Trying to decide if I want to get out tomorrow morning early or not, winds are supposed to be the same as today. We'll see, I'll update this thread tomorrow.

Uk guy here - what's a redear?

Redear sunfish, do you know what a bluegill is? They are like that, except they get to be 5+ pounds. I'd absolutely not mind having a large bluegill though, lol.

marble-sized lump of carp dough-bait, suspended 1-2' off the bottom, under a float...
carp are still asleep; bass don't want it; smaller panfish can't handle the size
(well, not quickly & their attempts are an attractant for big mama)
cats may be an issue, but even those are still sluggish -- just raise the bait higher
better hurry up, before the carp get active, but even then...
if you have to cycle through some 1+ to 10+ lb. rough fish on light tackle,
before you get your heart's desire, BOO-HOO 

Has this worked for you for catching large panfish like redear and bluegill? If so, that'll be my next tactic. Lucky for me, no carp OR catfish. I've been trying to think of a fish to compare fishing for big bluegill to, I think carp just may be the closest thing. These big guys are very skittish, I've caught several before but none that I think would've hit 16 ounces... yet. That's the goal this year.

Love it, man on a mission. We have a lake by here that puts out some absolute tank redear. Hope you get one tomorrow, That's hardcore.

Thanks man. Any tips on how you catch yours?

[MarkT]

Sounds good. Years ago, my son got a 3 1/4# bluegill on a small kastmaster. We thought it was a big bass the way it was fighting.

[Benni3]

Try nightcrawers number 4# hook,,,,it's takes time but you will get him or something bigger you will not expect

[Swami805]

Use red worms, like a small night crawler and inflated it a little with a small syringe like for insulin. Not so it floats like a cork but so it stays off the bottom. We'd use very small light wire hooks with no eye, just a flattened end to catch the snell. I think the hooks come from Japan, super sharp and very thin. Light 2-4lb floro leader super stealthy. The lake gets a fair amount of pressure so the big ones are skittish. They're easier to catch if you can find the nests when they're spanning.

That's a huge blue gill Mark, they look funny that big, the head seems to stop growing. A small head with a giant body like a mutant.

[festus]

Redears are nicknamed "shellcrackers" here in Tennessee.  They are known to eat freshwater clams, mussels, and snails, hence their nickname.  I've seen good sized mounds of snail shells in a certain pond that's full of readears. I've caught redear on about anything a bluegill will hit, redworms, crickets, lures such as 1-1/2 twistertails on tiny jig heads, the smallest crankbaits, 2" floating Rapalas, tiny spoons, inline spinners, and also dry or wet flies.  Fishing redworms seems best straight on the bottom without a floater.

[philaroman]

from what you describe (weather & zero bites w/ crickets), it's just too damn early -- wait for 2 consecutive sunny days to try again, or you'll catch pneumonia before a trophy sunfish...  they're warm-water species; their metabolism is slow, now; they don't have the energy to chase food; when they finally do start to feed, they'll start w/ meals that require minimal effort (might even be a good idea to call your bait shop ahead of time & ask them to save you some freshly dead minnows, at a bargain price)

"Has this worked for you for catching large panfish like redear and bluegill?"

despite the fact that vegetarian baits are not their top food choice, they do work for most sunfish (less so, for the more predatory ones, like big-mouthed green sunfish & warmouth; not at all -- for bass, perch & crappie)  if you present a fairly dense, marble-sized spherical lump, you also eliminate the smaller members of the species that actually would want to eat it -- there's nothing for them to grab & pull...  you basically cull, before the bite.

of course squiggly, squirmy meat is better bait, but sometimes it's TOO GOOD...  you should use it when most fish in the area are desirable, but if you're surrounded by 2-5" nuisances, my "lesser bait" can produce better size (albeit, much fewer numbers)...  it's also more conducive to using multiple rods, where legal.

P.S., if the big girls are skittish, don't cast at 'em -- just suspend your bait off the bottom & let them find it.

[happyhooker]

Uk guy here - what's a redear?

Is this the fish we're talking about (redear sunfish, aka shellcracker)?

Frank

[happyhooker]

A few ounces shy of 6 lb. (redear sunfish).

(what does "citation" redear signify?)