{"id":2316,"date":"2021-04-07T20:12:58","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T20:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-711416-2356891.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=2316"},"modified":"2021-05-07T19:34:40","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T19:34:40","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-to-catch-bluegill-from-deep-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gofishingoutdoors.com\/everything-you-need-to-know-to-catch-bluegill-from-deep-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you need to know to catch bluegill from deep water"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
What most people don\u2019t know is that bluegill are in deep water as well as the shallow banks where most anglers catch them. And the ones in the deep water? They\u2019re almost always bigger<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p> But you have to approach them much differently than a shallow water bluegill. Bobbers and nightcrawlers aren\u2019t going to work as well here as they do from the bank. You need to change up your game – but the payoff will be worth it.<\/span><\/p> Below I will explain in depth the deep locations that you can find bluegill, what type of rig and baits work best, and the gear you\u2019ll need to target them<\/strong>. The short version is you need to find transition areas in deep water, use a dropshot with a insect-style imitation plastic, and use a light rod & reel setup with low pound test line. But lets get into what all that means.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t When you\u2019re searching for bluegill from the bank, they\u2019re often easy to find. You can see them in some cases, often ticking the tops of the water feeding on insects.<\/span><\/p> When a bluegill holds in 20 feet of water though, this isn\u2019t so simple.<\/strong> You\u2019ll instead need to start looking for the structure and cover that bluegill often school on. When you find the right place, you can catch big bluegill by the bucket full.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t There are two main features I look for when I\u2019m targeting schools of big bluegill. The first is a hard bottom – preferably with a \u201cpebble\u201d style rock bottom<\/strong>. The second is an area where this transitions into something else<\/strong> – but any type of aquatic vegetation is ideal.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t The reason for a \u201cpebble\u201d style bottom is for two reasons. First, large predatory fish do not often hang on pebble bottoms instead they look for large flat rocky areas. Or larger boulders that they can use to pin bait fish against to feed. The smaller, pebble style bottoms are not as good for this for bigger predatory fish like bass.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t But for bluegill pebble bottoms are great for feeding opportunities on plankton and other small organisms living in the pebbles on the lake bottom. Bluegill can easily get in the smaller cracks to feed on the small creatures in the crevices but also feel safe from prey, knowing there are not large boulders to get pinned into. So large schools of bluegill will key on pebble style bottoms in deep water.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t If you can find where the pebble bottom transitions into some type of aquatic vegetation nearby,<\/strong> you might be in a gold mine. Large bluegill will stay with the school feeding on the organisms in the pebbles while also looking to the weeds for other creatures and small bait fish for easy meals. Not all bluegill are big enough to feed on these, but the ones you\u2019re looking for in deep water are!<\/span><\/p> Bluegill will also hang out in the vegetation nearby if a predator comes into the area to hide. It provides great cover<\/strong> that they cannot be chased into and they feel very safe near the jungle of hydrilla, weeds, or whatever to hide in until it\u2019s safe to return to the pebble bottom to feed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t So your ideal spot to try and find deep water bluegills will be anywhere there is a pebble style hard bottom.<\/strong> Then, try and find the areas where it transitions into some type of vegetation<\/strong> and fish just around the vegetation. You\u2019re sure to find some bluegill schooling in the area.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t The type of structure that bluegill will school on in deep water varies, and I find it much more important to find the pebble bottom and vegetation mentioned above.<\/span><\/p> But there are a few types of structure you are more likely to find bluegill on which I will mention briefly.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t A point is simply where land comes out more into the water than the area around it, creating a \u201cpoint\u201d where water is shallower with two sides falling off into deep water.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Almost all type of fish setup on points at some time of the year<\/strong>, so it\u2019s always a great place to catch fish. Bluegill however will often find the deeper side of the point where the water depth changes quickly and sit in large schools. This allows them to easily move up to feed when necessary, or drop back down when the weather is too hot or the water level drops.<\/span><\/p> So if you\u2019re searching for deep water bluegill, try to find a point with a steep dropoff on one side<\/strong>. There may be a school of bluegill sitting on that deep side of the point.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t A hump is very simply an area in the middle of water where the land randomly rises up creating a shallow spot with deeper water all around it. Imagine it like an island in the middle of the water that just hasn\u2019t come up fully so it\u2019s visible above the water, it stays just beneath it.<\/em><\/span><\/p> Bluegill will often school in deep water right on top of a hump.<\/strong> It isn\u2019t so deep that it feels as scary for them and open to prey. Usually you will find them sitting just off the bottom on the shallowest part of a hump in deep water.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t A dropoff or bluff wall is basically exactly what you imagine – just an area where the depth drops significantly quickly. We are talking almost instantaneous 5 to 10 feet drops or more.<\/span><\/p> Bluegill will often sit just at the bottom of a dropoff or bluff wall<\/strong> when they want to be in deep water for safety. Much like the point, they will transition to the shallow areas if they want to feed or water level rise. Then when they\u2019re done, they will school at the bottom of the dropoff and spend most of their time there during summer or winter months.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t So know you know exactly where the bluegill are schooling in deep water. But how are you going to catch them? Thankfully this is a singular answer. Use a dropshot rig.<\/strong> It\u2019s the absolute best way to catch deep water bluegills.<\/span><\/p> This is because almost always bluegill will be schooling about 1 to 2 feet off the bottom of the lake<\/strong> when schooling in deep water. They are down at the bottom near a feature they feel safe against. They also will be looking at the bottom for food, not swimming around the middle of the water where nothing is.<\/span><\/p> A dropshot rig will perfectly get you down to the bottom of the lake and put the bait just a few feet off the bottom – right in front of the nose of a bluegill. When you get a school active, you\u2019ll get bites as soon as the weight hits the bottom of the water. You don\u2019t have to do anything but drop your line straight down when you\u2019re over them.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\tWhere to find bluegill in deep water<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
What to look for on the lake bottom<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Pebble Rock Bottoms<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Transition Areas and Vegetation<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
The types of structure to find bluegill in deep water<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Points<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Humps<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Dropoffs\/Bluffs<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
The Best Fishing Rig to Catch Bluegill from Deep Water<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t