Bluegills in the shallows

[Deepinthewoods]

Some fishing info and questions.

We found decent bluegills in 1-2 feet of water Sunday in a very shallow pond-sized bay of a smaller metro lake. Hit the bait immediately on almost every cast. With the warm weather this year and small body of water, is it possible they were on spawning beds this early? Is an agressive shallow water bite bluegills' pre-spawn nature?

[markkstanley]

Pre spawners bulking up. Water temps need to be mid 60s for the spawn to start.

[2dalake]

They start acting that way when the water temp in those bays hits the low 50's and relly get going in the mid to upper 50's. When they actually spawn they aren't so concentrated, they strike but less aggressivly and they tend go a little deeper, depending on water clarity.

Remember that spot, because they will be in there on every warm and sunny spring day starting a few weeks after ice out, every year.

[Corey Bechtold]

Bluegills primarily spawn when water temperatures reach 67 degrees. They will spawn well into the summer when water temperatures reach near 80 degrees.

Without knowing what the water temperatures were my guess is that they were more pre-spawn oriented. Although I was fishing a small bay a few weeks ago and the water temperatures were nearing 67 degrees and a good number of fish were actually starting to spawn.

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold