• Hybrid bluegill are a carefully bred variety of bluegill sunfish that have characteristics making them most desirable to anglers, including large mouths, rapid growth and a willingness to consume commercial fish food. Hybrid bluegill are stocked in lakes and ponds as an inexpensive means to maintain a proper large-mouth bass ecosystem. While catching hybrid bluegill is simple, there are some tricks that make the task easier.
  
  

Scents

• Hybrid bluegill are attracted to certain types of food and repelled by others. Commercial and homemade scents can be used to make a natural bait's scent stronger, or can be used to scent an otherwise scent-less artificial bait, such as a lure or spinner. Hybrid bluegill are attracted to salt, garlic, maggot and worm scents. Commercial crappie attractants can also be used to lure them.
  
  

Small Hooks

• Catching large hybrid bluegill (six or more inches in length) is rare due to the specie's low position in the aquatic food chain; four to six inches is the most common size of hybrid bluegill caught by anglers. Though hybrid bluegill have larger mouths than normal bluegill, it is still necessary to use small hooks. The ideal hook sizes for small hybrid bluegill are 10 to 12, while the ideal hook sizes for medium and large hybrid bluegill are six to eight.
  
  

Location

• Hybrid bluegill, like other sunfish, do not remain in one spot throughout the year. Hybrid bluegill will lay eggs and create nests in shallow, calm and shaded areas during late May and early June. Once the eggs hatch, the nests will be abandoned and the fish will move to deeper water where the temperature is cooler. Anglers should fish in locations that bluegill are most likely to congregate based on the season and topography of the lake.
  
  

Time

• Hybrid bluegill will feed en masse during certain times of the day. The solar and lunar cycle can be used to estimate approximate feeding times on a monthly basis. Bluegill will feed most heavily during the evening when the sun begins to set and during the early morning hours shortly before the sun rises.
  
  

Bait

• Hybrid bluegill have larger mouths than regular bluegill, and can consume larger varieties of bait. One of the best characteristics of hybrid bluegill is that they're specifically bred to feed on commercial fish food. Commercial crappie pellets can be used with success when fishing for hybrid bluegill. Bluegill also heavily feed on night crawlers, maggots and wax worms. Using the right type of bait on an appropriately-sized hook increases an angler's odds of catching hybrid bluegill.