Bluegill Nursery

[10.5" RES Sharon]

I would like to know from those of you lucky enough to have seen nesting bluegills - how deep are the nests? 

[Josh Milczski (Omaha)]

Sharon, from everything I've read, it seems like spawning BGs prefer 2-6 feet of water. But I know why you're asking. Some of the bed pictures that some members have posted here certainly look to be shallower than 2 feet. That is probably a combination of natural variance and simply a pond's water level dropping.

[bluegillboogieman]

I've seen them in 1 to 3 feet of water. I've caught some in 6 ft that I think were bedding but I couldn't see that deep. Some I've seen were so shallow the dorsal fins were sticking out of the water. Sometimes I can see the beds but they look vacant. When I put a cricket in there I saw I didn't see so good. One time I fished some and caught nothing in the beds in crystal clear 2 ft water. Between the beds and shore in 6 inches of water was a small scrawny single stem nearly leaveless bush sticking up out of the water. As long as I put my cricket within 6 inches of that stickup, I caught a nice gill. I could see everything clearly and never once saw a fish till I had him on the line. The beds were nearby, but the gills were hiding right out there in the open in 6 inches of water where I couldn't see them.

I've seen beds from a boat near the shore but couldn't see the same beds from the shore. Light and water can fool the eyes, or at least mine.

They'll usually bed in the same area from moon to moon and year to year. Shellcracker and Bluegills will sometimes use the same beds at different times with shellcrackers bedding earlier than gills and less than gills as the summer goes on.

Like Hansel and Gretel, I tried leaving bread crums as a trail so I could find 'em next time but I guess the birds ate 'em. I tried pebbles too but they sank into the silt I guess. Some say they can smell 'em but I always smell a rat when they start that kind of talk. I saw a picture on here of someone's GPS in his truck way out on the ice fishing. I took mine out in the boat 'cause we ain't got no ice down here. I had to turn it off before I could mark any beds because it kept tellin' me to get back on the pavement. One thing I can't stand when I'm fishin' is a nag!

Get out on a boat in the second half of March and go slow around the edges, especially in coves and grassy areas if you have any. The water should be clearer in the early spring and you should be able to find SOME beds. Good Luck!

[10.5" RES Sharon]

When we get a backhoe, I'm going to dig a few nurseries and put some of the best BG in there. Who knows, maybe I'm develop a beautiful colored new kind

[Eric Dermes]

Yea i've seen them in very shallow water. As shallow a 1ft very fun to catch and doesn't hurt fish.

[Ryan McCaw]

Shallow. Most I see in the lakes and ponds of eastern Iowa are 2-4 feet deep. They look like elephant tracks in the mud. Burn a Yo-Zuri snap bean across the area and hold on tight.

[10.5" RES Sharon]

In an attempt to keep Blue herons from eating the nesting bluegills, I have been trying to find out how long of a leg they have. So far, I have only been able to find out the total bird is about 4 ft. Does that mean the legs are probably 3 ft? So, if I make the nests 4 ft. they probably can't wade there? Anyone ever seen one up close and can give me a rough estimate of leg length?

[Jim (Ike) Isaac]

The Shellcrackers in "Arizona/California Border Bluegills" were bedding in about 1ft of water.

[10.5" RES Sharon]

But if I cut an area with only 1 ft water, all the predators will eat them all, right?