Year Round Gills

[Fish_Hunter]

can you fish for gills year round? or Panfish in General.

[Jim Gronaw]

Hey Fishhunter, indeed you can catch gills and other panfish year round, especially in ponds and in other waters as well. I have caught about 65% of my 10 in plus bluegills during what most would consider the cold water period, in MD its Jan Feb and March. Have done well on big slab crappie in Feb and caught big gills in Nov.

Panfishing is a year round gig.

[Michael Thompson]

Yep I get em in the summer when its 100 degrees out, and winter when it is minus 20 with three feet of ice to drill through. In the spring it is all you can fish for! all other game fish are in closed season for the spawn.

[robsabloke]

I live in Southern California. you can catch Bluegills all year round here but they are much harder to find when the water falls below 50 degrees. Some of the biggest gills I've seen have been caught at this time. The trouble is we get spoiled in the spring and summer months and not many of us make the effort during the Winter.
It's a shame really... those of you that have ice to drill through would probably give anything to be able to fish open water.

After reading many of the discussions here on the forum, I plan on expending a bit more energy trying to catch those Winter gills.
Tight lines
Rob

[John Sheehan]

Last week I was catching Gills and Sunfish from shore with a mealworm 10" under the smallest Billy Boy Balsa float while it was snowing!The gills would hit the float consistently.This example tells me that Blue gills may be the most agressive fish in my little home lake as nothing else not even Perch or Crappie were hitting.
This was the first time I've experienced this .

[John Sheehan]

Today in the same spot I used a larger float and a 64th oz trout magnet(gold)that looks and sizes like a mealworm.It was a relatively cold NE wind.Again the gills were on and Perch and Crappie stayed away.This is my Crappie spot the Gills have comandeered.The gills did not hit the float today but concentrated on the magnet.

[John Cachel]

Yes! 12 month year round for bluegills, crappies and bass! I don't fish just one lake! All depends on when and where I go to fish! Openwater and ice fishing!
Never stuck with one method! Try various methods like long pole, below dam, small pond, large lake, etc! If not work for awhile then try something different.... smaller float (bobber), change live bait or lure, move to new spot, etc! Most important is to have fun and write note how you are doing on fishing! It will help you a lot improve fishing skills!

[Jeremy R. Mayo]

Gills Bass and Crapie bite year round! Though there not as agressive and presentations along with whereabouts have to be changed all year just like us they gotta eat. I think gills would eat a tird if you bounced it infront of them in the springtime...... Fish shallow flat sandy areas in the spring. Move to deeper water in the dog days of summer with larger sized structure. Fall is a good time to move back to the shallows with lots of timber and tree tops or any kinda thicker structure you can find. Winter time fish those deep spots with big structure like old sunkin boats, pallets, logs, etc.etc.etc. The winter bite will be this hardest. Its gonna take a toll on you patience and your body but stick with it cause winter time next to spring will be your best bet at the biggest gills. Bass and crapie tend to school up in the winter and fall times so check with your local bait shops and fisherman to see where there catching them and what kinds of baits there using. Once you find them its easy to limit out in only a couple of hours if you can stay with the schools.

Take a kid fishin,
Mr. Mayo

[John Sheehan]

Jeremy-Turds dont stay on the hook,Ha! Nasty too.Otherwise excellent advice!

[Earl Dykes Jr.]

I use to fish for them year round until I started a deer processing and taxidermy buisness. Now my winters only have time for deer. But I still squeeze in a trip a couple of times in the late fall.

[10.5" RES Sharon]

Once it's Oct here in TX, the gills stop biting so much. Hardly catch anything no matter what I use, or where I fish.