Head East young man????

[Tony Livingston]

 That seems to be a common theme as of late. And it does appear, thanks to Jeffrey Abney's amazing photos, that the Carolina's are home to a great many fantastic BG venues. However, I feel that there are a few other factors at work here too. First and foremost being that Jeffrey is an accomplished angler. He's put the time in to be able to locate the fish, and he knows what it takes to put them in the boat. Also, he fishes A LOT. That runs hand in hand with catching numbers of big Gills'. You've got to put your water time in before you can produce consistently, either by learning your fish, and/or having the time available to accumulate a mess when the bite is slower.

And, it's spawning time.... that concentrates the fish, and can make an anglers "job" a little easier at certain times.

I'm not downplaying the importance of location, as I certainly believe that not all BOW will hold big BG. Rather, location is only one piece of the puzzle. How many of us have experienced "crowding" when your spot is seemingly the only one producing fish? Is it really the spot, or perhaps other factors are at work?

I no longer fish public waters, but back when I did I knew of several spots that consistently produced good BG for me. Those places are out there, and I believe they exist in most areas of the country. Seek them out, and don't sell yourself, or another angler, short. Find a BOW known to harbor good sized gills', and get out there..... fishing is like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get.

Take another look at your local waters.......be willing to experiment with new ideas and techniques...... you may be surprised at what you discover. And the rest of us here at BBG will get to enjoy your photos.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Lots of good points Tony.....Thanks for the compliments.......Hopefully some others can benefit and catch big gills where they fish!