Put the map away and zip over to those big flats. Start cruising along the shoreline, looking at the vegetation. Pass right on by long stretches where vegetation is thin. Keep going past long stretches of just pads or just reeds, where the vegetation is homogeneous. The best areas offer a mix of flora -- such as pads, cabbage, cane, and reeds all coming together in one spot. That's the second principle -- look for areas where a variety of weed types come together.

Diverse weed types coexisting in a relatively small area usually indicate a variety of substrates as well, where clay, sand, marl, silt, gravel, or any number of bottom types come together. All of this variety provides a more diversified forage base.

On huge flats with a number of good-looking spots, concentrate first on areas where deeper water (20 feet or so) bends in closest to the outside weededge. Remember, many patterns exist through summer, and bluegills can move deep or into open water. Having access to deeper water nearby is a bonus, especially for larger gills.

Sometimes these areas are smaller than a living room, but some key spots are expansive. One way to find the exact location of bulls in pads is to listen for them. Lots of leeches and insect larvae cling to lily pads, and the sound of a bluegill belting bugs off the underside of a hubcap-sized pad sounds like a cork popped from a champagne bottle. A tad muffled, perhaps, but distinct on calm days.

Bigger bluegills tend to position on the outside edge of the slop, but far enough in to feel safe, usually within 5 to 20 feet of the edge, depending on the size of the flat. Bull bluegills seldom push all the way into the slop, back under the heaviest mats of algae and junk weeds, as bass sometimes do.