Bluegills and Shellcrackers on Beds

My search stats show that a lot of people are looking for information about catching bluegills and shellcrackers (bream fishing) on the bed in spring. It is easy. You only have to do three things: rig up correctly, find a bed, and don't make a lot of noise.

Here is a rig I used last week to catch shellcrackers just of the bank in water only 1 to 2 feet deep. The water was clear enough to watch some of the fish take the bait.

This rig consists of a small float (the smallest that will allow me to cast), a number 8 wire hook), and a slip shot. I positioned the float about two feet from the hook, and the split shot about six inches from the hook. I used six pound line.

I caught these fish on red worms. Other live bait that catch fish are meal worms, catalpa worms, and crickets.



When the fish are that close to the bank in clear water, I cast up the bank. Walking up to the fish will scare them away. When I hook a fish, I try to keep him in the water as much as possible. A lot of splashing will scare the other fish. If they hear enough commotion, they will leave the bed. If this happens, I find another bed, and come back to the one I left when the fish come back.



Shellcrackers and bream will sometimes bed near each other. Sometimes you will catch both in the same bed. I have been catching bluegills about four feet out and a foot deeper than the shellcrackers.



If the water is clear, you can actually see the beds. A good bed will have dozens of craters that look "cleaner" than the rest of the nearby water. If the water is shallow and clear, you can actually see the fish. Usually you can catch fish not only in the bed, but all around the edges, several feet out.

If the water isn't clear enough to see the beds, they are still easy to find. If you are fishing from the bank, just walk the bank, casting up the bank as you walk. They will be in water from 1 to 6 feet deep, sometimes a little deeper. Adjust your float for the depth of the water you are fishing. To estimate depth, look at the bank. The water just off the bank is generally going to be about as deep as the bank is steep.

Remember where you found the beds because the fish will use the same ones each spring and into the summer for years.

If you are fishing from a boat, use the same method. It is easier to find more beds from a boat. When I fish from a boat, I use a cane pool, not a rod. I can cover more water faster this way and pull in more fish when I find them. Use the same rig as in the photo, but attach it to a cane pool. I like the line to be a foot longer than the pole. Use the largest pole you can handle.

While fishing for bluegills and shellcrackers (bream), you will often hook anything that swims underwater - catfish, crappie, bass or turtles in the lakes I fish.



When I hook a turtle, I cut the line and let him swim away with the hook. It will eventually rust away.