It’s bluegill time and there’s no better place to catch them than right now on the lakes and reservoirs of our state. No matter where you live, there’s a water near you that contains bluegills. Generally, bluegill spawns are successful year after year; therefore, stocking programs are usually unnecessary, excepting in newly formed impoundments. The drought of 2007 probably didn’t have much effect on bluegills. Fortunately, most were hatched before water levels dropped precariously low.

In fact, the drought may have helped in some areas. Weed and brush growth on exposed land was heavy in most parts of Indiana. As a consequence, there’s likely to be plenty of springtime cover in 2008. That’ll give these panfish countless places to build their nests. It’ll also give anglers plenty of places to fish.

This article will examine five top bluegill lakes in our state. They’re all public and for the most part big. However, as good as these places are, don’t think these are the only suitable spots to bluegill fish. They aren’t.

Bluegills live almost everywhere. Small municipal water supplies, farm ponds, borrow pits and golf course ponds are often overflowing with them. And they’re frequently the places for big-time panfishing. (Keep in mind that the state record, a 3- pound, 4-ounce giant was caught by Harold Catey some 35 years ago in a Greene County farm pond.)

With all that in mind, let’s take a closer look at five -- in no particular order -- of the best bluegill venues that the Hoosier State has to offer.

PATOKA RESERVOIR
This sprawling 8,800-acre impoundment is in south-central Indiana in Dubois, Orange and Crawford counties. Patoka Reservoir is within easy driving distance of nearly every major city or municipality in the central and southern part of the state.

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Patoka is a great place to fish for bluegills. There are a fair amount of shore-fishing opportunities and at least 11 boat ramps that’ll handle any reasonable sized fishing boat, including a fully equipped, modern bass boat.

Patoka bluegills spawn in stages from the middle of April through the last part of May, or in some years, the early part of June. That’s usually the best time to catch them, the biggest ones anyway. Most successful local anglers fish two general areas of the lake at this time of year -- main-lake shallow humps and backwater areas in the creeks.

The humps are easy enough to find by using your depthfinder. Follow the main-lake channel and look for sharp rises anywhere that push up to form flats.

The backwater areas of creeks are another matter. To find them, you’ll need nothing other than an eye on the shoreline. When you see a place with a cut into the hillside, or perhaps a place where a small inflow enters the water, you’re in the right spot.

Keep in mind that it doesn’t take much water to harbor bluegills. If you’re careful, and don’t bang around in the boat or shout too loudly along the shoreline, you can frequently fish all day in even the smallest of bluegill holding areas.