Where would the Sunnies be?

[Guest]

I'll be going up to a lake near Detroit Lakes over the 4th and was wondering at which depth/structure I should be looking for Sunfish. Supposedly the lake isn't known for big Gill's, but I know they're in there. Any help to put me on the right track? Or if someone wanted to check out the DNR map and give some good starting spots, would be appreciated.
Thanks.

[united jigsticker]

The gills in this area are at the tail end or just coming off the spawn.

The weeds is where I would look. It's early enough yet where you'll still be able to find some gill beds up in the sandy areas. There may even be a few fish left on them.

If you can find the old beds, get out in the weed beds and find the open pockets in them. The Gills will probably be there.

Scott Steil is a great resource for these muscle wound Bulls. He can most likely offer some better insight on the subject.

thanks,

Good fishing

[Scott Steil]

Big Gills in the Detroit Lakes area, that is a pretty easy one. If you are fishing a bigger cool water lake like Big Detroit you will find them still spawning. If you are talking about the smaller, warmer lakes they are pretty much done with the spawn. For the most part the bluegill spawn started around June 6th in that area, and is pretty much done.

With that being said, look to the deep weedlines. The same weedlines you find the crappies, except a little deeper. Not all weeds are the same, do a little checking along the weed edge and you will quickly find the type they are relating to.

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[Guest]

Scott, thanks. Excuse me for being maybe a little naive, but what do you mean, not all weeds are the same. What type of weeds would I be looking for them to relate to. Guess I have never understood the relationship of Gills and type of weeds. I know when I was there earlier this year, I found the crappies in pencil reeds, is it just outside those kind of weeds, or the thicker foliage type of weeds. Thanks for your help.

[Scott Steil]

Pencil Reeds are a good place to find both crappies and gills during the spawn early in June. However, most of the reed beds are pretty shallow and that water is getting to warm for gills to spawn. If you are on a lake and you and looking for gills now, you can bet that 5-9 ft is where you will find the males and slightly deeper you will find the females. Most people relate the spawn to that which happens at the beginning of June and takes place in real shallow water.

However, in most lakes the spawn actually lingers on for most of June and into July. The only difference is the fish spawn much deeper as it gets later. I fished 3 different lakes this weekend and caught prespawn females in all of them. These fish were in 8-13 ft of water.

So, now back to your question. I prefer cabbage if I can find good stands near deep water. Curly pond weed can be good also, but it tends to be very thick. The main thing is that it is near deep water. If you are looking for the real big gills it is time to look for deeper weeds. Depending on the lake, you may be able to fish inside the weed edge also, if the water is deep enough. Most of the time it will be the outside weed edge. If you are getting females, the males are in a little shallower.

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[united jigsticker]

I'll add that on lakes I fish with really clear water (10 ft and greater) I have ran into suspended pre-spawn AND post spawn Bluegills over 15-20 feet of water, down anywhere from 5-15 feet, off of moderate to steep breaklines adjacent to weed edges and ideal spawning areas.

These were typically female fish, like Scott said, and easy to find due to their suspended and thickly schooled nature.

Good luck and good fishing.

[Scott Steil]

Very good point UJ, I didn't mention where the fish would be because I didn't want to give away all the pieces of the puzzle

Yes, you are right with the depth!!

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[united jigsticker]

Scott,

I thought your description had plenty of detail. Good info there Sir.

uj

[CrappieJohn]

For those fisning in SE Mn. , the pannies are doing well with the craps getting a bit harder to find. We were at the Zumbro this morning for about four hours and did really good on the sunnies of all sizes. Many of the hens are still toting eggs and with the water temp today at 74 degrees, they'll most likely dump or re-absorb them. We were marking fish, which we assumed were craps, in deep water (17-22 feet) and tried jigs, plastics, and even waxies to no avail. On our way home we stopped at Hookedonfishing bait and tackle to see Mike, the owner. While there we spoke with another gent who has been doing very well on the Mississippi backwaters, find the sunnies in almost identical water types and the craps being tougher to locate right now. Both areas have a good bug hatch going, so I'm sure that that has some bearing on the poor crappie take. I'll give it a week and then go at it again.

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster....good fishing guys!