During May and into June, the river can run bellyful with run-off from both snowmelt and rain. Water temperatures will have warmed to the point that 'gills are ready to spawn as the full moon period approaches.

A great place for finding spawning beds is on the downstream side of wing dams within 5 yards of shore. In many instances, several of these rocky fingers will have been placed quite close to one another in order to help channel the current.

If the river's running full, the backside of the wing dam farthest downstream will be a good place to start looking. Once the Mississippi drops to normal summer pool levels a good way to fish 'em is anchoring up just above a wing dam and offering a half-crawler on a small hook about 8 inches below a split shot. If you don't hook up in 10 minutes, move a little bit. Fish are usually holding within a foot of the bottom.

The summer connection between bluegills and rocks on the Mississippi is undeniable because of the logical progression of the predator/prey relationship. Rocks hold tremendous numbers of mayflies, caddisflies and similar fare. Big bulls are seldom far away.

By mid-October, Iowa Department of Natural Resources surveys indicate, a major panfish migration heads into deeper sloughs with low current flow and good oxygen levels; there the fish will remain throughout the winter. Cordwood Lake and Fish Lake near my home in New Albin are hotspots in cold weather; Minnesota Slough holds fish year 'round.

IDNR fisheries manager Scott Gritters reported that Swift Slough and Bertom Lake are good bets down on Pool 11. Pool 10 hotspots include Bussey Lake near Guttenberg, Ambro Slough near Prairie du Chien, Methodist and Norwegian lakes across the River near McGregor and Joyce and Mud Hen lakes near McGregor.

According to IDNR biologist Jim Christianson, 2007 should be a banner year on West Okoboji. "This water has been giving up some really big bluegills the past three or four years," Christianson said. "The bluegill fishery here is pretty close to a peak."

Christianson pointed to Center Lake, between East and West Okoboji, as another worthwhile destination in the northwest part of the state. Dickinson County is second only to the mighty Mississippi as the epicenter of Iowa angling opportunities.

West Okoboji, on the northwest edge of Arnolds Park, has a potpourri of species swimming its 3,847 acres. At 264 acres, Center can be mastered in a day.

Sometimes big 'gills come in small packages. This is certainly true on well-managed farm ponds on private lands across the state. At just 36 acres, Casey Lake in Tama County is not much bigger than a large pond, but according to IDNR biologist Bryan Hayes, this neat little multi-option lake on Dysart Road about 10 miles south of Waterloo is a perpetual producer of 8- to 9-inch bluegills.