Question for ya on bluegill behavior

**INGrandad** · 04-23-2010, 04:07 PM

Now I'm old enough that I've been 'gillin for 50 years, but yesterday the big gills on a lake I know surprised me by doing something I"d never seen before.

Started out tossin' streamers for crappie, all I caught was a 27-28" northern. On the 5 wt. fly rod with 5x tippet, that was enough. So thought I'd hit another spot ont he lake that I've found early crappie in and moseyed over there and as I approached I thought, "Huh, lake must be turning, look at all the algae floating on top." Well, I got close enough that the algae spooked and I realized they were fish. So I anchored right there and started casting the streamer again, then the breeze dies down ad the water glassed up and there were those fins again. Hundred or so yards of shoreline and as far as I could see there were dorsals and backs; hundreds if not thousands. I figured a hatch or something going on but no bugs ont he water and devils weren't moving. I mean they just hung there. I tied on some 6x tippet and a #16 trout fly and layed it out there as easy as I could but still the water came alive as they scattered. Fortunately they were interested and would come back and very gently push my fly around with their nose then maybe sip at it. Heck of a time getting the hookup with that light bite, but I got 27 in a couple of hours, shoulda had a hundred.

Odd thing number 2, they were out from shore 50' at least, and I know darned well it's 20'+ deep there. Females were nowhere near ripe, males weren't colored up good yet, surface temperature was only 58-59 degrees.

Near as I could tell they were just working on their tan, soaking up some sun and warmth.

Oh, one other thing, there were no small ones in amongst them, or at least I didn't get any. I never threw back a fish and when I got home I had no fish under 8" and the biggest was 11".

Any other theories?

**Hoosier Hog Daddy** · 04-23-2010, 04:28 PM

I'm "mature" and a giller too...but never ran into that. I ran into a strange insect hatch on sept 29 one yr on a local lake that had fish making small circle waves on the surface but never saw them with their fins sticking out of the water. Maybe some strange stratification of the oxygen to the surface or zoo plankton on the surface maybe? On a side note, I talked to a neighbor today that said he already had gills spawning in his pond. We are a good deal south and warmer than you though. I usually think the prime for that is mid may.

HHD

**INGrandad** · 04-23-2010, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by Hoosier Hog Daddy

I'm "mature" and a giller too...but never ran into that. I ran into a strange insect hatch on sept 29 one yr on a local lake that had fish making small circle waves on the surface but never saw them with their fins sticking out of the water. Maybe some strange stratification of the oxygen to the surface or zoo plankton on the surface maybe? On a side note, I talked to a neighbor today that said he already had gills spawning in his pond. We are a good deal south and warmer than you though. I usually think the prime for that is mid may.

HHD

Yeah, I'm clear up here in the extreme NE corner of the Hoosier, 58 degree water? No spawn yet.

This same lake when it's the dog days of summer, you'll see teeny dimples on the surface all over the middle of the lake when it's calm out. I mean tiny as in a minnow dimpling. But I found out many years ago that there's a big gill under that dimple. They're spooky, you really gotta lay out a decent cast and I use a little #16 or 18 Griffith's gnat, but if you're lucky one of them will ease up and take it; almost with no trace of a hit. Tough but fun fishing stalking them, you don't expect to take a basketful home but you earn every one.

**Hoosier Hog Daddy** · 04-23-2010, 05:55 PM

I also watch for the small dimples....but I don't use the leathal weapon you have in that fly rod. I just remember your reports from last year.... you were killing them with that thing. As I write this, I sit here stuffed on gill filets from my trip yesterday. I was pretending to be a crappie fisherman, but when the gills started tearing my jigs up.... I soon forgot how to spell crappie. This will probably get me thrown out of this forum :D

HHD

**filletfetish** · 04-23-2010, 08:25 PM

Was there a rainbow coming down on said spots? :D :D :D

**fish hook rich** · 04-23-2010, 09:24 PM

Now That Was Funny!!!:D

**"G"** · 04-25-2010, 10:17 AM

Very interesting InGrandad...I have never seen them do like that.

**rico** · 04-26-2010, 06:31 AM

Interesting to say the least............wish I could have witnessed it.

**mperry** · 04-26-2010, 08:51 AM

Never seen em do it in that deep of water. I have seen them up almost on the bank like that.

**crappie poppie** · 05-12-2010, 07:07 PM

the themocline was up very high and o/2 was above that and lake was ready to turn over .i have seen it befor when diving over at france park like that,last year.

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