Hey Jim. Thanks for commenting on my picture. To get your BigBluegill.com gear go here: http://shop.cafepress.com/design/32371654

12 ft huh ,were they on bottom or close?

What does PR stand for?

What does PR stand for? Delete Comment

All I can say to that is it must be nice to have to push a pen or some keys on the ole keyboard and then someone pays for your fishing gear.Way to go.I imagine its pretty dog eat dog in that business though just like any othere and probably not very easy.But you make your money working outdoors at least what sounds like most of the time.I envy you Jim. Have a good one.

I was waiting for you to catch that one!! I told her not to smile, it was all a set up for you, buddy!! Good times!!

Hey Jim, Wonder why I've got a sneaking suspicion that one of these days the name that holds the Piney Run Striper record is going to end in GRONAW!!!! Good luck to you and your son in catching that record fish!!!!!

I was just wondering because I'm not too fond of white bass, but they are quite different I'm sure. Thanks for the reply.

Jim, I know what you mean 'bout the "better halfs" catching some of the biggest fish or the most fish of the day! To make myself feel better about that situation, I always say, "If it weren't for your guide." I love it when they catch a ton fish though! All smilies here!

Hi jim what were you confused about on the booby fly.
Greg

Thanks Jim for the words of encouragement! I do alot of research before I go out to new water. That is what I spend most of time between outings. Redemtion was sought tonight!! No real big ones but has the potentional!!

Thanks Jim! That is exactly what I thought. We use the same technique up here for walleye a.k.a. "The almighty golden carp". Just checkin', you never know! Take care!

Hi Jim, The photo of the boobie fly, is going to be redone. Was thinking if show the fly in different stages of being tied. The fly is simple to tie but is time consuming due to the fabric paint, and waiting for it to dry. Do you think I should put something like that on the fly tying jig page or on my page?
I have kin folk on the eastern shore of Virginia, do they have the yellow pearch down there. I would sure like to catch one of the rascals.

Mr. Gronaw,
I really enjoyed the Backyard Budget article. I have a thought on a live bluegill rig. How about a quick strike rig like the muskie guys use on suckers. Instead of wire, use flourocarbon and somewhat smaller hooks. I'm gonna try it for flatheads in the Ohio river later this summer. I think the quick strike rig would bring joy to those who enjoy a good old fashioned eye crossing hookset.

Not sure if I am puter savey enough to do but am going to try.

Jim, I have to be at work at 6 a.m. and I will be there till who knows when. We have 1700 shirts to print! The hoppers were tied on size 10 and 12 hooks. Google Fishy's Hoppers to get the instructions. I will be posting something very special tomorrow night...stay tuned!

Morning Jim, My daughter taught me the computer skills. The first day I was home alone, went to looking for flies. Favorites are " NYMPHS". Thats what I typed in, Boy was my face RED

Ok Jim The step X step of the boobie is complete, It was a fun project but can you understand how too????????????

Hey Jim, I was out this evening for a little action and I got eaten up by the "Skeeters"!!! You can even see one in the sideview photo!!! This Brute fell for a 3 in Black Gulp Leech on a 1/32 oz jighead!!!!

Hey Jim,

Yes that is an Oscar and Holiday park is loaded with them.

unHOOKum Terry

Those hybrids can sure fight thats for sure. I was fishing them in a small paddleboat and they would take runs and pull me around. It was awesome. I haven't tried fishing em with spoons but I'll definitely have to give it a try next time out. -Good luck

Thanks Jim I Just started fly fishing last season , and blue gill are a blast on the fly. I'd like to fish some ponds do you know of any in the area ?

Thanks Jim, I hit this spot last season with flies and bait and had a ball. Have you tried Loch Raven Reservoir ?

Like using crankbaits to catch big bull gills? Join the crankbait group!

hey jim what do think of the new sage flyrods for bluegills and the cost.think that it worth the cost.what style do you use.

JIM, THANX FOR WRITING BACK. LUCKY YOU, HAVING GREAT WATERS TO FISH JUST 20 MILES FROM HOME. NICE BASS IN THAT POND, HUH?? ANY PICKEREL?? I LOVE CATCHING PICKEREL. GIVE ME A QUARTER OR THREE EIGHTS OZ. KASTMASTER & I CAN CATCH THE HELL OUT OF THEM ALL DAY!! FUNNY, I FOUND PICKEREL & SMALLIES LOVE THE SMALLER KASTMASTER, DONT KNOW WHY, THEY JUST JUMP ALL OVER IT. AFTER CASTING & BRINGING IT BACK IN, NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE LURE, YOU MUST WORK IT TO GIVE IT ACTION. THE REAL SMALL SIZE IS GREAT FOR GILLS, CRAPPIE & PERCH. TROUT ALSO. GREAT LITTLE LURE. ACTUALLY ITS A SPOON. YOU CAN FISH IT HORIZONTALLY OR VERTICALLY. WORKS GREAT BOTH WAYS. SEA YA, JEFF.

Jim, the same small lake. I'm just refining my big gill pattern for that lake. I do alot of research in the evening for new trophy lakes and spots. I look at creel census from the MN DNR. Research is vital for any kind of consistance, as you know. Keeping your findings secret, well that is another story!LOL!!

Hey Jim,

Okeechobee does have some panfish guides however they have NO fly rod guides. I have looked many times for fly guides and called several and they will tell you they are Bass guides that can show were the panfish are. I hired one several years ago that was a "panfish" guide and we spent most of the day looking for fish. Now with the lake back up there are a few airboat guys that are catching Bluegills in the back country.

Terry

Thanks Jim and I hope I can keep up with you guys! When I'm not fishing Im an outdoor photographer. Got 2 be outdoors! Ha!

Jim, Thanks for all the great comments! John and I had a blast! We are very fortunate up to have so many lakes and the fact that most everyone, but me and John fish for walleyes! LOL!!

Good morning
Smithville Lake is next to the town of Smithville in Missouri. We are just north of Kansas City. It is Army Corps land and home to quite a few bass tournies and some pretty good bluegill fishing at times. My daughters love to fish, my boys are ok with it. They all like to watch me clean fish (which I am not good at) but amazingly no one wants to get their hands dirty.

Hey Jim I would like to see Rocky Gap lake on a map.Do you ever use that map it feature when you add photos.That would help me see how far it is from me.

The bluegill are about 7 1/4 inc. long. They were really fat because the were putting on the weight for this coming winter. They were so fat I was able to get some thick flap meat as well.

Jim I dont see the map it feature anymore at this site.Of course maybe it was another site all along that had it.

Maybe Bruce will put it up .A map it feature allowed one to show the lake on a map to others

Jim I checked again the map it feature IS there! When you edit photos,click on and Map it and its very easy to use. u click in the direction of of the country,state ,and use zoom and nail the area.Maybe u r playin' possom and dont want me to know where those lake are !!Ha!

Thanks for looking at my new pics! I agree with you on crappies...they are so dang friendly, just the nicest fish you could ever meet!

Jim if you will look at in the pocket of my bibs, just below the bottom crappie , you will see the knife

Yeah Jim, those hybrids pull hard. I'd compare them to a smallmouth for that matter. 6 over 11"? Shooting for a 12"? You must have some nice waters to fish? It took me a while to break 10"!

Good luck!

Bill

Hey there friend! Thanks for the comments! It was super fun, reconnecting with an old close friend! Andy and I used to fish non-stop in high school. We even pulled a 36 hour stunt in the boat, never got out...just fished! We are planning more outings so, stay tuned!

New profile picture!

I like it!

what is the name of the pond or lake you fish at?

how do you find these places? is there a website you use?

Hi Jim,
Read one of your recent comments where you've got to decide about early retirement. I retired almost 10 yrs ago on the first day I was eligible from the fire dept. I was burned out and had a small business I worked hard at on my days off. Wanted to spend more time at that to catch up. Now the guys who do the same job I had at the firehouse make about 75% more than I was making. I will never catch up and seem to work all the time at my small business that somehow turned into a job. I have some freedom I didn't, but nothing like I hoped. I learned to carve santas at the firehouse and haven't carved a new one since I left. At the firehouse I was trapped so I had time. Now I'm free and don't seem to have time or initiative to do something I loved and my family treasured. I'm much deeper in debt since I started drawing retirement pay too. Put on about 40 lbs also. Sure didn't figure it this way.

As you can see, I blew it. Early retirement was a smart decision for me. I just played it out dumb. One good thing... I started back fishing a couple of years ago.

Life is short. I encourage you to go for the gold. Just keep your eye on that gold. Watch your line too, you've got a bite!

Boogieman

Mornin' Jim! This funny...I was just re-reading your article in The Panfish In-Sider from last spring!! And, here you sent me a message!! Good stuff! Jim, it would be worth the time to take a trip up here. I would suggest at least two trips. One in the winter and one early summer! When I moved away in 2000 for Kentucky, I didn't think anything about what I grew up around. I had access to hundreds and hundreds of lakes within minutes of my parents house. Heck, I lived on a 5 lake chain and had 6 more around that. AAfter spending 8 solid years in Kentucky and not being able to fish as much as I used to and pretty much being forced to ask permission to pond fish, I realized then that I grew up in a very special place. I'm now taking full advantage of my area!
So, Big Jim, I have a place for you to stay when you decide you want to come visit! We will gill fish, that's a given. Think multi-species! The bass fishing is almost untouched! Be sure to put the for sale sign up before you leave...I know you will not want to leave! Take care!

Hi Jim. I see you're wrestling with the ol' early retirement decision, so I thought I'd just tell you of my own experience with it. I'll try to do so without influencing your decision, as that is strictly your call.
I retired over 6 years ago from the phone company at age 57 with 34 years of service. I was pretty burned out and had come to hate my job...at least many aspects of it. Like Boogieman...yeah I got nosey and read his comment to you ;-)...I made the right decision but misplayed it somewhat. The first few years were tough financially, until Social Security kicked in a year ago, but things are OK for now on that front. I managed to wait until the mortgage was paid off, and that is what made it possible.

I guess the first thing to ask yourself is about how well you like your job. Love it, hate it, or "take it or leave it?" What do you think will happen on the job if you stay and a lot of others take the package? Will it increase the workload to the point that you start hating it?
Don't know if you are married, but if you are her input is essential, of course.
What about your insurance situation? The company cancelled all of mine, and I have no health or life insurance. The recent little heart attack I had took me from "debt free" to 60 Grand in the hole in one weekend! There could be a bankruptcy filing in my future. :-( I knew I was out on a limb, but was hoping that those little shenanigans would hold off until Medicare.

About this part-time work after retirement; would that be in your own business or working for somebody? Have something in mind? Are you a "self-starter?" Answer that one to yourself with all the honesty you can muster! I am not one of those, and it is the one thing that has kept my retirement from being totally blissful. I have a difficult time making myself do things that I know I should be doing. I've just about ruined my knees trying to kick myself in the butt!

Now I'm not looking for answers to any of those questions, just suggesting that you ask them to yourself, which you probably already have. ;-)

Do I regret retiring early? Nope!! I experienced about one nanosecond of regret when I reached 60 and realized I could have doubled my pension by working two and a half more years, then I went back to being happy.

I hope this helps, if only to know that someone is thinking about you as you grapple with this.

what is the best way to catch bluegills?

thanks

about what temp do you catch most bluegill?

turn up your private chat volume on because it is always on mute

Hi Jim...There's nothing special about what I do, I love fishing for bluegill and spend as much time on the water as I can. The question that most ask is if the bigger fish strike the bait different than the smaller fish. The answer to that is yes, in almost every case if you aren't watching your line you would not know you had the bite. I've caught and had 9 bluegill between 2 1/4 and 2 3/4 pounds mounted, and more two pounders than I can count. The chance of catching a true 2 pound bluegill in Lake Perris is very good. The best advice I can give is expect to catch a 2 pound bluegill on every cast and you'll always be ready. Anybody that wants to give it a try come on out to California and we'll give it our best shot.

when your on turn up your chat volume. this is what you do, go to the top of the page, click chat on the right (its on the menue bar) then when you get there put up the volume which is next to the smilie face, and the computer volume because the beep is very soft. this is because if someone trys to talk to you the chat volume is on mute. if you want to talk to someon just copy and paste this message.