Bluegills or Bust??

[Tony Livingston]

BBG members.....a penny for your thoughts.

As I look around the pages and the photos posted here, I see a vast array of species portrayed alongside the almighty Lepomis......certainly our members are well versed anglers, capable of emerging triumphant during hand-to-fin combat with any number of fishes, but it gives me reason to ponder.

Just what constitutes a serious BG outing, or endeavor, where BBG folks are concerned?

Are you happy to just be fishing, content with a tug on your line from anything that swims, or have you set out on a mission, your quarry identified and targeted? I realize there are times when it's simply good to be outside and near the water, enjoying a simple pleasure in today's hectic world. I've been there myself. And I know there are instances where necessity comes into play....our good friend Jim Gronaw makes a living pursuing and writing about fish....All fish. And, understandably, It looks like he enjoys it greatly.

But what about those times when you're out to catch BG ( and I'm going to lump all lepomids together under this BG category....something I NEVER do!)......or do you ever set out with just that goal in mind? If you do, what constitutes the difference between a successful outing, and a skunk? I you don't catch many BG, but load up on Crappie and Catfish, was the day still a success? Or are you disappointed?

I'll stick my neck out, and admit that I am disappointed if I don't catch BG....that's what I'm fishing for. I quit multi-species angling some years ago, so if I catch something other than a Lepomid, it was probably by accident. Which does happen.....you can't always control what hits your jig, or picks up your bait....but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. And If I continue to catch non-targeted fish, I will move, or pack it up and head home.

So, in the spirit of conversation, and remembering that all legal practices, techniques, and personal practices are to be respected, what do the members of BBG consider a serious BG effort....or do you even believe in such a thing?

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Amen, Eric!
Thanks for being the "new kid," buddy.

[Charles Ray Herrington]

I just luv to fish. After hunting season is over I start out after crappie, witch may be my favorite. Later on when I go fishing I am like Mr. Abney, I always try to get some grass shrimp. These are the best fish bait I have ever used and when you tip a jig or use a hook you will catch anything that's down there. I also set out trot line in the heat of the summer. Love to eat catfish out of a river. Shoot, I even set out nets to catch buffalo. I just love to catch and eat fish. I even eat gar. Gar gravy, yea.

[Bo Arnold]

My year starts with Crappie down south in Miss. We don't get them like that here so I really look forward to a week long trip down there. Then its usually BG for a while. Then catfish. What I find is I enjoy the folks I fish with as much as the fishing. Just last week went on a cat trip with a friend that had just lost his dad. We fished a stretch of river he and his dad had always fished and he had a story about every stop we made. He needed healing time and I enjoyed the company. We caught and released over 40 nice fish and only kept one flathead. That was his dads favorite and I know that is why we kept it. Fishing is therapeutic and he needed the therapy.. My next trip is going to be to Reelfoot with the grand-kids for a couple of days of BG fishing. I won't get to do much but they will have a blast and that's what it is all about.As far as a serious BG guy I am more of a serious thank you lord for the day guy. Thanks for letting me ramble.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Great ramble, Bo!
Thanks for sharing.

[Mike Schmidt]

Hi guys and gals.  New member as well as new gill fisherman with my 2 cents:

As a brand new gill fisherman, I can say that I target gills 100% of the time...on my one trip so far. Ha-ha!  I have a mildly humorous (at least to me!) story on this topic: And keep in mind that until that first gill trip, I lived for catching northern pike.  The fight they put up is awesome!  And I think they taste great.

But I digress...  On my one and only gill fishing expedition, a 14-16" pike cruised thru and grabbed onto my jig.  My immediate reaction was disgust.  I was gill fishing!  What was that thing doing not only scaring the gills away, but now getting ready to bite my line off and steal my jig!?  When he spit the jig out, I breathed a sigh of relief.  Until it dawned on me that trying to get that guy in on my ultralight setup would have been fun, fun, FUN!

So I guess I do get pretty serious about the species I am targeting.  But at the end of the day, if I have a few different species for supper, that is OK with me...after I think about it for a bit.  :-)

As far as fishing vs. catching; I fish every single time I go out.  If I spend 8 hours on the water and don't catch a thing, I may feel a tad disappointed while I'm there...but shortly after starting my drive home I wish I could have stayed longer and continued to catch nothing.

[Dustin W. Newer]

When i was younger ( 20-25) I used to bass fish 12 months out of the year, that is all except for the first full moon in June. That's when my fly rod and float tube and poppers came out of hiding.

The beautiful thing about fishing the fly and poppers for me is you do have a chance to catch anything that swims. I much prefer to catch 8" gills and up but when a 4 pound pass sucks down your popper without any disturbance but a slight "sip" sound, or when a 10 pound carb gets you into your backing or a 2 pound channel cat spins you around your float tube like a top, it is seasoning upon cherished blue gill memories. But the best memories of all are palming those rare ( for me) 9.5"-10" gills!