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It’s that time of year again when water temperatures hit the upper 60s and male (bull) bluegills create saucer-shaped spawning nests along the shallow shorelines. After a nest is prepared, the female deposits her eggs in the center of the nest, at which time the male fertilizes these eggs and defends them for a week or two from predators. If the timing is right and the males are still protecting their eggs and haven’t moved off the beds, you’re in for a mighty good time catching these over-sized, aggressive bulls.

With the help of a pair of polarized sunglasses to cut through the water’s surface glare, it’s pretty easy to spot these spawning beds, even at a fair distance. Once you’ve located these lighter colored circles on the lake bottom, it’s simply a matter of anchoring out in the lake and casting over these beds.

There are a few tricks and tips I can share that’ll keep the bluegills biting, allowing you to take numerous fish, as opposed to hitting one or two fish before forcing the males off the nests and into deeper water.

The first consideration to keep in mind is the fact that you’ll no doubt spook numbers of fish if you’re initial casts are aimed at the bluegills closest to the shoreline. In other words, work the fish nearest the boat first, then systematically and incrementally target fish closer and closer to the shoreline. Sometimes there is no quicker way to shut down a bite than to allow a hooked fish to swim erratically in amongst other nearby fish.

Also, it’s very important to use the lightest line and tackle possible when targeting these post-spawn males. If your rod and reel is designed to cast light lines and baits, you’re on the right track. I’d go no heavier than 4-pound test line on a small spinning reel seated on a slow to medium-action rod that is specifically designed to throw extremely light baits and protect light line. More than likely, you’ll be targeting specific fish, so there really isn’t a need for a bobber. In most cases, you’ll witness a targeted fish move very aggressively for your offering and hammer the bait in a big hurry. If you do prefer to use a float, make it no larger than what you’d normally use for winter bluegills through the ice. A tiny polystyrene float that is pegged to the line with a toothpick is ideal.

Bluegills, regardless of their size, almost exclusively eat nymphs, scuds and other invertebrates, so if you can get your hands on a few standard flies such as #14 hare’s ears and pheasant tails, you can really increase your odds of getting a bluegill’s attention. If you forgo the use of flies, live bait and plastics such as wax worms, euro larvae and Power Baits that resemble these worms work very well too. Hook a couple of these worms on a tiny 1/64th ounce jig under a small float and you’re in business.

Finally, remember that the spawning ritual can vary by as much as a week or two from lake to lake, depending on weather factors and water temperatures. Also, male bluegills might abandon their posts temporarily due to these factors and return to the nests later in the day, so if you discover unoccupied beds on one body of water, don’t give up hope. Give that same water a shot a bit later in the day, or try different lakes until you find those bulls.

There are a lot of neat annual occurrences in the fishing world, and timing it just right to target these over-sized male bluegills on their spawning beds is definitely one that is at the top of my list.

Dan Brown’s weekly outdoor column is brought to you by Frankie’s Bait and Marine, in Chisago City, and St. Croix Outdoors, in St. Croix Falls, Wis.

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