Photo by Terry Jacobs

Panfish are not the most glamorous of the game fish. But it's a pretty good bet that the various "bream" species are what most of us began our angling careers in pursuit of. Irrespective of the number of glamour species we have captured, bream always seem to drag us back into their world.

Even the most jaded angler still finds a spark of excitement when a fat bluegill, shellcracker, redbreast, green sunfish or any other pint-sized member of the clan latches onto a bait or lure presented on a willowy cane pole or ultra-light spinning rig. Get into a bunch of these fish, where you are getting virtually a fish per cast, and even the most accomplished angler can get caught up in the fever. A bonus of the action is that all of these panfish species are delectable on the table, making more than a few anglers relish the thought of heading out to their favorite panfish-catching spot.

Getting in on the fun, however, requires a bit of knowledge about bream. Most panfish species are primarily insect eaters and spend a lot of time in shallow water. Although the biggest members of the species do spend a large amount of time in deeper waters, even they make forays to the weeds to feed. Even at those times, the larger fish are normally scattered, and it's a matter of picking up one here and there.

Shellcrackers, however, are not nearly as dependent on forage found in vegetation as other panfish are, because insects are not a significant part of their diet. Their preferred food sources are found in deeper water. Scuba diving studies on some small, clear lakes have found that the vast majority of the adult shellcrackers spend most of their time well offshore and away from weeds or grass. That information also corroborates data gathered through electro-fishing sampling. Numerous studies have shown that the only time appreciable numbers of mature shellcrackers are in the shallows is during the spawning period.

Not surprisingly, creel data also indicates that the spawn is when anglers experience their best harvest for all panfish species. Find a spawning bed infested with bream and the fun begins! But it can take some work to achieve that goal.

Timing the spawn is a key to filling the cooler with shellcrackers, and that is dependent upon water temperature and moon phase.

The first spawn of the year normally occurs when the water temperature hits 75 to 77 degrees. Depending upon locale, that can be anywhere from mid-March to June. After that, subsequent spawns occur regularly throughout the summer, and bream have been observed bedding as late as October.

Water temperature obviously plays a role in the beginning of the spawning cycle, and it likely plays a role during the final spawn of the year. The moon phase is equally important in that it determines when maximum spawning activity occurs within that temperature range.

The first spawn of the year almost always occurs on the full moon nearest the time the optimum water temperature first occurs. Some bream, particularly bluegills and shellcrackers, spawn around the new moon during the summer, when water temperature are well above the minimum spawning range. But the preponderance of the data shows that the period extending from one week prior to the full moon to one week after the full moon sees the strongest activity. This is definitely when most creel surveys show the highest per-hour catch rates.

Expert bream anglers narrow that time frame down even farther -- to a few days before the full moon to three or four days after the full moon.

Males, which are normally larger than the females, show up first to cruise an area, stake out territory, and begin fanning beds. This usually starts a week before the full moon, and it may take that full week before the females move in to join them. During this "cruising period," the males are often reluctant to bite. Once the females show up, however, the action can get hot.