Author Topic: general blue gill patterns  (Read 8367 times)

Offline Salmonquest

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general blue gill patterns
« on: Dec 07, 2016, 11:47 AM »
I am going to try some smaller lakes in my area. many of these are 15-30 feet deep with little structure (marl and sand bottoms) and gradual depth changes. What are some standard places/depths to try first. Deep center, middle depths or edges of old weedbeds in less than 6'

Firs ice?

mid winter?

Late?


Thanks for any advice. Trying to get better at putting kids on fish. My 7 y.o. daughter out fishes me every time. :) :o ;D :clap:

Offline bigstorm

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #1 on: Dec 07, 2016, 11:56 AM »
I would focus on weed lines (or even in the weeds) early ice, toward mid season they may move out deeper

Offline hardwater diehard

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #2 on: Dec 07, 2016, 12:20 PM »
I would focus on weed lines (or even in the weeds) early ice, toward mid season they may move out deeper


Find the greenest weeds at early ice in the shallows....they will slowly move into the basin...look for structure in the basin mid winter....then they will move to spawning areas toward late ice . First ice they will be spread out over a weedy flat ...so drill baby drill
Give a man a fish he eats for a day .Teach a man to ice fish he has an obsession for a lifetime

Offline Dave R

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #3 on: Dec 07, 2016, 02:55 PM »
I would focus on weed lines (or even in the weeds) early ice, toward mid season they may move out deeper

X2

Offline Ethan C

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #4 on: Dec 07, 2016, 08:20 PM »
Don't be afraid to fish right in the weeds, and I'm talking five feet deep or less. Especially during early ice.
Where's the ice bro?

Offline chilly-willy

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #5 on: Dec 07, 2016, 08:36 PM »
Find the drops or drop offs..  like weed edges weed edges are usally the first drop off of the lake..  like going from the weed flats at 5 foot to a drop of 10 to 15 fow just rember light that grown weeds penatrates so far threw the water.. so the more murky the water the less weeds you have out deep..  so if that's the first drop the second drop would be around 20 to 30 fow.. and usally larger fish sit deeper  in the water but you got to target rock piles,  gravel ,submerged timber,etc etc.. structure in other words think of it that way some lakes  are different then others. Like on my lake I fish in 5 fow "the weed flats"  it's full of gills but not huge gills this is were summer scouting really helps oUT  finding these drops.. any how pick up the book ice fishing secrets you can find it on half.Com amazon etc used for like $5 including shipping..there is tons more in it including crappie and perch wich you have asked about.. too.. regurgitation of a book is no fun for every one else cause they will be hearing this 100 times a day...   since the book is over 100 pages long I will spare you from having to read it all right this minute.. but for sure try to get that book ..

Offline Salmonquest

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #6 on: Dec 08, 2016, 07:18 PM »
Thanks guys.

Chilly I'll look for that book.

The lake I want to try this year is small and doesn't have much of a drop off. I got my boat on it Sunday and it was half froze. marked some suspended in 17fow down between 5-10'. Only weeds I marked were in 4ft or less and they were all dead.

Offline hardwater diehard

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #7 on: Dec 08, 2016, 07:27 PM »
Thanks guys.

Chilly I'll look for that book.

The lake I want to try this year is small and doesn't have much of a drop off. I got my boat on it Sunday and it was half froze. marked some suspended in 17fow down between 5-10'. Only weeds I marked were in 4ft or less and they were all dead.

Where you find them now is kinda where they will be at first ice ...also if your lake is featureless any depression even slight should hold fish .
Give a man a fish he eats for a day .Teach a man to ice fish he has an obsession for a lifetime

Offline chilly-willy

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #8 on: Dec 08, 2016, 07:30 PM »
Thanks guys.

Chilly I'll look for that book.

The lake I want to try this year is small and doesn't have much of a drop off. I got my boat on it Sunday and it was half froze. marked some suspended in 17fow down between 5-10'. Only weeds I marked were in 4ft or less and they were all dead.

Crappie and blue gill will suspend in like there doing now see the 5 to 10 fow were are the weed you to find were the weeds are at in four foot of water that drops to five or even 10 fow they suspend at the depth the weeds stop at..  see?? How to fish it is you got to find the area in front of the weeds in 5 to 10 fow so you will be inbetween the deepest part of the lake and the weeds.. if you find the correct spot you will hammer them use I use structure like like land points in the bottom contours or even the reverse a bay shaped contour to find fish .. its all in the book..

Offline chilly-willy

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #9 on: Dec 08, 2016, 07:45 PM »
So in other word you want to be in 6 to 12 fow with youe lure 1 foot off bottom .. buy the edge of those weeds they spawn in 5 to 10 fow on your lake right on the weed edges the reason they do that is when the babby fish born they have to  hide they have a place to hide close by from predator fish.. set a lantern up at night see if you get crappie to.. perch and other fishes like gills in the mix ..

Offline chilly-willy

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #10 on: Dec 08, 2016, 08:02 PM »
If you think about it the 5 to 10 fow is your first drop off .. lol's you don't want to be in the weed flats fishing you want the edges the flats I assume  4 fow of water on that lake .. so you want to be close to the weed edges in 5 to 12 fow.. so  one foot off bottom..  so they hit your lure in 6 fow 5 foot down  like there spawning depth of 5 fow see why if not I got  to get the book to show you the pictures lol's .. reason you want it 6 foot cause you dont want lure on bottom the fish won't see it perch might but crappie gills won't  that's why the 6 inch to 1 foot off bottom..  we use perch hawgers when fishing bottom and minnow tail but we're all different on how we fish.. we use hawgers for perch some times..

Offline Salmonquest

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #11 on: Dec 12, 2016, 08:36 AM »
guys thanks a lot. Really informative. the drop is a very subtle gradual change. More plate than bowl. :)

Offline chilly-willy

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #12 on: Dec 12, 2016, 09:32 AM »
guys thanks a lot. Really informative. the drop is a very subtle gradual change. More plate than bowl. :)

Bottom of lake

lots of sand iam guessing?? 

Or is it all muck like it should be ??

Offline Salmonquest

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #13 on: Dec 13, 2016, 09:12 AM »
marl and muck

Offline chilly-willy

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #14 on: Dec 13, 2016, 11:20 AM »
marl and muck

Their is a name for thay type of lake like methotropic type lake don't know if it is spelled that corrcetly??  but it is a older aged lake that's why the its flat dish type shape.. very Suttle drop offs...  like I  was saying in that book is info like said here you could even get the book crappie wisdom with a lot more info on it to.. which it includes info on lakes either riVer or lakes of dammed  up rivers called resivior lakes..  or just natural occouring lakes like in your case a basically back filled with muck from trees leves.. wind etc instead of being a cold deep water lake it is shallow and warmer .. this is all info used to find fish from those books so also see if you can locate the book crappie wisdom it may help out.. on finding fish locations .  It does cover winter to..   plus crappie are close to blue gills so it should help locate them..

Offline hnd

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Re: general blue gill patterns
« Reply #15 on: Dec 14, 2016, 08:43 AM »
i start on the inside weed edges and then work your way out.   The blugills will be right on the edges and sometimes right in the weeds.  don't be afraid to drill into them.   Crappies will mix in with them but will begin to suspend on the outside of those weed edges that are closer to deeper water.   we have lakes around here like that with 0 weeds. its a bit trickier but we can find them. 

 



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