gills cant be found

[jigking]

when fishing my local lake in open water bull gills are plentiful as soon as ice is on cant find them. do gills generaly stay in the same locations. there isnt many good weed beds or structure and the depth runs from shore to 12-15ft there isnt any deep water in this lake. please help this lake has plenty of gills .

[Swift]

Check the various bottom types, they can't migrate south. Sand, marl, and when in doubt play in the muck, plenty of munchies live there. Run-n-gun till you find them

[chipster]

I don't know how long you been icing gills but it's not the same as summer fishing.  They bite so lite you hardly notice. Are you using electronics?  Strong second on the bottom content. (sticky)

Chipster

[RLWagner]

My initial rule of thumb is shallow lakes fish deep, deep lakes fish shallow bays coves and structure. Your fish may be on bottom in deep water or even suspended....

[jigking]

thanx guys the problem with the depth is 3/4 of the lake is 12-15ft there is no deep spots. I just got electronics this season and thought that would be the answer didnt mark fish in 30 holes. there somewhere im just cant pin them down its starting to wear on me. I find gills at the other places if fish.

[chipster]

where do you live?  Maybe its time to call in some backup, I'm sure there are fellow fanatics that would love to help you solve the puzzle!

[jigking]

PA

[tomjohn]

I have the same problem here in Upper Michigan. I can get my limit every day in the summer and early fall but then it's just like they aren't there and shut right off. Late fall I can mark gills all over the place buy can NOT get them to bite. After ice up is the same thing. I can mark gills on the flasher but no bites. I then used my Marcum camera and see gills but it's like they don't even see my jigs or bait. I'm stumped.

[Swift]

Food options can change drastically in winter on some bodies of water. If they were accustomed to asst hatches and their active nymphs during warm water, lack of hatches will send them elsewhere in winter. Worms in the muckier areas or scuds in the heavier weeds may be what they're after. Check stomach contents and go from there

[ryno]

best way to find em....hit em hard early as sun is coming up and late when sun going down.  predrill about 100 holes on a decent day temp wise and hole hop like mad during low light periods. also you may want to ditch the ice cleats when doing this.  i feel the most effective way is with a jig rod and flasher.  I also like to use dark jigs like browns and black with black plastic tails when the bite is tough.  so fill up that auger, get out the head lamp and get busy.

PS...what is the water quality and depth's?

[jigking]

good water quality depth runs only to 12-15ft

[fishin machine]

Food options can change drastically in winter on some bodies of water. If they were accustomed to asst hatches and their active nymphs during warm water, lack of hatches will send them elsewhere in winter. Worms in the muckier areas or scuds in the heavier weeds may be what they're after. Check stomach contents and go from there

For fish that are looking, but not biting, this is the answer.
Some lakes can have a food source that is the only thing they will touch.
Also, they can hold so tight to bottom that they may not show up on electronics.
Figuring out what they are eating in the winter is the key.

[fenwick2010]

Some people will just drill a hole , Put down the flasher and if they see Even if i dont mark anything , I would say 80 % of the time I drop my jig and find that their is a school of fish near by and one appears , and nails the jig.  Next , if you are looking for gills ... Look near shore if the lake is less than 20 ft. Find the weed beds closest to the shore in 5 to 10 ft of water and fish a foot above the weeds with a small jig and droppper fly.

[Townie]

I'm finding gills @ one spot over featureless bottom in 9'; flats adjacent to the shallow weedline. Without the camera I would have never known gills were using this area. Search unlikely spots & they might be there.

[ryno]

I'm finding gills @ one spot over featureless bottom in 9'; flats adjacent to the shallow weedline. Without the camera I would have never known gills were using this area. Search unlikely spots & they might be there.

exactly townie.
i would put money on that featureless bottom being a soft sticky mucky one that is loaded with bugs/grubs/larva.

[Swift]

exactly townie.
i would put money on that featureless bottom being a soft sticky mucky one that is loaded with bugs/grubs/larva.

X2

[Townie]

exactly townie.
i would put money on that featureless bottom being a soft sticky mucky one that is loaded with bugs/grubs/larva.

Yup! What threw me off was the fact that I don't find gills in this area open water. 1st hole mid-bay the gills were crowding around the aqua-vu cam. A hot bite soon followed