Unless it's spawning season in late May and early June, the jumbo bluegills and redears remain out of sight, holding in water from 5 to 15 feet deep. Taylor doesn't use any tricks when he fishes for Gatewood's supersized sunfish. Usually, he fishes live bait on or near the bottom. Often he sets the rig up like a bass fisherman's Carolina rig. He ties the leader to a small barrel swivel that is tied to the main line, then he attaches a small weight or two to the line above the swivel.
Red worms are a safe bet for bait.
Meal worms also work, as do crickets. Sometimes Taylor drifts along the shoreline, bumping the bait on the bottom until he finds fish. Other times he anchors and fan casts. Artificial lures such as beetle spins and fly rod poppers can take Gatewood's big sunfish, too, especially during the spawning season when the fish are in shallow water. Because the lake isn't overpopulated with stunted sunfish, action is rarely fast and furious.