By Ronell Smith

In Georgia, the month of May is typically the signal that the shad spawn is in full bloom on most reservoirs, a period when largemouths, hybrids, spotted bass, stripers and white bass can be caught just about at will as they roam riprap and seawalls in search of an easy meal. But unbeknownst to many anglers, some of the best reservoir fishing during this time of the year isn't for bass at all. It's for panfish, including bluegills and shellcrackers.

Late April and early May are usually the periods when these fish storm the shallows, fan out beds and set up residence. Better yet, these species remain shallow for about two months as new spawning fish move in and others move off.

Reservoirs as a whole have a much-deserved reputation for not producing good populations of bream. That fact is largely owed to most large bodies of water having too many predator species to allow the fish to attain sufficient size or numbers, according to senior fisheries biologist Alfred Mauldin.

He said bream typically grow best where their only predators are largemouth bass. Where this is the case, it helps control the overall numbers of the smaller fish and thus aids in producing a healthy population of bream. This occurrence is more typical in small lakes and ponds where bream don't have to avoid predators such as hybrid bass, stripers and white bass or compete with prey species like threadfin shad and blueback herring.

"Reservoirs where bream do well are a rarity," Mauldin pointed out.

All our big lakes hold panfish, but Clarks Hill, Jackson and Blue Ridge are three of the best for catching some big ones. Photo by Ronell Smith

However, there are exceptions to the rule. For example, lakes Clarks Hill and Oconee may offer some of the best largemouth fishing in the state, but their respective bluegill and shellcracker populations are quite substantial. In fact, on Clarks Hill shellcrackers of more than 2 pounds are not at all uncommon, and fish weighing more than 1 pound are indeed quite common.

What's more, on reservoirs such as these the fish are largely ignored, with many anglers unknowingly passing over their beds as they chase largemouths and other species. But it does appear that more fishermen are learning their lesson.

Lincolnton resident Dale Turner has fished for shellcrackers for 30 years on Clarks Hill, boating literally hundreds of fish each year. He said that when he began going after these scrappy creatures, there were few fishermen doing the same. Now he has plenty of company.

"Back in those days, people thought bream fishing was only good in your small lakes and ponds," said Turner. "Now you don't have to worry about that; they're everywhere.

"People have now learned they are just as good on the big lakes," he went on.

Maybe that was inevitable, because the fish on these large lakes are not any more difficult to catch than they are on small ponds. All it usually takes to have a good day of angling is a small boat, a few boxes of worms or a carton of crickets, and a bream pole. There's no need for fancy rods and expensive reels. These fish aren't into appearances. What they are into, however, is mild temperatures, shallow water and well-placed bait.

Typically, if the water is a sufficiently warm 65 to 70 degrees, bluegills begin spawning around the first full moon in April. During this period, they can be found in hard-bottomed areas in water about 2 to 6 feet in depth, where they can be caught with everything from night crawlers and red worms to Beetle Spins and small jigs. Their cousins, the shellcrackers, usually spawn a little later and are typically found along hard-bottomed areas with a mussel bed nearby.

These locations are plentiful on large lakes. Several reservoirs offering excellent bream fishing from late spring through summer are Clarks Hill, Oconee, Jackson and Blue Ridge. Each of these bodies of water is different - some deeper, some clearer - but each produces excellent bream.

Turner's strategy for targeting shellcrackers on Clarks Hill is to begin searching the coves on the northwest section of the lake for the presence of the fish in late April. He trolls around the edges, looking for their distinct saucer-shaped beds near pebble-laden, sandy banks. During periods of low water, as was the case when Georgia was ravaged by drought leading up to last year, the beds are clearly visible. In high water, he relies on the smell given off by the high number of fish in a small area. The odor is a pungent, fishy odor.

"You can't hardly find a 2-mile stretch of bank that doesn't have shellcracker," he said. "And you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out."

When the water is low, he usually anchors off the shore a little way and throws pink worms fished on a 1/32-ounce jighead or No. 6 hook back to the nest, using a spinning real loaded with 6- to 8-pound-test line.

But when heavy rains swell the lake's waters, flooding brush and standing timber, Turner goes looking for the thickest cover he can find in water anywhere from 1 to 3 feet deep. Often this cover takes the form of buttonbush, which is prevalent throughout the lake. The fish orient to these flooded plants, and when they do, he knows how to catch them.

First, he works the edge of the plants, looking for fish on the outside that are waiting for an easy meal. If he finds no takers, though, Turner moves his boat right on top of the bushes and begins to fish for the panfish vertically.

Using a pink worm with a small split shot attached just above the hook, he lowers the bait into holes near the center of the plants.

"I've fished stuff so thick that you couldn't bring the hook out without a fish's mouth being on it," he said. "If the fish's mouth is around the hook, it's easier to get it out with him on it than just the hook by itself."

As the month progresses, continue to move farther north on Clarks Hill in search of bedding panfish, as those in the cooler, northern waters typically spawn later. Turner said the shellcracker fishing on the lake remains good well into June. He recommended that anglers move around the lake until they find the fish.