Coldwater/Warmwater Bluegill

[Jeff Soto]

Being a fisherman from southern California, where is rarely gets under 40 to 50 degrees in the dead of winter, why do the Blue gill in our lakes here stop biting when we have this cool weather? It is Very hard to even locate them! Most of the lakes and ponds in the northern states freeze over from freezing temperatures, yet you have great Bluegill fishing through the ice. Cold water is cold water, no matter where it is right? Well, Bluegill are Bluegill in any area too right? So how come us fishermen here out west and in some southern states too, have to wait for the water to warm up to catch Bluegill?...

[shooter]

i catch gills in 15 to twenty foot water in the winter here ,i fish the same nymphs i use all year,i just weight them a little more and sometimes i use a sink tip fly line.
we have caught gills jigging for white perch (crappie) in deep water during cold weather ,and not just one or two but a lot some times.
i fish them off deep points with cover,you just have to go low and slow ,they are there if you go deep you will find them .

[robsabloke]

Jeff... You are so right... I have often wondered about this phenomenon. I used to live in Chicago and fished through the ice on many occasions and caught Bluegill. Although I have caught them here in southern California in the Winter they are certainly much harder to find and catch. I do know they go deep... how deep I'm not sure. Lakes up North "Turnover" and that effects the oxygen levels I think. I'm not sure if southern california lakes 'Turnover' or not.. maybe that has something to do with it.


Rob