Where are they?

[Osage]

The best lake I fish for spring and early summer gills holds a large quantity and quality of them,problem is,under the ice they seem to dissapear.This lake is featureless for the most part,32' deep at the dam end,tapering to 1' at the inlet.The banks are steep around 3/4 of the lake,the gills spawn on a narrow shelf (about 6' wide )surrounding the biggest portion of the lake in about 8' of water.
   Stepping off the narrow shelf and the water gets rapidly deep, ( 15' ).My question is,where do all these lunker gills go come ice time?

[Iceicemike]

Edge of weeds?

[bullpine]

Gills are right under you hole, just not biting your offering.  Are you using electronic?  Are you fishing early and late?

[Osage]

Gills are right under you hole, just not biting your offering.  Are you using electronic?  Are you fishing early and late?

    Drilling holes like a Texas oil tycoon,I use a troller ,but somehow they seem to be elsewhere.

[SLAYERFISH]

    Drilling holes like a Texas oil tycoon,I use a troller ,but somehow they seem to be elsewhere.

Ask that guy in the Pictures section-

[DR.SPECKLER]

Maybe suspended over deep water..

[Seamonkey84]

Look for the weed lines, or the  change in bottom composition as it goes from shallow to deep. Often times, I find the gills hanging along a certain depths, riming the basin adjacent to the shallows that they feed in. The way that body of water is discribed, do your best to locate the original creekbed. that will be the highway that the fish will travel along.

[Unclegillhunter]

    Drilling holes like a Texas oil tycoon,I use a troller ,but somehow they seem to be elsewhere.

Not sure what a troller is. If you know where you catch them in the spring, start there. Start a little closer to the shore and work out to the edges. I have found That gills migrate cold early spring move into the warmer water. As the season and spawn moves on they move into cooler water. Then as the cooler water starts loosing oxygen they will move back up to the oxygen rich weeds. As the weeds start to die off they move back out towards deep water. Happens every year. Hope this helps!
Keep it safe! JDL

[Osage]

Not sure what a troller is.
   (  Marcum ice troller,)thanks for the info,I will give it a good effort to find them.

[stevenmang85]

There is a small local lake I fish that you can drill 200 holes and spend all day looking and never mark a fish. But show up at 8-9 o'clock after dark, and it's a slamfest of hogs.

[Unclegillhunter]

There is a small local lake I fish that you can drill 200 holes and spend all day looking and never mark a fish. But show up at 8-9 o'clock after dark, and it's a slamfest of hogs.

great point!
Keep it safe! JDL