Summer Gill Assistance

Me and a neighbor went out yesterday before the recreational boaters hit the lake and caught 19 keeper gills. I haven't fished for them this late in the year before. Our usual spring places just weren't holding that many quality fish. Does anyone have any PROVEN gill techniques and location pointers for this time of year?

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Originally Posted by mepperson

Me and a neighbor went out yesterday before the recreational boaters hit the lake and caught 19 keeper gills. I haven't fished for them this late in the year before. Our usual spring places just weren't holding that many quality fish. Does anyone have any PROVEN gill techniques and location pointers for this time of year?

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If they do, I'll buy the book they write. I got my things I look for and places I regularly try, but they's no guarantee. I'm still catching egg filled females in 11' of water fishing 5' deep. Figure that out for this time of year. I'm sure they're staged to go in, but I've caught around a hundred in 2 times out this weekend.

Normally I'd look in the breaks about now, and on these nice calm evening watch for the dimples of risers in 6-20' of water and unlimber the fly rod. Fishing bait, I'd be around those breaks, maybe sitting shallow and fishing out, couple of different rods rigged at different depths. Depends on where ya are, what your waters are, how warm the weather/water... Oh, and look for other boats and what they're doin'. Wear sunglasses, they can't tell you're monitoring them. :)

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Originally Posted by INGrandad

If they do, I'll buy the book they write. I got my things I look for and places I regularly try, but they's no guarantee. I'm still catching egg filled females in 11' of water fishing 5' deep. Figure that out for this time of year. I'm sure they're staged to go in, but I've caught around a hundred in 2 times out this weekend.

Normally I'd look in the breaks about now, and on these nice calm evening watch for the dimples of risers in 6-20' of water and unlimber the fly rod. Fishing bait, I'd be around those breaks, maybe sitting shallow and fishing out, couple of different rods rigged at different depths. Depends on where ya are, what your waters are, how warm the weather/water... Oh, and look for other boats and what they're doin'. Wear sunglasses, they can't tell you're monitoring them. :)

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Thanks for the input. I have been hearing about ledges and steep banks, I think that may be my next trip. My usual places are overgrown with aquatic plants and it makes it tough, but the quality of fish just doesn't seem to be there.

I fished one of my favorite ponds this weekend -- found loads of gills suspended 3-4' deep in 8-12 FOW.

I'm sayin like DB4D. Fished a 3 Acre lake Sat. and Sun. Sat I found quality fish in 12 fow fishing 4' deep. Sun. it took awhile to find them. I finally found them inder branches, close to the bank in 2-3fow fishing at 1-2'. Difference between night and day Sat to Sun. They can get real finicky this time of year. See your PM.

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Originally Posted by jimmydee1

I'm sayin like DB4D. Fished a 3 Acre lake Sat. and Sun. Sat I found quality fish in 12 fow fishing 4' deep. Sun. it took awhile to find them. I finally found them inder branches, close to the bank in 2-3fow fishing at 1-2'. Difference between night and day Sat to Sun. They can get real finicky this time of year. See your PM.

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Thanks Jimmydee1, and thanks for the PM......I'll be out on KY Lake this week. We kept 23 and threw back a bunch of smaller ones yesterday. We were sitting in about 20 FOW and casting to about 4-7 FOW with a slow retrieve with dropshot bluegill jigs/bugs. It worked pretty good, but I'm trying a few new things out.

Most of the 'gills here have moved north. It' been 97* or more for about a week now. "Feels like'' is 105 to 111. The actual record is 1980 at 111* real temp. So it's not so bad I guess.