Bluegills find plenty of shallow spawning areas scattered around the lake, and have relatively little fishing pressure put on them. Once the big bulls finish their parental responsibilities, they slip back into the depths, where they're difficult to locate throughout the summer. Bigger bluegills hold on submerged cover in deeper water in loose schools of several fish around sunken points, deep outside weed edges and rocks where insects can be found. If you tag one of these thick-sided 'gills in the hot-weather months, you'll probably find more in the same spot.

"I've fished Stockton in May and June and had good success, but I catch most of them in July and August," said Terry Dalton of Horsecreek Outfitters. "It seems that the hotter the weather, the better. On the shady side of the mile-long bridge is my favorite spot, and in warmer weather I fish about 30 feet down. The bridge heading into the Sons Creek Arm is also a good spot. I like crickets, but worms will work well, too."

The two best ramps are the Ruark Bluff ramp near Arcola and the Cedar Ridge ramp north of Dadeville. Other ramps include the Greenfield Access near Greenfield, Mutton Creek off Highway 215, the Stockton State Park access, the High Point and Aldrich ramps near Aldrich, the Masters ramp off Highway 245 and the Stockton, Orleans Trail, Crabtree Cove and Hawker Point access sites near Stockton.

A map of artificial brushpiles made primarily of sunken trees is available online from the MDC's Web site. These piles of woody cover are scattered along much of the lake's shoreline.

For more information, contact the Springfield MDC office at (417) 895-6880 in southwestern Missouri, or Horsecreek Outfitters at (417) 682-1951.

TABLE ROCK
Another lake that bends the rules, Table Rock offers some outstanding bluegill fishing and is one of the better waters in southwestern Missouri, according to fisheries management biologist Mike Mauck.

Table Rock is better known for its outstanding white bass, largemouth and walleye fishing, which is great news for bluegill anglers. Most anglers aren't there for the pugnacious little panfish, the result being little pressure and good numbers of fish. "Bluegill from 8 to 10 inches are common in Table Rock," said Mauck.

The fish prefer to fan out nests in the pea-gravel lake bottom, said Mauck. The smaller embayments and pockets off of the main coves are the primary spawning areas. It's not unusual to find nests as deep as 9 or 10 feet, which is much deeper than on most other waters.