Too early?

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

I went out last night with my brother on the canoe to a metro lake hoping to catch some good size bluegills, but ended catching many at the 3-5inches size only. I didnt see any spawning beds yet. Is it still too cold for bluegills to start breeding?

[FishinChic1]

Well I can tell you that next door in WI the crappies are on the beds this week, which means the gills probably won't be for another 2 weeks. Probably pretty close to the same time frame in the metro. (info from a pro fishing guide)

[CJH]

With the cold front we had last week, water temps dropped. It will be two+ weeks or so depending on the weather for the gills. I didn't see any crappies on their beds on Friday when I was out (around Forest Lake), but with the warmup we have coming, it won't be long.

[soldoncass]

I don't know for sure, cause today was my first time out. I went to a central mn lake and the surface water temp varied from 65-66 degrees. I found a few sunnys on their beds yet, but I think I saw some beds already empty, with silt on them, sooooooooooooooo, on my lake I believe I was late! Every lake and location is different though. Gotta look!

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

I went to another metro area lake last night and if I wanted to, I would have had my limit in 30 mins. Every cast with mealworms to just something on my hook was enough to real them in. In this spot I was in, every cast landed me 5-6inchers, but that was it! Nothing bigger, nothing thicker, nothing that was really worth keeping. I thought about keeping these 5-6inchers, but then dreaded the size of meat I would fillet off of them and decided not to.

Almost all were males and all were in breeding colors. I wish I could have caught bigger fish in this lake.

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

I'll just be a bit more patient then. I may have to bring my sunfish pole and my bass pole if they will breeding in the next few weeks.

[CJH]

Really depends on the lake. The shallower, darker the water, the faster it will warm up. The deeper, clearer water will take longer. I was on a clear, deep lake Friday, and water temps weren't there yet.

This week/weekend should accelerate everything, I would think.

[jigglestick]

if this week doesn't turn them on, nothing will.

this is the golden week!

[south_metro_fish]

The lake I was on last night had crappies chilling around dock structure and I watched them chase off bluegills. I also managed to catch a couple that were small but the blackest crappies I have ever seen. I was thinking they might be starting because of how black they were and with them chasing the bluegills away.

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

thanks for the info! I anticipate some more fishing this weekend and next week for some pangfish!

[Hory]

I fished a Western WI lake yesterday and caught 60-70 bluegills in a little over an hour(all released). They were definately on the beds. Mealworms were the ticket. Not one single fish was under 6'' but none over 8.5''. Water temps at the surface in the bays was 77-79 degrees. Finding numbers of bluegills usually isn't the problem, but having this many of quality size was definately reassuring.

[itchmesir]

I saw more spawning beds on a hot section that i have been fishing the past two weeks.. so they are still coming in to spawn down here in SE MN

[CJH]

Caught a lot of them in Central MN this weekend. All released.

They bit on pretty much everything.

[FishinChic1]

This weekend they were on the beds in Wisconsin.

Most I got the last couple of weekends have been around 10". Some nice beasts I tell ya.

[NELS-BELLS]

My son was on our neighbors dock and noticed a bunch of fresh beds with bluegills on them yesterday. This is a small central mn lake. He kept enough for a meal and when we cleaned them they were all males.

Nels

[OnAFly]

Yeah, males will be guarding nests for a little while now.

[pushbutton]

in the biggest/deepest lake i fish .......am still seeing pairs.....usually leave them alone for a few more weeks yet, getting bored with the bass though!!!

[MN Shutterbug]

How the heck can anyone get bored with bass?

[PerchPounder]

Easy they're bass.

[tweedlap]

What is a bass?

Who cares?

tweed

[pushbutton]

its ok....those guys like mike that fish for rough fish tend to get a little defensive

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

hahaha