Rob I think you are stuck in that thought and its clouding your judgment. Bluegill are the #1 bass forrage anywhere where the two fish exist together. Ask any expert on pond and lake management. When they stock new ponds the bluegill is always #1. Its not that bass eat gills and baby bass because they have no trout. Its the other way around. They eat the trout because they are there and they are easier to catch. They were eating the gills before the trout were ever there and they will continue to eat the gills when they are gone. As for DVL I have lots of customers who swear by my gills there. They fish them deep like jigs and they have produced bass up to 13lbs out of DVL that I know of.
I remember reading an article you wrote about fishing trout swimbaits. I specificaly remember you saying that your bait should look like a freashly stocked stupid trout. I think you said" I am a stupid trout, I am a stupid trout" That techniqque has worked the best for me when fishing trout swimbaits (thank you for that :) ) However that does not translate over so well when fishing gill baits. I dont think bass want to try and chase down a gill in open water. I think they wait untill the gill looks vonerable or they ambush it. I remember catching gills as a kid and I could see bass hanging around but they werent paying attention to the gills UNTIL I hooked one. Then the bass would attack it. My theory on fishing gill swimbaits and baby bass is to throw them in places they would be too afraid to be because they are in danger of being eaten. My #2 technique is eratic which triggers the bass's atack mode. I am guessing that you have been fishing gill baits like you would trout baits and this might be why they dont produce for you? Either way dont dismiss them, they produce over the intire country and even a world record in Japan.