Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Will 2015 Make my Bluegill Quest??

WELL!!!! “As Ronald Reagan use to say” ---------My long sabbatical is over and I am back with you guys again to share and comment. I am sorry for my absence these past months, but other obligations got in the way of my blogging. I know some of you thought I would probably never return, but trust me that was not my intention; blogging has always been a way for me to communicate with fellow fly fishermen and women who love the sport as much as I do. I have been blogging since 2009 and it is something I truly love. I hope I can stick around for a long time with you guys.



Now for today’s post; with high water on the lake the trout fishing is out until generation slows, which could be a while. Heavy rains have caused an overflow in the lake and the water has to go somewhere so the tailrace gets flooded. This of course doesn’t stop me from thinking about casting for the rainbow and monster gills incoming spring.
My last outing in my boat this year was roughly six weeks ago to mark some sandbar nooks on Smith Lake. I will fish all these areas in the spring for spawning bluegills.
Sandbars are prime targets for big bull bluegills to search out in the spring to create spawning beds. The sand is easy to move and creates a perfect incubator for the eggs.
I have landed some of my largest bluegills from heavy sandbars, where sand has piled up because of wave wash.
The site of monster beds such as these can trigger a quite reaction from an avid bluegill fisherman.
I have never found more than a dozen bluegill beds on Smith at any given sandbar. The fish are scatted more in Smith Lake as opposed to smaller lakes. In a smaller lake, there could be as many as two dozen beds in one area.
After February I will be counting the days until the spawn. I hope some you guys will join me this year in casting a fly or popper towards the big bulls.

20 comments:

  1. Welcome back. Look'n forward to reading about your quest.

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  2. Welcome back, Bill! And best of luck on your 2015 BIG Bluegill Quest! :)

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  3. Bill, coincidence! Just went looking for your link on Troutrageous! to see if I could find you and drop off a comment hoping all is well, and there you were posted again. Glad you've got some fishing goals for the year, and wishing you the best!

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  4. Thanks Drew, can't wait to get started---thanks for the comment

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  5. Dave
    I need to be out there close to you and I could probably reach it much quicker, those ponds seem to loaded with super size gills. Thanks for the comment

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  6. River
    I have found that having fishing goals adds a bit more fun to the adventure. Thanks for the comment

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  7. Lester
    No sickness took me away from the blog circuit; helping my wife with grandchildren in Tennessee pulled me away which I enjoyed. Thanks for the comment

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  8. Hey Bill. Good to have you back.

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  9. As I mentioned earlier, I was afraid you'd realized what a pain blogging can be and left us. I'm as anxious as a jr. high schooler going on his first date. Can't wait to follow the quest!

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  10. Man, I love that picture of those beds! Absolutely itching for spring. My new favorite bluegill rod is a 1 weight I built back in November. Can't wait to feel the bend of a bull 'gill on it!

    Best wishes and fishes for 2015, Bill!

    Ross

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  11. Welcome back Bill.
    Very positive of you to think Spring.

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  12. Welcome back! We missed you. That sand bar with blue gills sounds like a lot of fun. I think that I need to change jobs and work for an airline... :)

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  13. Mark
    Thanks, I guess one could say blogging is addictive. Thanks for the comment

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  14. Howard
    I couldn't leave my fishing buddies---helping my wife with a lot of baby sitting side tracked my blogging--My wife and I love our Grandchildren. Thanks for the comment

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  15. Phillip
    You and me both will be counting the days until we can wet a line over a big bull spawning bed. Looking forward to a report on the 1 wt. Thanks for sharing

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  16. Alan
    I am no fan of cold weather, already looking for Spring buds on the trees. Thanks for the comment

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  17. RD
    As fast as times flies, you will be retired before you know---no airline job--thanks for the comment

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  18. good luck with the gills! I'm glad you are back in action

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  19. Well, Bill, I finally got some time to do some early season catching up on reading my favorite blogs. So great to have you back on the scene. I really miss your posts and the comments you leave over on my blog. You don't know how much I would love to spend a day or two on the lake with you chasing some Big Bluegill. Colorado has Bluegill, but, not like ones you have down your way. Thanks for sharing the pictures of the Bluegill spawning areas. Now you have me thinking Spring............

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