Can't find the gills!!

[island guy]

One particular lake I fish has me stumped. It is a very clear, deep, spring fed lake. I've fished it for many years. It has never been known as a panfish lake. The past few years due to high water levels things seem to have changed. Blue gills would be showing up in my open water catch. Didn't seem to matter where I fished the gills would be there. I was looking forward to some hard water action but can't find them. Tried their summer haunts with no luck. Moved to where I knew cabbage beds were in the summer with no luck. Deep, shallow, doesn't matter. I can't find them. I know they are still in there! It's a very underfished lake and my last time out chasing eyes in Oct I caught and released a bunch. Any ideas? It's starting to bug me!! I'm not a beginner and have had good luck in other lakes. It's just this one. I'm beginning to get a complex!

[irishwalleye]

I have the same problem in a lake I fish in the summer. Clarity of up to 18 ft (DNR) and the patterns for open and hard water are no where near each other.

After searching for pike one day with the camera, I found out that the sunnies were much, much deeper then I would ever assume.

On this lake there is a 50 ft hole and I have found that the break that starts at about 20 feet going into this hole is where I found my best luck.

Dont know if that helps.

[Coach1310]

Like was mentioned already, I would look deeper and don't be afraid to look at classic walleye structure as a spot for the gills. One lake I fish that is super clear has lots of small gills in the weeds, but I catch the larger ones on 2 different rock piles, that drop off and transition to gravel. Have done well for nice gills there. Not sure if it is a normal thing or rule of thumb, but it has worked for me. Don't be afraid to spend a day just drilling holes and working with Aqua view to try and develop a pattern.

[FishinChad]

Keep looking, you will find them and when you do you will know where to look in future years. Try all over the weed beds, from as shallow as 4-5ft all the way to the edge. I would think there has to be some gills somewhere in the weeds. But also as mentioned the bigger gills often are out deeper near a break. I have also experienced this same problem on one of the clearest lakes around here, I tried to go out and catch some big gills through the ice like I did on the open water and I just couldnt find them. Must be something with the clear water. I would suggest the pattern mentioned above and find about 20fow near a break into very deep water, although you may have to be patient to realize they are in these areas, I would give each spot at least 10 minutes without seeing a fish before moving, I have noticed they kind of come and go in these areas. If you get a patern figured out, let us know maybe it will work on some of these other clear lakes that are giving us problems.