The change of the seasons is one of the things that makes living in the snow belt so special. With each seasonal change comes a feeling of renewal and refreshment. Enjoying four distinctively different seasons is like being treated to four fresh starts a year. That's better than a get out of jail free card and a mulligan combined!
For those who enjoy the challenge of icefishing for bluegills, the winter season actually has three distinct periods. Bluegill fishing starts out with a bang in early winter, slows to a nibble in mid winter and enjoys another burst of activity at last ice.
Early in the winter clear and thin ice allows life giving sunlight to penetrate the water. The power of the sun keeps aquatic plants green and healthy and aquatic insects and zooplankton abundant. It's in this environment that bluegills and fishermen thrive.
Unfortunately this fishing bonanza comes to an end as the ice and snow cover thickens and light penetration drops off. After just a few weeks, plant life in the darkness slowly grinds to a halt. As the plants die, decomposition kicks in slowly robbing oxygen from the water.
Bluegills are in turn forced to seek out deeper waters where oxygen levels are better, but cover and food is more scarce. The lack of cover makes locating fish more difficult and fishing success declines.
Fortunately, in late winter the days become longer and the increased daylight kick starts the growing season into gear. Newly emerging plants give off oxygen and run off from melting snow and ice also pumps fresh water into the system. Soon the shallows are once again a food and oxygen rich environment. Bluegills respond by moving back to the same shallow water weed beds they used in early winter.
This winter cycle occurs in just about all bluegill waters. Anglers are powerless to control the seasonal movements of fish, but they can concentrate their fishing efforts on early and late ice when bluegills favor shallow water. It's at these times of year that bluegills are the easiest to find and catch.
BOTTOM BASICS
The search for bluegills begins by finding suitable bottom compositions and water depth that can support plant life. In most lakes desirable weeds grow in water from 6-15 feet. It's in this narrow band of water depth that light penetration is ideal for producing plant life. Beyond this depth, weed growth occurs sparingly and only in exceptionally clear waters. This simple fact eliminates the majority of the available water before the first hole is even drilled.
Understanding bottom composition will also help quickly eliminate unproductive waters. Bottoms made up of sand, gravel or rock will support few weeds and even fewer fish. Weeds grow best on organic bottoms of silt, marl, muck or clay. Locate these soft organic bottoms and chances are you've also found fish.
Electronics are as essential to winter bluegill fishing as tear drops and wax worms. Of the various types of fish finding devices available, two types are among the most useful for icefishing. Color flasher sonar units and underwater video are both invaluable tools for locating cover and also pinpointing the location of fish.
Flasher units are great tools for confirming water depth and bottom compositions capable of producing weed growth. Flashers will also mark weeds, but an underwater video unit like the Aqua View cameras will do a better job of confirming the presence and type of weed growth.
Two weed species are the most attractive to bluegill. Coontail is a common weed that gets its name from the way the plant resembles the bushy tail of a raccoon. Coontail grows in strands that reach up off the bottom a couple feet. This weed often covers the bottom with a thick carpet that provides ideal bluegill cover.
Common pond weed or what anglers often refer to as cabbage weed features a long slender stalk with leaf branches that radiate out from the main stem. Pond weed typically grows in six to 10 feet of water, but on fertile bottoms these aquatic weeds can grow to the surface in water as deep as 15 feet.
A video camera is the best tool for confirming weed types and it can also be used for locating fish. Unfortunately video cameras have one drawback. Because the lens only shows a narrow band of the water column, pinpointing the depth of fish can be difficult. The fact that bluegills are commonly found at all depths complicates the situation.
A flasher unit that scans the water column from surface to the bottom is the most efficient tool for locating individual fish. Of the flashers on the market, color units that use three different color bands of light are the best way to distinguish between bottom, fish, cover, bait and even tiny tear drop jigs. Flasher units do a good job of marking both fish and lures, making it rather easy to present the bait right about the fish's nose. Many liquid crystal units, like those produced by Lowrance and Eagle, have a flasher function on them that allows anglers to use whichever viewing screen makes the most sense for a specific fishing situation. Because these units can act as a flasher or a conventional graph, they're the best of both worlds.
Fishing bluegills without the help of both these electronic aids is like fishing blind and with one hand tied behind your back.
THE GOOD WORD ON TEAR DROPS
The tiny jigs designed for bluegill and other panfish are collectively called tear drops. Categorized by hook size instead of weight, the most common sizes for bluegill are models with No. 10 and 12 sized hooks.
Tear drops come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Most of these lures fall nicely into two distinctive categories including those that hang vertical in the water and those that hang horizontal in the water.
Vertical tear drops are the most popular with traditional bluegill fishermen, but horizontal tear drops have some subtle advantages. Horizontal lures are compact in size and a little heavier than the typical vertical tear drop. The extra weight makes them sink quickly and these lures also show up readily on the flasher screen.
Some anglers also argue that horizontal tear drops present the bait in a more natural fashion. It's also true that on windy days the heavier horizontal jigs are easier to fish with. Frankly, both styles of ice jigs work. Bluegill will favor one orientation over another for reasons we can't answer. That's why it's a good practice to have both styles handy and experiment to see which triggers more strikes on any given day.
A LINE ON BLUEGILLS
Bluegill rarely top one pound in weight. Most of the fish that end up in frying pans are 7-10 inches long. The rare fish over 10 inches is considered a trophy in most waters.
The small stature of bluegills and their often finicky attitudes calls for fishing lines testing no more than 1-2 pounds. Threadlike lines allow small lures to sink quickly, helps improve lure action and makes the connection between line and lure hard for bluegills to detect.
Fluorocarbon lines are the best choice for serious winter bluegill fishing. These lines are nearly invisible in water, they have less stretch than monofilament making them superior for detecting strikes and pound for pound fluorocarbon is tougher than monofilament. Leading brands in the fluorocarbon line market include Seaguar, Gamma, Berkley and P-Line.
Ultra light lines require ultra light action rods and reels. The rods use for bluegills must have plenty of flex to insure the threadlike line isn't snapped while fighting a fish. For fishing in shanties a short (18-24 inch) spinning rod is best. When fishing in the open air, a longer (24-36 inch) spinning rod does a better job of controlling struggling fish and picking up slack line quickly.
These lightweight rods should be equipped with either an ultra light spinning or under spin style reel. Larger reels aren't designed to handle the thin line used for winter bluegill fishing. Problems such as the line getting caught between the bail and the roller guide are common with larger reels. Ultra light reels are made to handle thin diameter lines and they balance better on ice fishing sticks.
Also, when chasing winter bluegills it's a good idea to have two or three rods rigged up and ready to go. Most states allow anglers to fish two or more lines. Should a rod become tangled or the lure need replacing it's often easier to switch rods than to tie on another tear drop.
SELECTING STRIKE INDICATORS
A number of ice fishing rods feature a sensitive and brightly colored tip that acts as a strike indicator. Rods that do not have this feature can be equipped with an after market spring bobber.
Spring bobbers have a number of advantages. The super sensitive design of these strike indicators telegraphs even the slightest nibble. Also, spring bobbers telegraph strikes from fish that grab the bait and run and also from fish that suck in the bait and then remain motionless or move slightly upwards in the water column.
The weight of the tear drop causes the spring bobber to bend slightly. Should a fish suck in the bait and move upwards, the spring bobber will respond by flexing upwards because the weight of the tear drop has been removed from the line. This subtle, but important feature makes spring bobbers many times more sensitive than floats.
Most spring bobbers attach to the rod tip with a piece of shrink tubing or feature a plastic bracket that snaps in place on the rod tip. Both methods of attaching the spring bobber are less than dependable. A couple drops of fast drying epoxy glue will insure the spring bobber stays put on the rod tip.
OVERCOMING OTHER PROBLEMS
The ultra light gear used for bluegills isn't without some problems
Many anglers have trouble seeing the threadlike line. Even those with perfect eye sight often struggle to tie knots in this ultra thin material. The problem is exaggerated when your hands are cold and the wind is blowing.
A spring snap like those favored by fly fishermen is a handy tool for rigging tiny tear drops on ultra light lines. These little snaps hold tear drops securely and eliminate the need to cut and tie the line when changing lures. A pair of small forceps makes the job of changing lures a lot easier.
SUMMING IT UP
The changing seasons bring with them hope of new fishing opportunities. For anglers interested in targeting winter bluegills, first and last ice promise the best fishing success. It's at these two critical fishing times that bluegills are going to be found in shallow water. It's also when anglers will find bluegills active and hungry.
Bluegill fishermen may be powerless to control the seasons, but they can take advantage of peak fishing times. The best strategy for winter bluegills is to get out early, get out late and get out often!
