By Mark Romanack
 |
| Slab gills like this one take five to seven years to grow this big. Even the best lakes can get seriously hurt when anglers over harvest these misunderstood fish. |
Monster whitetail bucks
aren’t found living everywhere. The same is true of bruiser bluegills.
Seemingly every lake in Michigan has a population of bluegill, but only select
waters routinely produce the kind of bluegill anglers can brag about catching.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT BLUEGILL LAKE?
The first
question becomes, why are so many seemingly good panfish lakes jam packed with
stunted bluegills? The answer lies in the balance between predator and prey.
Not enough predators in a particular body of water allow bluegills to breed and
expand their populations uncontrolled. As the bluegill population grows,
serious stress is placed on the lake’s ability to supply enough food for all
those bluegills.
Lack of food
causes growth rates to crawl almost to a stop, leaving lakes supplied with lots
of bluegill, but nearly no adult sized fish. Once this cycle begins it’s very
difficult to break free from a misbalanced predator/prey relationship.
Ironically,
lakes with a healthy population of primary predators like largemouth bass,
smallmouth bass, walleye or northern pike, have a much greater opportunity to
grow quality bluegills. These important predator species keep panfish numbers
in check and allow the surviving members to grow rapidly and to larger size.
The formula
for growing big and large numbers of bluegills isn’t just about having a
balance between predators and prey species. A lake must also provide ideal
habitat in terms of both spawning grounds and places for bluegill to live and
feed during the rest of the year.
Fertile
lakes with lots of organic soft bottom regions that support weed growth is
critical to bluegill success. The aquatic insects, scuds and small crustaceans
that bluegill depend upon favor fertile lakes with lots of muck, dark bottoms,
weed growth along with a sprinkling of sand or gravel areas for spawning.
Where this
firm bottom spawning substrate is located is also critical. In lakes where the
spawning water is found in the shallows where the beds are easily spotted by
anglers, spring fishing pressure takes a major toll on the adult bluegill
population. In lakes where the bluegill can find suitable spawning habitat in a
little deeper water, anglers have a much
harder time finding the beds and selectively catching adult fish.
PINPOINTING THE BEST LAKES
 |
| Slab bluegills like this one caught by Keith Kavajecz of The Next Bite require a different approach. Few lakes have large populations of large bluegill. |
So how does
all this impact on ice fishing strategies for bluegills? The moral of the story
is as simple as fishing the right waters. Like a trophy buck hunter who targets
only areas that produce big racked whitetails, bluegill enthusiasts must limit
their fishing to the most productive waters.
One of the
best ways to identify these high percentage lakes is to make contact with local
fishery biologists. Lakes across Michigan are routinely surveyed by the
Department of Natural Resources to determine the relative fish populations.
Usually trap nets are used to take fish samplings and sometimes electro
shocking gear is used to census fish populations.
Conservation
officers are another excellent source of fishing information. Because it’s
their job to check anglers routinely, they quickly develop a feel for what
waters are routinely producing good catches of panfish. I’ve yet to meet a
biologist or conservation officer who wouldn’t share what he or she knows with
friendly anglers who ask politely.
Gaining
dependable fishing information from fellow anglers, tackle shops, etc., tends
to produce less dependable information and sometimes can be downright
misleading. Good bluegills spots are hard to find and not everyone is willing
to share that information with the competition.
ELIMINATING WATER
Even the
best bluegill lake doesn’t have gills living in every water acre. In fact, the
vast majority of the water mass is void of any fish at all. Compared to other
popular species, bluegills are relatively easy to locate. This is because they
are almost always found in association with the weed growth that provides a
food source for their favorite foods.
In general,
the deepest water that supports ample weed growth is going to hold greatest
concentrations of bluegills and also the largest fish. Occasionally bluegills
are found in areas void of weed cover. In the absence of weed growth, mucky
bottom areas that harbor a wealth of
burrowing style aquatic insects can also hold surprising numbers of
fish. Unfortunately, these areas are most often sprawling flats and the
bluegills using them are also spread out and more difficult to locate in
concentrations.
The magic
water depth for bluegill fishing in December in January is usually between 10
and 15 feet. In some lakes that have murky water and limited light penetration,
good fish can be had in slightly less water.
Knowing
that bluegills are going to be found on soft bottom areas, in or near weed
growth and in water usually less than 15 feet deep eliminates a ton of
unproductive spots.
MAPPING OUT A STRATEGY
By
consulting a good paper fishing map or better yet and electronic GPS mapping
unit, it’s possible to literally point your finger at the best fishing spots.
The value of these highly detailed electronic fishing maps can’t be overstated.
Not only do they allow anglers to identify potential fish holding regions
within a particular body of water, while actually fishing these maps confirm
that your location is the same as that you’re targeting on the map.
ON THE WATER
With the
help of electronic maps and a GPS mapping unit it’s rather easy to identify and
visit high potential fishing spots. At this point it’s a matter of doing a
little fishing to see which spots are are actually holding fish.
A GPS unit
is a shortcut to locating good potential fishing spots, but pinpointing actual
concentrations of fish boils down to cutting lots of holes and fishing to see
which spots on the spot are most productive.
Bluegill
fishing is always the same. It’s amazing how moving just a few feet can and
often does make all the difference. The only way to find these critical spots
is to put in your time, drill lots of holes and seek them out with
determination.
HIGH PERCENTAGE FISHING GEAR
The only
thing worse than not being able to find fish is finding fish and not being able
to make them bite. This is the very reason that quality sonar and video
electronics are so critical to ice fishing success. All the effort that goes
into finding fish can be for nothing if you can’t seem to catch the fish you’ve
found.
Two pieces
of fishing equipment can insure that anglers maximize their fishing efforts.
Video cameras are very useful for confirming the presence of weed growth, soft
or dark bottom areas and also fish. A video unit is the only practical way of
confirming both the species of fish and general abundance. Video units can also
help anglers determine the relative mood of fish, how they are reacting to
various lures, lure colors and bait options.
The color
flasher unit is the second must have tool for winter bluegill fishing. While
the video will do a lot for anglers, these units take time to set up making
them a little less practical for run and gun fishing efforts. Color flasher units
have the advantage of allowing the angler to view weeds, fish and his lure on
the screen all at the same time.
The
observant angler can determine a lot by watching his flasher unit closely. For
example, when fish appear on the screen it’s a simple process to position your
lure just above the fish. If the fish are in an active mood, wiggling the bait
while lifting it in the water column will usually stimulate a strike.
If fish are
not willing to bite this aggressive fishing presentation, it’s time to slow
down the lure movement and use a “dead stick” approach with the bait sitting
motionless just above the fish.
These two
fishing presentations represent the extremes on either end. On any given day
the fish may react to the aggressive approach, the dead sticking approach or a
level of jigging activity somewhere in between. It’s up to the angler to
determine which presentation is the most productive from day to day.
TEAR DROPS OR HORIZONTAL JIGS?
In recent
years the introduction of bluegill sized ice fishing jigs have taken the ice
fishing scene by storm. Somewhere along the line anglers got the idea that a
horizontal jig produces better than a vertical tear drop.
This simply
isn’t true and a lot of anglers are missing out on some of the fishing benefits
vertical style tear drops provide. The fact is, both a vertical and horizontal
presentation are effective ways to target winter bluegills. Which is best on
any given day is something only the bluegills can determine.
The best
advice is to come prepared with multiple rods rigged with both vertical and
horizontal jigs and experiment with each daily. Often the type of tear drop
that produces best will change as light conditions change. Having both rigged
and ready to go allows anglers to make the switch quickly without sacrificing
critical prime time fishing opportunities.
FISH AT PRIME TIME
Every
bluegill angler who has ventured out onto the ice has undoubtedly learned that
dawn and dusk are the key times for catching these fish. In early winter
bluegill are more likely to bite outside of these prime times, but the majority
of the fish taken are still going to come during the first and last hour of
daylight.
On first
ice, bluegills tend to feed actively for a couple hours on each end of the day.
As the winter progresses -- light penetration decreases, oxygen levels decline
and vegetation dies,-- forcing bluegills to become more lethargic. This is
represented in the fact that their active feeding periods become shorter and
shorter.
The best
advice is to fish at prime time and to be organized and fishing effectively
when the bluegill are most likely to be biting.
LONG ROD LESSONS
 |
| Portable flip shelters are the easiest way to remain mobile and comfortable while chasing bluegills on the ice. |
Over the
years I've watched as ice fishing rods and reels have gotten better and better.
I’ve also noticed that more and more anglers are using shorter ice rods
designed for fishing inside shanties. There is little doubt that a short rod is
essential for fishing inside a shelter, but for those anglers who fish in
flip-over shelters/windbreaks or simply in the open air, a somewhat longer rod
has many advantages.
A longer
rod with a more sensitive tip helps to detect very subtle takes, especially
from fish that eat the bait and then move upwards in the water column.
These
longer rods are also more enjoyable when fighting fish. Should the angler hook
a larger non-target fish like a pike or largemouth bass the longer rod gives
him or her a fighting chance of landing that fish. With short rods hooking a
non-target fish often ends in the line breaking and a productive tear drop or jig
being lost.
A rod in
the three foot range is just about perfect for winter bluegills. Match up this
rod with a small spinning reel loaded with one or two pound test monofilament
line. Wire rod holders are handy for supporting these rods above the ice when
dead sticking.
MAGGOTS, WAX WORMS OR SPIKES?
Every time
bluegill anglers share a cup of coffee the talk eventually turns to which live
baits are the most productive. The overwhelming most popular choice is the
common wax worm available at literally every bait shop where bluegills are a
common target species. There is little doubt that a fat wax worm is a major
enticement for bluegill fishing.
The problem
with wax worms is they are fairly large and when combined with a tear drop or
jig create a somewhat bigger presentation. When bluegill are lethargic or
inactive, a smaller overall presentation will usually catch more fish.
Maggots and
spikes are smaller than wax worms and provide an important alternative. Also,
by doubling up with maggots or spikes, an angler can make the overall
presentation small or large. Again the rule of thumb is to come prepared with
at least two live bait options and experiment to see which are the most
productive from day to day.
LIMITING YOUR CATCH
 |
| Keep a few for the table, but limit your take to a dozen fish. This mixed bag of crappie and gills is plenty of fish to feed two people. |
The final
element in a winter bluegill fishing strategy is to determine which fish to
keep and which ones to release. Just about everyone who enjoys fishing for
bluegills also enjoys eating them. Harvest is a big part of why we target
bluegills in the first place, but pushing for limit catches doesn't have to be
the common denominator of the equation.
In these
days of increased fishing pressure, finding adult sized bluegills is becoming
more difficult. Making the decision to limit harvest is one way that anglers
can insure that the best lakes continue to produce good fishing action for
years to come.
To put it
all in perspective consider that an eight inch bluegill is a four or five years
old fish. In some lakes an eight inch bluegill could easily be six to eight
years old!
It takes a
substantial amount of time to grow big bluegills. Anglers can help in this
process by limiting their harvest and also by releasing some adult fish in
favor of harvesting smaller and more abundant sub-adults. Letting some of the
big boys go won’t feed your family or your ego, but it will make you feel like
you’re part of the solution, instead of the problem.
