153 ENJOY THE SUMMERTIME BLUES Don't give up on slab bluegills once summer heat drives them from the shallows. Here are three killer tactics to catch big bulls in deep water. MATCH A MAYFLY HATCH With the exception of the spawn, mayfly hatches mean the best opportunities to catch big bluegills. Cruise the lake and check any place where wind corrals the bugs into confined areas near deep water (A). "Target the banks that are closest to the channel, where the wind blows the larvae into the bank," says Ron Lappin, a retired Kentucky guide and panfish pro. "The higher the bank, the better the hatch is. Look for places where the wind can blow across a large area." Cast to the bank and use a slow retrieve, occasionally pausing to let a spinner or jig glide on a semi-slack line just above bottom.

PITCH AROUND PILINGS Bridge pilings across deep areas and large tributaries offer vertical current breaks where bluegills can rise from cooler water to feed near the surface (B). In these spots, Lappin fishes a drop-shot rig: He suspends a Brim Reaper bug on a No. 6 long-shank cricket hook 12 to 18 inches above a 1/16 - to 1/8 -ounce cylinder weight. Lappin fishes it on a 9-foot float-and-fly rod and suggests keeping the line length no longer than the rod. "A lot of pilings have steel cross members between them," he says. "That's where you'll get the biggest concentrations of bluegills." CAST IN CURRENTS Most reservoirs have manmade current sources, such as a dam, its turbines, culverts, and locks (C). These attract bluegills and are best if they are in deeper spots or have a large concrete structure like a dock piling nearby.

"You'll see bluegills almost swarming in these areas after the spawn," says Lappin. He floats a live cricket, rigged on a No. 6 cricket hook, under an acorn-size bobber (Pinch two split shot onto the line between the cricket and bobber), starting on the sunny side of the structure, then shifts to the shaded side, casting directly against the dam.