Big gills small gills

[Brandon montgomery]

I've been fishing at lake perris for the last couple af weeks and only the little gills are around. There has only been a couple good ones since then.can anyone explain why there are no big gills around?

[Tom Beauchamp]

If your lake doesn't have enough predator fish to feed on the little ones, they will overpopulate and never get big. Your lake needs a good supply of big fish if they are ever to grow above 5".

[Jim (Ike) Isaac]

I suspect you are fishing in shallow water. Big Bluegills are in deeper water 15-30ft.
If you have a boat, try fishing around Alessandro island. Pay particular attention to the submerged rocks off the NorthWest end. Another place to try is the rock reefs about half way between the island the the east shore. They are about even with the north side of the island. Additionally you can try the submerged tires in 40ft of water off the southeast shore. This is a better spot in the winter but might hold a few big fish.

I would try fishing some small (the smaller the better) crankbaits fished deep and slow over the rocks. Lures such as small kastmasters, tiny rapalas and YoZuri Snap Beans can be trolled as a means of locating the fish. Jigs tipped with grubs in the 1/8 1/16 1/32 oz class are also known to catch fish. When you locate the fish, rig up a drop-shot rig with a bit of nightcrawler, redworm or wax worm.

Good luck. Post a trip report and let us know how it worked for you.