I've read the posts in both locations of this thread. My dad's pond is similar. There are gills from 2-13". To get the bigger ones, over 8-9" takes some work. His water is clear, so the fish are spooky. I don't use my vexilar because of the noise. I only use my camera, this is where the camera shines. Like you said, there's only so many places they can go, and likely you know the pond well. Often the key for bluegill on the ice is to go small. Use smaller offerings like a gill pill or a pinmin. Give them different profiles to look at also, some lures are designed to fish vertically, others horizontally, they will prefer different lures at different times, sometimes all in one day. Fishing depth can depend on light, panfish tend to be vertical movers, meaning they'll feed shallower in lower light(morning, evening, night) and will move deeper during periods of higher light penetration. Also your live bait, try a single spike on your lure, as smaller is often king. And I agree with the poster who said go light. Most of my gill fishing is done on a super light dead stick panfish rod with 1 pound test. And the best advice is never quit moving, drill, drill, drill until you find them. Sometimes I'll drill 30 holes before a lure sees the water. And if your primary food source is freshwater snails maybe start fishing near the bottom, as this is where the snails will be hiding.
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