Your top open water lake for Gils

[bellmontwrestling]

OK everyone, I do believe that it is now without a doubt over for the year.  So, focus is moving towards open water.  I hope to spend more time on the water this year.  I have always fished mostly ponds.  So, my lake knowledge is minimal.  Let's hear your favorite lake in Indiana or lower Michigan for catching Gils.

[Swedish__Pimple]

Without a doubt,the #1 gill Lake in the State,in my opinion is Mt.Summit

[Rufus]

Sylvan Lake in Noble county is outstanding for both numbers and size. It gets and incredible amount of pressure and it still kicks out the numbers. As far as size the winner (and I don't know of a better one in the state) is Clear Lake. There are not a lot of 'gills in Clear, but holy cow are there somebig ones. Eleven and Twleve inchers are in there if you know where to look. If you want magnum sized redear Snow Lake and Lake George in Steuben County have some incredible redear in them. There is a 14 1/2 incher that came out of Snow that is mounted at Tri-state bait and tackle on Little Otter Lake. I have seen them on the beds in there while bass fishing and I cannot believe the size of the redear that live in that lake.

[Millerltman]

I would have to agree with Swedish, SUMMIT lake for consistent numbers!

[crappie_catcher]

The times I have fished Lake Monroe I have had good luck.

[angolajones]

Rufus,  You and I must fish the same waters. 

Ditto on what Rufus said.

Jonesy

[taxi1]

Ditto on what Rufus says too except for one thing. Are you talking about the biggest redear in this stringer mount at Tri-state?



If so, they are all reproductons I did a few years ago. Keep it to yourselves but I don't believe the original fish were as big as the repros. Although they were still very nice redears.The pics of the original real fish just don't back it up. Biggest redear I have seen out of James, Snow etc. was 13 inches. I do a lot of fish from that area.

Again keep this to yourselves as I don't want to upset Karen and Bob. They get me a lot of business.

[finfan]

Clear (Size)
Sylvan
Snow / James
Big Long
Adams
Pretty

[abishop]

Hey sweedish pimple were those caught yesterday the 27th? Does summit have all open water right now? Still a lot of ice my way. Might take you up on that invite if not this weekend next for sure.

[Yogi]

1.Snow/James/Otter
2.Clear
3.George
4.Fox
5.Coldwater Lake Michigan

I can always seem to get a mess of Bluegills from Snow James and otter and most fish are decent with some real pigs thrown in.  I have fished those lakes my whole life though so it makes catching them a little easier.  I also love to fish Clear. You get some real nice fish.  Sometimes they are funny on wanting to bite. George is hit and miss.  You will get some real nice fish some days and others you will get dinks.  I think fox lake is a real good lake to fish.  It is very underrated.  It has some nice gills and some very nice perch.  To bad there was no ice there this year to speak of.  Coldwater lake is big but has some real nice fish on it.  I love the 25 bluegill limit up there.  I think it helps the numbers of bigger fish.  I cant be a hypocrite though cause I keep more then 25 in Indiana on days but I think they need to get a limit.  40 I think would be a good number.

Yogi

[Bigbass101]

I think fox lake is a real good lake to fish.  It is very underrated.  It has some nice gills and some very nice perch.  To bad there was no ice there this year to speak of. 

I ice fished it once from the far end of the lake from the ramp.  It's the only time I recall ever going out and getting skunked on the ice.  Not even a dink.  Couldn't even mark a fish.

Then there has been days that I've bass fished that lake and seen big gills and redears on beds.  So I've seen the big ones in there.  Just didn't hook up the only time I ice fished it.  Maybe I needed to fish down toward the ramp instead, or maybe it was just one of those bad ice days.

[angolajones]

Fox is probably the most fickle lake of all that I fish.  I have posted on heare earlier about dropping my transducer over 17 feet of water and watching the fish leave.  They are sometimes very timid.  But the fish are some of the hardest pulling fish I know about.  They fight better than Clear lake gills in my opinion.  I've been fishing James lately and those fish don't fight much at all. 

Jonesy

[Yogi]

I know what you are saying about those fish being timid.  I have had some real good days on Fox and I have had days where I dont catch many at all.  The fish I catch out of there are usually really nice pig bluegill and redears.  That is a really good perch lake too.  The west side can be real hot for big perch.  Yogi

[Bigbass101]

Yogi and AngolaJones,

If and when we get ice next year.  Let me know when you guys are going there.  I would like to meet up and learn something about that lake through the ice.  I've only fished the west side along W. Fox Lake Rd.  Fished that cove, point, and sunken hump at that end.  Fished 5 to 40 foot of water.  If I could have just marked a fish it would have been a lot better than drilling a 100 holes.    There were two other guys out that day also, and they didn't stay long either. 

[daffydone]

In my opinion I would have to say



spear

barrel n a half

hammond

these are in the tri county nature preserve