Cerulean Springs Big Bluegill on the Nest

I have told this story a few times before but I want to remind folks that some of the bigger bluegills may nest as deep as 20 ft in really clear water.

While scuba diving at the Old Cerulean Springs Rock Quarry back in the early 1970's I observed some HUGE Sunfish on the nest in very deep water.

This rock quarry is over 5o ft deep and has sheer cliff sides. But there is one spot on this one end of the quarry back then that was probably an entry ramp into the bottom of the quarry.

This sloped area is made of gravel and it's quite steep. I would guess maybe 40 deg or so.

I found these huge sunfish guarding these nests this one dive. I was amazed at this. I didn't have a depth gage but I estimate that they were down about 20 ft deep.

I wish I had taken an underwater camera with me. The sunlight was filtering down though the water and making a nice light show on the these nests.

It's something I won't forget.

So if you are looking for some big gills don't forget to check out the deeper waters on deep sloping points that go out into the deepest water of the lake.

Buck Perry use to say to find the points that connected the deepest water to the shallows. And he was right. That's where you find a lot of the fish. My dad taught me to fish points when I was only 8 years old. We caught a lot of largemouth bass together.

But when the bass are gone the big bluegills can move in to spawn in early June or Late May.