If you love catching fish, not just fishing, but the actual act of reeling in another one, then there is nothing like the bluegill spawn. When hordes of big aggressive bull bluegills gather in the shallows to fan out beds for the females, and to guard the nests once the eggs have been laid, pan-fishermen get giddy. This is the time of year when we get to bend those ultra-light rods and drop a few keepers in a bast to supply a fish fry.
Bluegills bed in large numbers. Search for bluegill beds in the shallows near the back of bays, amongst stump beds, along weed lines, and beside brush piles. Also, boat docks in bays are a premier spawning locations. The harder the bottom the better. Stay away from muck.
During the spawn, bluegills are aggressive defenders of their nests. They’ll hit just about anything you drop on them. They’ll take worms, beemoths, dry flies and poppers on the surface, but my favorite is dropping slow-sinking cricket on them. Once you find a spawning location, chances are you won’t have to move for quite a while.
Bluegills will be found shallow until water temperatures push into the upper seventies, usually in early June. Then bluegills retreat to cooler and deeper, or shade covered water. An anglers best bet for bluegills during the warmest months will be to target water shaded by overhanging trees, and to look for fish underneath docks. Especially docks outfitted with brush piles.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a midwestern water that isn’t home to bluegill. The are one of, if not the most, common fish across our region. Finding big bluegill is a tougher game. Most waters will have them, but they’re not as prevalent and are hard to find most of the year. During the spawn, you can find the biggest bluegill in a foot of water and they’re feisty. It’s blast tangling with them one after another.
If you’re fishing a big lake or reservoir, then to find spawning bluegills move to the backs of coves. Lake Monroe in Indiana and Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri are two large bodies of water that see excessive boat traffic. You’re not going to find bluegill out on the main lake, or at least you’re not going to enjoy fishing for them. Go to the back of a no wake cove to escape the wake, and chances are you can locate a cluster of beds to fish in peace.
At the other end f the spectrum is farm pond fishing. My personal favorite. Finding a farm pond with big bluegills is like locating the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. These are fish you can have fun with. Experiment with different baits and rods. Try out new techniques. Whatever, because the fish are going to be there for a while.
I’m a fish fry guy who absolutely loves bluegill filets. I think they are one of the best tasting fish for the purpose of frying. A little firmer and sweeter than crappie, just all around better than bass or catfish. They’re not on the level of yellow perch, but they are far more abundant. To gauge how many to keep for a fish fry, and I mean a good fry where you eat all you want, I would say 10 filets from 8 – 10 inch per full grown adult man. So five fish per guy. You wouldn’t be stuffed, but you should be satisfied.
Few fishing opportunities rival the excitement of working a bed of big bluegills. They fight super hard for their size. You catch them cast after cast with simple equipment, and when you keep a few for dinner, they taste great. Across the Midwest, the bluegill spawn is in full swing. Grad a few bobbers and a box of nightcrawlers, and head to your local lake to take part in the action.
See you down the trail…
Brandon Butler
driftwoodoutdoors@gmail.com
Pic: Big bluegill like this is a fishing favorite this time of year.
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