need advice

[kevin lawlor]

i just bought a boat...ive always caught a lot of small bluegill out of my flat bottom boat.Im ready to find the big ones!!! out in the lake.are the big ones with the small ones?..where to look for big ones?....any advice would help thanks...

[Allen Morgan]

Big 'gills tend to hang deeper.  You'll want to use jigs or other deep lures, slip-floats with bait that are set deep, and maybe some spoons.  Also, you're going to have to do A LOT of scouting.  People tend to be rather tight-lipped about hotspots.

Also, be advised that you want to leave the big ones in the BOW, as they pass their big genetics on to future generations, and keep the smaller ones from breeding so much.

[dick tabbert]

Kevin not all lakes have big gills. If you know there are big gills in the lake next thing is to locate them. Doing this would be straight forward for me and this is how I would go about it. If your lake has clear water it will be easy to locate your fish but a little harder to catch them. If you have access to a lake map half the battle is won. Find all the shallow bars in the lake with May and June being the best months. Find the bars and slowly cruse around them hunting for the gill beds and in doing this include the lakes perimeter. Once you have established were the beds are look for the bigger fish not all fish bedding will be big gills. Keep a mental not of where the beds are and slowly work your way out to deeper water an find a weed bed. I have found that fish use the same bedding areas year after year. So from the bedding area to the weed bed and a deeper weed bed in the summer will be more productive. Fishing the deeper weed beds the better spot for me is the outside of the weed bed adjoining the deeper water. This is the way I would start as you learn the lake it will become second nature to you after awhile. Good luck and keep us informed.

[kevin lawlor]

Big ones bed with small ones or they spawn with other big ones?...are big ones in shallow or they always bed deeper

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

The larger males tend to be in the center of a bedding colony.

The depth the beds are at can vary, though. Some will be found in 2 ft of water, others in 20. One way to find them in calm water is to look for bubbles and to use your nose.... there is often a distinct "fishy" smell.

Heres a little secret for you. While the males spend most if their time on the nests preparing, maintaining, and guarding them, the females spend little time there. They lay their eggs (mostly on full moons), the male fertilizes them... And the female is run off.

But she remains nearby, both before and after spawning. Once you locate a nesting site, fish the nearest deep water break - that is where the females congregate.

They are hungry before egg laying, to feed up to that event. Then they will spend a few weeks after, hanging around the area before dispersing. Fish a small jig or worm near the bottom of the deep water to pick up some of these females.

But remember, these ladies carry the next generation, and all future generations, within them. People like catching fish off the nest because it's "easy pickings."
Yet you CAN take too many big fish, leaving stunted and small ones down the line. If you want to keep catching big ones, be careful to release some of the best fish - males AND females - so they can breed for the coming years.

[dick tabbert]

Kevin there is no set depth they could be shallower or deeper it all depends on water clarity and temp. The deeper beds will be a little harder to see I think when I say deeper I'm talking 6 foot but most of your beds will be in from 2 to 3 feet of water. The reference I used for the bedding was to give you a reference point as to where the fish will be located it's my opinion the fish will not be far from that point so when the bedding fish are gone you should only need to go out to deeper water from the bedding area to catch gills after the bedding is completed. When I say deeper water I'm saying a deep water weed bed 10 to 15 foot. I would concentrate  on the deep water side of the weeds and in them hot summer days even deeper.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Dick knows what he's talking about
Good advice!

[kevin lawlor]

Thanks guys....that will def get me started..I've caught some 10 inch off the docks so I know there should be some real good ones in there.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I'll sound like a broken record, but I'm betting those docks have some deep water access nearby (Hint, hint)....

Whatever you do, we wanna see pictures and hear all the details. Catch 'em or don't, fall in or float... Keep us updated!

[kevin lawlor]

ok will do thanks a lot....now that i got the boat i can reach out there and get them...that will be the first place i look...you anchor down on top of them and jig vertical or you stay back and use slip floats?....we use crickets a lot!!!

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

... anchor down on top of them and jig vertical or you stay back and use slip floats?....we use crickets a lot!!!

All good. I'd work in from the deep break, from a distance. Slip floats are great for this, Or letting a barely weighted hook just kind of fall down with them. Depends on the depth. If its deep enough you might be able to park overhead.

Once you get a feel for what is happening, whether they are there, etc. you can change up..

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

What Dick said.
Allen is also right about depth.
I look for cover on the fringe of deeper water - what I call the Depth Break or the transition zone.

One of my consistent spots is an area of large downed trees, the tops of which are about 40 feet from shore. The trunks lay on a large flat.
The tree tops are within 10 feet of a creek channel, in about 10-12 feet of water.
Deeper water + depth break to shallow flat + cover. It's like an equation.

[Johnny]

Good subject, been curious about some of this myself, is ther any certain bottom material they like better ?? (grave;. mud/dort or sandy...)

Also big ol tip of the hat to all who are selective about the keepers & "leave'n some for seed", ya'll are set'n the example for us green horns, well played gents.