Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2020 - 34

Summer's
Super 'Seeds
and 'Gills
by Darl Black
photos by the author
Some anglers may be surprised to learn Bluegills and
Pumpkinseeds are among my top ten favorite species.
Why? The answer-good old-fashioned fishing fun. You
do not have to travel far to find these fish, and when
everything else has lockjaw, sunfish are still eating.
Although separate species, I generally lump
Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds together when discussing
techniques, because both species are found side-by-side
in the lakes I intensively fish during the summer.
My favorite time to fish for 'seeds and 'gills is
mid-July through early September, as opposed to late
spring when so many anglers target beds. Why summer?
I find the big ones in the summer.
A friend of mine specializes in catching big panfish
from certain types of ponds and small shallow lakes in
southeastern Pennsylvania and Maryland while fishing
from shore. He is good at it. However, my approach is just
the opposite-I fish deep.
Select lakes with reasonably clear water and ones that
feature hard bottom areas in the 12- to 25-foot depths.
The lake must have a decent population of predator fish
to keep sunfish in check. Personally, I cannot find qualitysize Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds from dingy or muddy
water lakes.
In northwest Pennsylvania, sunfish species typically
spawn primarily from late May through early July. By
mid-July, weed growth usually has reached its peak growth
on the flats, and many Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds hang
around the vegetation all summer.
However, most of the big fish move offshore where
panfish form small schools or packs to search out food as
deep as 28 feet. These offshore panfish feed on the usual
fare of insect larvae and nymphs, aquatic worms, and other
invertebrates, plus small minnows and crayfish.
Turn on your fish finder sonar and begin cruising long
points and humps, working from the outside edge of weed

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * July/August 2020

growth to the thermocline. Points and humps are going to
be firm bottom sites.
If there are objects on these areas such as a pile of rocks, a
sunken boat, logs, or man-made fish crib, so much the better.
While most Bluegill packs will roam, there will always be
some 'gills and 'seeds that hold on these deep objects.
Crisscross a point or hump with sonar until you spot
a pack of Bluegills moving in the water column. If you
see similar size fish hugging the bottom, these may be
Pumpkinseeds. Pumpkinseeds do not hold high in the
water column.
When I spot a group of panfish, I immediately drop a
buoy, then begin working a circular pattern around the
spot while vertically fishing a drop shot rig. If you have the
new forward-looking LiveScope™ sonar, staying on the pack
should be easier.
The best rod is a light power, 7-foot rod with a soft tip.
Light bites are most often detected by the rod tip being
pulled slightly downward. Use 4- or 6-pound-test line. I
recommend a high-visibility line, so you can tell if your
presentation is drifting too far.
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2020

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