This is a 75-acre lake
nestled in a deep wide valley with a huge dam holding back a flood of water. After
getting on the water I counted 16 other boats scattered around the banks. I
found out really quick that the majority of fishermen were fishing for the spawning
bluegill. The big difference between me and them was the fishing technique. Again
I was the only one using the fly rod, while the rest were using the crickets
and worms. The live bait fishermen were landing lots of bluegill and
catfish. I did manage to find one small spawning group of gills located near
the base of some small maple trees that were willing to give the 3 weight a workout.
Bluegill will sometimes spawn in very unlikely places and this group was
located under the overhanging branches of the trees; presenting a bait of
any kind was a challenge for any angler. Using a low side cast help me connect
with the fish. I counted four orange corks tangled in the branches that didn’t
make the connection.
I landed a couple of small bass holding in the back of this nook. Other boats were
waiting in the wings to give the area a try.
Blooming dogwoods signals crappie season in the south!
I worked hard to land this
bluegill from under the maple branches. In fact, I was impressed with my
placement of the popper to attract a strike. Time after time the Bar Nunn popper
hit its mark to hook up with this group of spawning bluegills. This is a good
bull bluegill, but I’m still looking for the really big gills. I hope I can
land a few before the spawning season is over.
