Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

Information

Your Pond

This group is about your pond. How's it going? Questions on what to do next. Fish size and type.

Members: 46
Latest Activity: Aug 16, 2018

Discussion Forum

Fish Feeding 13 Replies

I have a 5 acre pond with bass,bluegill, crappie, and catfish. I was thinking about getting a protein based food called Aquafeed to feed the fish in order to keep them fat and healthy. Is this a good…Continue

Started by Wade Jones. Last reply by Terry E Brand Aug 16, 2018.

Bad Luck Stories 1 Reply

I caught 4 bluegill Thurs. before I laid my pole down around a post, and went to get my fishing chair. It never got pulled in before when I did this, but it did then. Whatever it was swam all around…Continue

Started by 10.5" RES Sharon. Last reply by David, aka, "McScruff" Jun 22, 2013.

Looking for Rotenone or someone to do it cheap 1 Reply

Thanks for this cool group everyone!  I currently have a 1/4 acre pond that I'm wanting to redo.  I am unable to locate a source for Rotenone or someone to do it for a good price.  I live in MD, so…Continue

Started by Chris Roberts. Last reply by Ryan McCaw Apr 27, 2013.

Skinny bluegill and bass 6 Replies

Hey everyone hope you all are great fishing season and enjoying the summer, unfortunately at my pond the fish are not doing all that great this summer. My pond has always produced 4 to 5 pound bass…Continue

Started by Wade Jones. Last reply by Mike Cross Oct 11, 2012.

Comment Wall

Comment

You need to be a member of Your Pond to add comments!

Comment by Billy Fason on January 24, 2010 at 1:32am
Hello all,
I live in Central Arkansas and have two ponds on my place. I have a fishing pond that is about half to three quarter acres and about ten feet deep at the deepest point. There is an island at one end of the rectangular pond and it is stocked with Channel Cats, redear, coppernose, black crappie, bluegill, and some sunfish. I add fathead minnow and feed the fish. I also have a small round pond about six feet deep and about fifty feet across. This I use for raising fathead minnows and very young bream. The two ponds are connected with a shallow canal that I block off to prevent transfer of fish. This spring I plan on changing types of food, add a feeder, an aerator, and a spawning net pool. I have some very large cats, a few large bass, and a lot of bream of all kinds. To date I have caught a few in the eleven inch range, but most are around eight to nine inches. Look forward to hearing what you guys do with your ponds. I moved here a year ago and the ponds were preexisting so working on gettting them where I want them. Grandkids love to fish here as they bream barely let a hook hit the water before they are on the hook.
Comment by Walt Foreman on January 23, 2010 at 10:38pm
If you want big bluegill, you need to release the larger bluegill, especially the males; you can keep the hybrids, but release the larger (9"+) northern-strain (or coppernose if you have them) bluegill. Keeping the larger ones and not keeping the smaller ones can lead to inferior genetics through cuckold males fertilizing most of the nests rather than mature males.
Comment by Magnolia Rick on January 23, 2010 at 7:58pm
Comment by Magnolia Rick on January 23, 2010 at 7:46pm
Walt
Your right about the HBG and BG this was posted on pond boss that back up you comment.

100 LMB would give you a 5:1 (reproducing) bream:bass ratio. IIRC that is generally considered bass heavy stocking down Texas way. If you were up North I would advise going with 200 LMB, and I suggest you consider it anyway based on more Southern responses to the question.

I would not have bothered stocking any HBG along with the Coppernose, but I do not consider it a huge mistake. Under proper big bream management, the HBG will outgrow the CNBG for maybe a year (maybe not at all). My experience with stocking both hybrids and regular BG was that the HBG were a non-entity after a couple of years. Go ahead and remove the HBG and enjoy eating them as soon as they reach what you consider to be harvestable size. I suspect that after the first CNBG spawn grow a little, you will see a hybrid rarely if ever.

If you manage bass-heavy, any HBG offspring that are more GSF-like will be preferred bass forage. Not to worry on that front.

Edited by Theo Gallus (10/14/09 01:20 PM)
Comment by Magnolia Rick on January 23, 2010 at 7:25pm
I have both, seem that my sons (4 of them 21, 23,24,26) have been fishing local lake and adding them in the pond. The 400 I stocked were the hybird. But I'm think the bass that were in my pond at the time I stock most likely eat haft of them. I have been recording all the fish being catch from the pond. Take pictures and weight them. Right now the bass sizes run between 8" to 12" I'm think that I'd wait until September and start removing Bass under 10" and blue gills 10" and larger
what your take.
Comment by Walt Foreman on January 23, 2010 at 6:54pm
The bluegill in the photo above, I'm almost certain, is not a hybrid but rather a common northern-strain bluegill. It's a healthy one, so that's good. If you have common-strain bluegill in your pond, they'll provide lots of forage for the bass. And, I wouldn't drop below 75 or 100 bass so they keep the bluegill well-thinned so the ones that survive grow faster and bigger.

I had thought based on some other photos you've posted in the past that your bluegill didn't look like hybrids - this one definitely doesn't.
Comment by Magnolia Rick on January 23, 2010 at 6:28pm
Comment by Magnolia Rick on January 23, 2010 at 6:21pm
http://www.suttlefish.com/Stock_Hybrid_Bluegill.html
This is one of the site I reviewed before stocking my pond. I also contact Texas A & M University. I'll post thier comment. This is why this group is so vital do to you who have been there done that. again keep the information coming
Comment by Magnolia Rick on January 23, 2010 at 3:14pm

ok just came in from the pond. Little lest then 3 hrs 6 bass and 1 gill.

Comment by Walt Foreman on January 23, 2010 at 1:41pm
$14K is very cheap for a four-acre pond - very, very cheap. I've never heard of a pond that size being built for less short of the landowner owning a bulldozer - and I wouldn't recommend that unless you have experience building ponds.

Rick, crappie are terrible for ponds - they won't provide much forage for bass as they spawn before the bass do so the crappie young-of-year are too big for the YOY bass to eat every year, and the crappie also quickly reach the size that only very large bass can eat them, and then they overpopulate the pond. For the bass pond you'd be much better off stocking golden shiners as an additional forage, but you should also stock bluegill (common-strain, not hybrid) in that pond as the forage base.

It's a shame that many hatcheries mislead pond owners just to make a few bucks, but it happens a lot. Sorry to hear you got taken.
 

Members (46)

 
 
 

Latest Activity

John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Spoon Bass

"Thanks Jeff!"
10 hours ago
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Rattle Trap Bass

"Yes, the front one at least! What do you suppose happened there ,Jeff?"
10 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Rattle Trap Bass

"Another good bass…..his dorsal fin is almost gone completely….."
10 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

25"+Spoon Pick

"Big chain, very nice!"
10 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Spoon Bass

"Nice bass John!"
10 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
10 hours ago
John Sheehan added a discussion to the group Lure History
Thumbnail

Discontinued Lures

Some of my favorites I can't find anymore: Acme Fash King Flutter Spoon, Eppinger Flutter Chuck,…See More
yesterday
John Sheehan posted photos
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

25"+Spoon Pick

"25+inch Pickerel was best of the 13 Fish caught today a day after the Worm Moon. Two Bass and the…"
Tuesday
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"1/16th oz., good!"
Tuesday
dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"These are my last build. I added more colors."
Tuesday
dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"No Jon I went with the 1/16 oz jig heads so I could have a larger hook for crappies. It's a #4…"
Tuesday
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"Colors are great !"
Monday
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"Thats a good Crappie size! Are they 32nd Oz Jigs?"
Monday
dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"They are right at 2" long."
Monday
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"I Can see Crappie and Bass chomping on them, Dick!"
Sunday
dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"I made these up for crappie in mind. They might be a little big for gills unless it a bigger gill."
Sunday
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"What Species you got in mind for these great Minnow ties , Dick?"
Sunday
dick tabbert posted photos
Sunday
John Sheehan commented on Sam k.'s group Trout Bums
""Trout Season opens April 6th 2024 in New Jersey. Waters are runnin' high for…"
Sunday

© 2024   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service