Enjoy the outdoors with Gary Finch
Panfishermen watch for magic moments
By Steve Layton, Vice President, Finch Enterprises
Springtime in the South ushers in a host of outdoor activities. While turkey hunters are entering the woods, and campers are visiting their favorite sites, it’s the fishermen who are watching and waiting for the planets to align for a magical moment in time.
Fishermen understand the importance of matching the proper water temperature with the phase of the moon. When these two events coincide it triggers a biological process that has been repeated for millions of years. When these two key ingredients meet the optimum requirements, southern panfish will begin their annual spawning cycles.
For long-time fishermen, the term most often used is “the bream are on the bed.” In describing this occurrence, they are typically referring to the spawning cycle of the bluegill. In our waters there are as many as fourteen distinct species of panfish, and even more can be counted if you include the hybrids that have been introduced for stocking ponds. Out of that list, the most common and popular of all the species is the bluegill.
During the spawning cycle, bluegill will begin to move into the shallow waters that cover gravel or sandy bottoms. If there is plenty of structure in the form of vegetation, snags and stumps, then this location has all the makings of a true “bream bed.” The first spawn will be the most dramatic, but if the environmental conditions remain favorable, multiple spawns will continue into July. In some parts of the country, fishermen refer to these fish as “cycolay” which is translated as “cycle-lay” because the process will once again repeat itself in a predictable cycle.
Many bream fishermen return to the same locations year after year to find their favorite fish also returning for the annual “home-coming event.” The discovery of new spawning locations is generally conducted with fishermen sweeping the waters with baited fishing poles being used as divining rods. The method most often used is to look for all the right geographic requirements and then begin testing the waters by slowly drifting crickets or red worms. One to five fish in a single location does not constitute a bream bed. If timing and location are correct, the catch at a bream bed is more likely to produce around fifty or more.
When the fish are found, many anglers will resort to jigs or artificial flies rather than continuing to use live bait. It is not uncommon for large quantities of fish to come from an area no larger than a child’s wading pool. I’ve never met, nor do I want to meet, anyone who can’t find the enjoyment of fishing a bream bed. Men, women, young and old are equally captivated by these hard pulling “pan-sized” fish.
Another natural phenomenon that fisherman monitor is the mayfly hatch. Throughout the area each body of water will experience the annual hatch. Food, rather than spawning, is the driving force that creates a situation where bream will move into shore and stuff themselves on an endless source of easy dining. When the mayflies hatch and take flight, they land in overhanging willows or along the tall grasses surrounding the water. A well-presented cricket on the fly-rod or bream buster can be slung beneath the willows for instant success.
The mayfly hatch creates a feeding frenzy that draws springtime bluegills into gorging themselves on the delicate flies. The beginning of the hatch will yield some fantastic fishing while the middle and end of the cycle produces some fat but finicky fish.
The bluegill is the most widely dispersed panfish in southern waters and its popularity has this particular species stocked as a mainstay in lakes and ponds. The meat of the bluegill is a favorite among anglers and is excellent when fried to create a sweet, flaky, dish.
The second most popular fish is the redear sunfish. Many fishermen will furrow their brow while trying to picture a “redear sunfish.” Just mention the fish’s common name -- “shellcracker”-- and you’ll draw an instant smile along with an audience of interested anglers.
The redear is able to withstand a higher concentration of water salinity than the bluegill, and this enables it to survive the tidal influences found as rivers enter the Gulf of Mexico. The Mobile Delta area is a primary habitat for shellcracker fishing. The shellcracker’s nickname is derived from the specifically developed mouth used to crack and crush the various shells of mollusks and aquatic larvae that comprise its diet. Since it has a different food preference, the shellcracker is not seen as a direct competitor to the bluegill. Many fishermen like to take red worms to seek out shellcracker action, but they can also be caught on crickets.
By Steve Layton, Vice President, Finch Enterprises
Springtime in the South ushers in a host of outdoor activities. While turkey hunters are entering the woods, and campers are visiting their favorite sites, it’s the fishermen who are watching and waiting for the planets to align for a magical moment in time.
Fishermen understand the importance of matching the proper water temperature with the phase of the moon. When these two events coincide it triggers a biological process that has been repeated for millions of years. When these two key ingredients meet the optimum requirements, southern panfish will begin their annual spawning cycles.
For long-time fishermen, the term most often used is “the bream are on the bed.” In describing this occurrence, they are typically referring to the spawning cycle of the bluegill. In our waters there are as many as fourteen distinct species of panfish, and even more can be counted if you include the hybrids that have been introduced for stocking ponds. Out of that list, the most common and popular of all the species is the bluegill.
During the spawning cycle, bluegill will begin to move into the shallow waters that cover gravel or sandy bottoms. If there is plenty of structure in the form of vegetation, snags and stumps, then this location has all the makings of a true “bream bed.” The first spawn will be the most dramatic, but if the environmental conditions remain favorable, multiple spawns will continue into July. In some parts of the country, fishermen refer to these fish as “cycolay” which is translated as “cycle-lay” because the process will once again repeat itself in a predictable cycle.
Many bream fishermen return to the same locations year after year to find their favorite fish also returning for the annual “home-coming event.” The discovery of new spawning locations is generally conducted with fishermen sweeping the waters with baited fishing poles being used as divining rods. The method most often used is to look for all the right geographic requirements and then begin testing the waters by slowly drifting crickets or red worms. One to five fish in a single location does not constitute a bream bed. If timing and location are correct, the catch at a bream bed is more likely to produce around fifty or more.
When the fish are found, many anglers will resort to jigs or artificial flies rather than continuing to use live bait. It is not uncommon for large quantities of fish to come from an area no larger than a child’s wading pool. I’ve never met, nor do I want to meet, anyone who can’t find the enjoyment of fishing a bream bed. Men, women, young and old are equally captivated by these hard pulling “pan-sized” fish.
Another natural phenomenon that fisherman monitor is the mayfly hatch. Throughout the area each body of water will experience the annual hatch. Food, rather than spawning, is the driving force that creates a situation where bream will move into shore and stuff themselves on an endless source of easy dining. When the mayflies hatch and take flight, they land in overhanging willows or along the tall grasses surrounding the water. A well-presented cricket on the fly-rod or bream buster can be slung beneath the willows for instant success.
The mayfly hatch creates a feeding frenzy that draws springtime bluegills into gorging themselves on the delicate flies. The beginning of the hatch will yield some fantastic fishing while the middle and end of the cycle produces some fat but finicky fish.
The bluegill is the most widely dispersed panfish in southern waters and its popularity has this particular species stocked as a mainstay in lakes and ponds. The meat of the bluegill is a favorite among anglers and is excellent when fried to create a sweet, flaky, dish.
The second most popular fish is the redear sunfish. Many fishermen will furrow their brow while trying to picture a “redear sunfish.” Just mention the fish’s common name -- “shellcracker”-- and you’ll draw an instant smile along with an audience of interested anglers.
The redear is able to withstand a higher concentration of water salinity than the bluegill, and this enables it to survive the tidal influences found as rivers enter the Gulf of Mexico. The Mobile Delta area is a primary habitat for shellcracker fishing. The shellcracker’s nickname is derived from the specifically developed mouth used to crack and crush the various shells of mollusks and aquatic larvae that comprise its diet. Since it has a different food preference, the shellcracker is not seen as a direct competitor to the bluegill. Many fishermen like to take red worms to seek out shellcracker action, but they can also be caught on crickets.
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