Hayes noted that the combination of good bluegill fishing and a pleasant state park setting makes Lake Anita, which covers 182 acres in Cass County a half-mile south of the town of Anita a favorite choice for local anglers. For more information, contact the IDNR’s Manchester Fish Management Unit at (563) 927-3276.

GREENFIELD CITY RESERVOIR
“Greenfield is another good bet for bluegills in May and June,” said Hayes. “The lake has good water clarity and a nice ring of aquatic vegetation around the shoreline. Bluegill sizes are excellent. Anglers will find fish up to 8 inches, with a few 9-inchers mixed in.”

The dry years between 2004 and 2006 allowed fisheries personnel to add pea gravel spawning beds around the shoreline. Fish these beds in the late spring and you’re likely to go home with a bucketful of ‘gills.

Cast a small brown or black jig to the edge of the vegetation and retrieve it slowly to catch the males guarding the nests, said Hayes. Once the water warms up and the ‘gills are finished spawning, they’ll move to the outside edges of the weeds to feast on the abundant insects and other small organisms. They’ll also be tougher to catch.

Following the spawn, bigger bluegills tend to hold in deeper than their smaller brethren. If you’re catching only small fish in several feet of water, increase the size of your offering or weight it a bit and plummet it down past the little guys to reach their larger cousins.

Only electric motors are allowed at Greenfield City Reservoir, which is located a few miles south of Greenfield. Additional information is available from the Manchester Fish Management Unit at (563) 927-3276.

LAKE OF THREE FIRES
“Lake of Three Fires in Taylor County was renovated in 2005 and the fish growth there has been excellent,” said Gary Sobotka. “The bluegills should be very abundant and between 7 and 8 1/2 inches.”

Sobotka offered that the more popular spots to wet a line on Lake of Three Fires are the corners of the dam, the edges of the jetties and the fishing mounds along the campground shoreline. Some bank fishing is feasible, but a boat makes exploring these areas a lot easier.

Once the bedding ‘gills have moved off the nests, they’ll spend a short time in shallow water taking advantage of the insects before moving offshore. A jig tipped with a waxworm below a slip bobber can be fished along the edges of structure and is too tempting for post-spawn bluegills to resist.

Three Fires covers 95 acres of water three miles northeast of Bedford in Taylor County. For more information, contact the Mt. Ayer Fisheries Management Unit at (641) 464-3493.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER
“Right now bluegills seem to be doing very well on the river,” said IDNR fisheries biologist Scott Gritters. “The abundant aquatic vegetation we’ve experienced in recent years on the Mississippi seems to spur on fish like bluegills and yellow perch.”

In the springtime, bluegills move out of the more limited winter habitat in the deep backwaters that had little or no current. Dissolved oxygen is in short supply during the cold months, and these fish are ready to roam as soon as the temperatures start rising.

Warm weather finds the bluegills accessible to anglers just about anywhere that shallow cover and good bedding areas are to be found.