With the water level of my favorite lake at least 7 feet below full pool, instead of fishing, this evening I hiked all around the lake (it's only 45 acres) taking extensive photos of the entire shoreline, and trying to find new structures/ covers.

I came across these: see photos. Each indentation had a diameter of about a foot, were maybe five to six inches deep, and each cluster had 10-12 of those. Found three of these clusters. Well, are these abandoned bluegill beds? Or beds of some other (forage) fish? There's crappie and probably carp in this lake.

What makes you think they aren't bass beds? Whatever they are they are pretty cool.

What makes you think they aren't bass beds? Whatever they are they are pretty cool.

Bass make their beds singly. Bluegill beds are like a colony.

The point of the original question was, if they were bluegill beds, bass will hang around them next year, and of course I marked the spots. Three more locations to fish.

This lake is shore-fishing only, and the "beds" are about 50-60 feet offshore at full pool. No way I can detect them 10 feet under water standing on the shore, even with my polarized 7-eye glasses.

I searched bluegill beds and this is what came up, so I think you were right.

Bluegill beds for sure. The first time I saw them I thought they were a bunch of tires on the bottom of the lake. If you can find them on beds like that they are a blast on a popping bug and a flyrod! A U2 bluegill swam around the edges of the beds can catch some really big bass looking for a wandering bluegill too.