Summertime redear/bluegill search

I'm usually the one answering questions here but I have a question of my own for you panfish gurus here.

Where would you be inclined to start looking for concentrations of gills/redears in hot weather in a lake that has no vegetation? I'm not talking about willow fly hatches or under marinas. I'm looking for fish in major coves, water up to 25 feet deep, in a lake that typically has no thermocline. Where would you start and what would you be looking for. I have DI and SI available for my search.

I catch most of my summertime gills suspended over deep water, roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of the depth of the water. (So, in 12 FOW, I'd expect to find gills from 4-6' deep.)

FWIW, years ago in the old Southern Outdoors magazine, I read about this guy who fished Kentucky and Barkley for gills. He would find the river channel and catch them suspended. (He used a fly rod, but spinning would work, too.)

I'm no guru, but I've been catching them in 12-28' of water in standing timber that I'm single pole jigging for crappie. Hitting BG baby shad and itty bitty's on a 1/16 oz jig, 8-11' deep. The other place I catch them is a steep drop (sheer face) from 4-14' with a shelf that then drops to 29' of water. They are suspending in that 4-14' but are hitting a drop shot with a worm.

When there is a hatch in the open water, they are up on the surface everywhere.

I'm fishing a smaller impoundment, but this is where the bigger bluegill are biting for me. Shellcracker's have been tough this year for me, only a few and not the jumbo's.

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Originally Posted by warmouth

When there is a hatch in the open water, they are up on the surface everywhere.

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I see this a lot, too.

I will throw my two cents worth in only to see if anyone else does this( no guru here lol . just fish long enough to get lucky sometime ) . I go to where they bed every year . If it's associated with a point then follow the ledge out to the tip of the point and fish the tip and fan cast to deeper water . If there is no contour line to follow(rare) then pull on top of the old beds and fan cast the deeper water casting to the open water . :popcorn

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eagle 1

I will throw my two cents worth in only to see if anyone else does this( no guru here lol . just fish long enough to get lucky sometime ) . I go to where they bed every year . If it's associated with a point then follow the ledge out to the tip of the point and fish the tip and fan cast to deeper water . If there is no contour line to follow(rare) then pull on top of the old beds and fan cast the deeper water casting to the open water . :popcorn

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This is what I do, and also as disco said. Below Pickwick....which is KY Lake....I get on those channel edges in about 16 feet of water. But I have to tell you this has been the worst June...July.....I have seen in many years for the Gills and shell crackers. I was concerned that I had lost my skills. But many so called "gurus" I know are having trouble this year too on lakes such as Center Hill...Dale Hollow....Pickwick...and even the smaller TWRA lakes.

Regards

I gave up on bedding gills and redears very early this year. I would sidescan traditional bedding areas and find nothing but dinks or nothing at all. We did have a couple of days on Barkley with some boss redears but nothing in the way of keeper gills.

We reserve the right to blame the Asian carp for this and anything else that makes fishing stink.

I actually caught less on the state lakes here in north MS. 90% of the fish I put up came from our private lake . Usually Trace , Lamar Bruce, Tippah are where my eaters come from . Not so this year .Most were caught longlining (or trying to for crappie) since hot weather got here .:dono

Mrdux I had the same Q and the guys gave me some great info reference to rocky points leading to deeper water. Points next to the channel held the bigger fish.

No guru by any means...this came from tip give to me so I hope it help. Good luck

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/panfi...ot-deep-gills/

some places i hit they park on the bottom deep in the summer just like the winter ....the larger ones anyway
other spots they seem to be suspended around cover ....i dont open water fish for them much