Fishing for Bluegill in Inverness Florida

In this article I will thoroughly cover fishing for bluegill in Inverness, Florida. Bluegill are arguably the most sought after species in Florida, if not America, (Sorry largemouth bass). the Inverness, florida area has a tremendous amount of water perfectly suited for bluegill and other freshwater species. Panfish are abundant!

Moost of the waters in and around Inverness are shallow and weedy. This is ideal conditions for bluegill and other panfish. Forage is readily available in the form of grass shrimp, insects, worms, small baitfish, and crustaceans. Hydrilla and other aquatic vegetation holds the bait and the game fish, and yes, despite their diminutive size, bluegill are definitely game fish!

My name is Capt Jim Klopfer and I offer anglers freshwater fishing charters in Florida. I live in Inverness and fish there and the surrounding waters. there are many options and fortunately plenty of boat ramps exist to give me and my clients chooses based on weather and conditions. Water level is very important as just a change of a couple feet either way can have a drastic effect on the fishing.

Read more about bluegill fishing charters in the Inverness area

I use ultralight spinning tackle when chasing bluegill in Inverness. I prefer a slightly loger rod, 6 1/2′ is perfect. I match that with a 750 or 1000 series reel spooled up with 4 lb monofilament line. That is light line, but I really do think I get more bites. It makes it difficult to land a large fish, but that is the trade off. If the water is dark I will sometimes use 6lb braided line.

Techniques for catching Florida bluegill

There are three basic techniques that anglers can use in search of bluegill and other panfish in Florida. There are fishing with live bait, fishing with artificial lures, and fly fishing. I will cover each technique in detail.

Bluegill fishing with live bait

Live bait is a a very effective way to catch bluegill and panfish in Inverness, Florida, and everywhere else. Live bait is economical, simple, and productive. worms, crickets, and grass shrimp are the top live baits in Florida. Nightcrawlers and wigglers can be purchased at many retail stores that sell fishing equipment. Crickets are sold at dedicated bait shops. Grass shrimp are sometimes available, but most anglers catch them in shallow weeds with a fine mesh net.

Check out this article on the best live baits for bluegill fishing

Fishing for bluegill and panfish is quite simple. I use a #8 baitholder hook 90% of the time. It is strong and has little barbs to hold the bait on. I may use a #10 fine wire hook for grass shrimp. The hook is suspended a couple feet below a float when fishing shallow water. A tint split shot can be used in deeper water, with or without the float. The baited hook is cast out near cover such as fallen timber, a dock, or a weedline. When he float goes under, set the hook!

Bluegill fishing with artificial lures

I really enjoy casting tiny lures when fishing for Florida bluegill. There are two lures that I use the majority of the time. These are a 1/16 ounce Beetlespin and a 1/16 ounce curlytail grub. I like black and dark green on the Beetlespin and chartreuse or white with the grub.

The Beetlespin is effective and very easy to use. I simply cas it out, allow it to sink a few seconds, then retrieve it back in slowly. I usually give it a sharp twitch to get the blade spinning. Strikes are easy to detect as the lure usually just stops moving. It is excellent when trolled in more open water.

The curly tail jig can be fished in a similar manner. Slow and steady is usually best. Fish will hit it on the fall and it catches plenty of bass as well as crappie. I will also use a vertical presentation when fishing some of the deeper holes.

Fly fishing for bluegill 

I really enjoy fly fishing for bluegill and panfish in Inverness Florida! I use a 4wt rod with a floating line. The 4wt gives me a fighting chance in the event that a bass or other large fish takes the fly. Poppers and other surface flies work well and are great fun to fish. Foam rubber spiders are terrific. Anything black and buggy will catch fish below the surface, such as a wooly bugger, as will small bait fish patterns.

Top bluegill fishing spots in Inverness, Florida

There are a ton of spots to fish for bluegill in and nearby Inverness. The Tsala Apopka chain covers mane surface acres and runs right through Inverness. Lake Panasoffkee is a short drive . The Withlacoochee River is beautiful ad offers excellent fishing for panfish,

Lake Panasoffkee

Lake Panasoffkee is one of the best panfish lakes in the state of Florida. It is 15 minutes away from Inverness. There are nice boat ramps at Lake Panasoffkee Fishing Lodge and Marsh Bend Outlet Park. The lake is shallow and weedy, perfect bluegill habitat. The main technique is just to fish edges of vegetation and open spots in the hydrilla. Live bait, flies, and lures all work well.

Withlacoochee River

The Withlacoochee River is a gorgeous Florida river that offers excellent fishing for bluegill and stumpknocker. There are several nice boat ramps along the length from I75 to Dunnellon. The river can be VERY shallow! Anglers need to be very careful when boating at speed. I almost always just ease up or down river at a slow speed. It is best to drift with the current, casting to shoreline cover and weed edges. Airboats can be an issue, especially on weekends.

Tsala Apopka Chain of lakes

Theses lakes are really a huge marsh with three deeper pools. One is Floral Park, just a few minutes south of Inverness. Lake Henderson is right in Inverness and Hernando Lake is ten minutes north. All three are fairly deep in the middle. The best fishing can often be found in the canals and creeks, though weedlines are always worth a try. There are plenty of bluegill, but sometimes larger fish are more difficult to locate. All three lakes have excellent boat ramps.

In conclusion, this article on bluegill fishing in Inverness Florida will help anglers catch more of these tasty and hard fighting fish!