‘Gills tend to prefer clear water with a favorable distribution of submerged vegetation and a balanced predator-prey ratio. Photo by Jeff Knapp.

By all available accounts, it was massive, that first bluegill.

Snatched from the clear comfort of a small municipal pond on a cloudless summer day, the 5-inch “monster” learned well -- too well -- the meaning of hook, worm and bobber.

The young angler clutching the pushbutton Zebco reel also gained from the exchange, it would seem. The thrill of landing his first fish, of course -- but the greater payoff took the form of a single spark, a tiny hint of what was to become a lifelong passion for fishing.

This account could apply to any number of rod-and-reel enthusiasts whose interest in fishing was first born by a bout with a bluegill. This small but scrappy game fish -- among Iowa’s most common species -- has long offered rookie anglers their first taste of fishing and afforded old-timers a trot down memory lane.

In the Hawkeye State, bluegill fishing appears to be coming of age. Studies and surveys have shown that this spunky little game fish is thriving in our waters -- and its prospects are only getting better.

What should you look for when it’s time to choose your bluegill destination? A few things merit consideration.

“Bluegills are fish that like clear water, and they seem to do well in lakes with good water quality,” said James Wahl, a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Clear Lake Fish Management Unit.

Good bluegill waters typically have a distribution of submerged vegetation that seems to help promote better growth among the species, said Wahl. Another factor for which to look is a balanced predator-prey relationship between bluegills and largemouth bass. Without a healthy population of medium-sized bass, bluegills reproduce far too quickly and can easily overpopulate a lake. Bass in the medium-size range are aggressive and can consume enough bluegills to keep the density low and allow the surviving bluegills to grow large.

Here’s a look at Iowa lakes that should produce well this year, as well as a snapshot of the Mississippi River fishery. These waters are coming on strong for 2008.

TWELVE MILE LAKE
“Twelve Mile Lake in Union County was renovated in 2005, and (some) bluegills are already up to 8 1/2 inches long, with most being from 6 1/2 to 8 inches,” said Iowa Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Gary Sobotka. “There’s a lot of new habitat on the west shore, including five new fishing mounds. Most of the jetties have had gravel spawning areas added to their sides. All of these would be excellent places to fish for bluegill in the spring.”

The diet of mature bluegills consists mainly of aquatic insects. The small mouths of bluegills limit the size of the species that they eat, and dictates that baits used by anglers be just as small. Try fishing with small jigs or a No. 8 long-shanked hook tipped with a piece of night crawler. Suspend this bait under a quarter-sized bobber when fishing bedding bluegills on Twelve Mile in May and June. If you’re looking for a fishing trip with your kids, this is the time of the year to go.

Twelve Mile Lake covers 640 acres four miles east of Creston. For more information contact the IDNR’s Mt. Ayer Fisheries Unit at (641) 464-3108.

LAKE ICARIA
“Lake Icaria was renovated in 2004,” said the IDNR’s Sobotka, “and the growth and abundance of bluegills has been very good. Most of the bluegills are from 6 to 8 inches and should be very easy to catch. The lake has a dozen new fishing mounds with gravel tops that frequently hold bluegills.”