Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

Smell your way to Bedding Blue Gills

 

I grew up summers living on the lake during the summer vacations and weekends during school months. I slept next to the window 70 ft away from the lake edge. During times when I awoke during the late spring and summer days I would be hit with that particular scent… those same times I would notice bedding gills sometimes many hundreds in numbers spawning in the shallows in front of our sea wall.

 

The lake was near eutrophic in identity with muck approaching several feet in thickness… our cottage shore line was kept free of muck by constant swimming and boating use as well as maintenance with raking. The bluegills apparently loved it bedding on the firm sand bottom. So through the years I always associated the smell with spawning gills … but never knew the reason.

 

Recently through some digging and research I learned it is a pheromone released by male and female bluegills to attract others to the colony to spawn. 

More...

 

Views: 1230

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Very cool memory Slip and interesting observations.I once read in a book (wish i could recall which one ) where the Author said the smell of bedding Bluegills smelled something akin to Cucumbers. I read that long ago and have noticed what he meant many times.

kind of like cucumbers, but to me more of honey dew melon or ripe water melon.  i cant smell very well any more but can still smell it in the bottoms when the thousands of beds get going.  most of the time you can find them by the bubbles, floating grass and the oil slick they create while spawning.

RSS

Latest Activity

Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo
3 minutes ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Emerald Splashed Summertime Black Crappie…..8/14/2025

"Thanks Bruce……really for me if I can go catch 15 or 20 crappie I’m never…"
18 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
18 hours ago
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
18 hours ago
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
18 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
20 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
21 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
21 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
21 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Back to triple digit heat index…high water on the marsh, falling wind tide, mostly cloudy….found the tidal crappie very aggressive.."
21 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

august sheps2

"Pretty colors…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

august sheps2

"Nice fish on a good looking day….."
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

august sheps2

"Brute chain!"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

august sheps2

"Cheers guys!"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

fish3

"Some nice fish Dick!"
yesterday
dick tabbert posted photos
yesterday
John Sheehan posted photos
yesterday
John Sheehan posted a photo

august sheps2

Three Men in a 14' Boat Back at the house for a post game wrap up and a few Beers
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

shepsaug25g

"Glad you guys had a good day, I can understand The injury, a chain pickerel got me in the thumb…"
Wednesday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

shepsaug25g

"Yes Jeff ,not catching great this year as a result ,lol. Yesterday was pretty good though .Three…"
Wednesday

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service