Thread: How Do You Find The Beds?

Here's a good tip, look at the bank structure. If it's a steep bank or a bluff coming into the water, chances are pretty good that they won't be bedding there. Now if the bank is slowly or gently tapering into the water, there's a pretty good chance the conditions are correct in that area for bluegill and shellcrackers to build their nests in. Areas in the back of coves or halfway back into coves often hold large numbers of nest. Points are notorious for holding nesting fish too. I've also found that shellcracker will nest on the rocky edges that seem so common around the dams of many lakes. There may only be a ten or fifteen foot shallow area before it drops off into deep water but the bigger shellcracker will many times nest on these rocks.

I typically know where these fish nest because I've fished these lakes around here for many years now. I know where they nest at Hardy, Elk Creek and several other places in my area. If this dang weather doesn't improve I don't know when I'm going fishing.

^^^^^ Thats some good info right there.

yes it is, explained very well redear

When the beds are active you can smell them......smells like over ripe watermelon. Also if you have side imaging sonar , You can cruise the banks at 3 mph and find every bream bed pretty quick.

I look for them when the water is clear and shallow enough, but sometimes the bigger fish bed in deeper water. then I throw a cricket under a float in likley lookin places. the shellcrackers are on the bed around here, this is the first year I've really went out lookin for them. been catchin some 9-10 in fish last two weeks, think the bluegill will go on the bed shortly.

That was some good info there...