Prespawn Period: The best thing about prespawn is that bluegills are focused on feeding. Depending on the region, this window occurs three to six weeks prior to bedding, providing plenty of time to search for trophies. During this phase, both male and female bluegills reach their physical peak. Females feed actively to nourish heavy roes, and males are not yet tattered from nest-guarding duties.
During the prespawn, males and females stage near prime spawning locations and may make daily movements to protected bays, docks, or beach areas. Insect hatches often occur during the low-light hours, when big fish may feed softly on the surface or pursue emerging prey deeper in the water column. Docks and piers also attract fish at this time.
During midday, schools of prespawn fish hold closer to the bottom, but on sunny days, they may move to within 3 feet of the surface to feed on windblown aquatic organisms. As the days grow warmer and water temperatures approach 70°F, big ’gills move to prime bedding areas of shallow sand or gravel.
Spawn Period: Although the spawn is a wonderful time to fish, given the frequently nonstop action it usually doesn’t produce the biggest bluegills in the system or of the season. The biggest fish tend to spawn deeper and sometimes earlier than 8- to 9-inchers. By the time nest-guarding males are visible in the shallows and attacking anything that swims, sumo-sized ’gills are finishing the spawn in nearby, deeper environs.
Coldwater Period: Open-water anglers are discovering what ice anglers have long known: The biggest bluegills often concentrate tightly in well defined areas. That’s good and bad news. While low water temperatures tend to pack King Kong ’gills into specific spots, it also makes them vulnerable to overharvest.
Locating coldwater bruisers in small lakes and ponds is simple, as most reside in deeper areas near the dam for much of the winter. This is true of shallow lakes with maximum depth from 8 to 15 feet. A string of mild 50°F days can lure ’gills to within 3 feet of the surface, making them vulnerable to livebait presentations with sensitive float rigs.
In larger lakes, fish tend to hug the bottom on main-lake flats in major tributary arms in depths of 18 to 24 feet. Most of these areas are near dead or dying weedbeds that harbored fish throughout the summer and into late fall. Giant ’gills tend to roam the flats in smaller schools, sometimes mixing with jumbo yellow perch. They also favor lower-light conditions more than do fish in smaller, shallower lakes.
Big ’Gill Gear
Spinning rods up to 7 feet allow longer casts and fine lure and bait presentations. Longer, custom-made ultralights, such as those made from flyrod blanks, are the rods of choice for ultrasensitive deliveries. Other options include 10- to 14-foot poles or Euro-style rods for doodlesocking around weeds, docks, and brush, or dabbling baits on spawning fish. The B & M Pole Company makes a full line of poles as well as longer ultralights that are great for drifting or casting small baits. We’ve done well with 11- to 12-foot models matched with medium-sized spinning reels, which allow long casts and leverage to pull big panfish out of weedy or brushy areas.
