I recently spent some time on a miniature highland lake in McNairy County, Tenn., that is absolutely filled to the rim with big bluegill.

I was catching lots of fish using a 1/16th-ounce black jig with a chartreuse head, but I was having of trouble with “peck bites” from small fish. So I switched to a Rebel Crawfish crankbait and just had a ball catching big plate-size fish.

I was using the F77 Teeny Wee version of the lure, which runs only about 2-3 feet deep. It comes in a variety of colors, but I used primarily the Cajun Crawdad model.

After a few casts with the bait, I noticed several big fish following it all the way to the boat without actually taking it. So I began making “start-and-stop” casts, and I was getting bit on almost every cast. When you stop the bait, the fish attack.

If you’re fishing in a lake that has automatic feeders, the bluegill are usually accustomed to feeding on the surface. So you can throw this little Rebel Crawfish up against the bank and just twitch instead of actually cranking it.

There are times when you’ll see three or four fish swirling at the bait at once along the surface. It’s an awesome sight.

Some of you folks may already be using the Rebel Crawfish for panfish. But for me, this was a new discovery.