Do you love big bluegill?

These are the new rules for the little lake I fished during the summer…

i really wish they would of capped the sunfish at 8"

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Comment by carl hendrix on December 20, 2014 at 11:24pm: restrictions are good for a lake anywhere so its not overfished- over harvested. hope everything works out for you buddy!!

Comment by Jim Gronaw on December 20, 2014 at 8:51pm: Wow...sounds like the panfish numbers are already in pretty good shape.

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 20, 2014 at 8:20pm: What prompted the rule change? Somebody must not be happy with the way things are now?

Comment by Slip Sinker on December 20, 2014 at 6:23pm: Tony i have seen the largest percentage of angling leaning towards bluegill then bass and then pike... i have never heard any one targeting crappie on the lake. except me. but when i talk to the fisherman the largest percentage are fishing a few gill for dinner which is the most popular answer. there are monster bass present and had quite a few latch on to while playing smaller gill . ive never seen catch and keep on bass only pike.

another thing ive noticed in this lake is the lack of any carp... ive have never fished a lake that carp did not inhabit. i always scan the shallows in any lake and will notice carp. but not in this lake. also there is a huge forage base of golden shiner with my personal best of 12.6 inches.

Comment by Slip Sinker on December 20, 2014 at 6:10pm: Tony ... it is a private lake with private land the whole perimeter... the only boat launch is owned by the association and the association stocks the lake and manages the aerators.. the association watches the anglers closely and you have to have a visible permit to fish. The landowners know the boats that fish the lake and if you are a stranger with a new boat you are approached.. The fishery is astounding. Very healthy large young looking fish. Caught a 2 master angler sized p’seeds over 9 inches there.

one of the first crappies i caught over there was just under 14 inches ... many between 13 and 14 inches and a cousin i was teaching my techniques too caught a 16 incher.

Jim.. I talked with a member of the association many times while we were fishing on this lake ... and i mentioned a cap limit on the gill, seeds and hybrids of 8" and a slot on crappies of 8-12" just to keep the trophy population up there but never mentioned a minimum size on the sunfish other than crappie. I believe that’s counterproductive on the bluegill population just like Walt mentioned. I wish I went to the meeting and stated a case... but I’m not a land owner.

Comment by Jim Gronaw on December 20, 2014 at 6:00pm: You're right,Jeffrey...I have no problems with being checked by the athorities and was checked 5 times in 2012, but none since.

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on December 20, 2014 at 5:55pm: Enforcement is a great thing to see.......I've been checked 11 times by the NCWRC this year including as recently as last Sunday........had bluegill counted on three occasions and Crappie just once.......Also, when you fish in the back yard of the largest Coast Guard base on the East Coast you are often challenged on boating regulations which is ok with me since it's comforting to know they will be there if ever needed........

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 20, 2014 at 5:23pm: Maybe the primary goal is bigger bass....

Comment by Jim Gronaw on December 20, 2014 at 4:34pm: Agreed...might be better if gills over 8 inches were released and crappies over 12 went back. That's if you want to try and build a lake with quality panfish size structure yet still allow some harvest for those who like to eat fish.

Did this lake ever have a history of producing big panfish? With these regulations, it seems this lake is being managed to remove only the largest panfish and possibly increase the numbers of smaller gills and crappies over time.

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 20, 2014 at 3:13pm: My question would be...do these rules have any "teeth" to them? Is this a private BOW, and if so, can the DNR enforce these rules, or is it up to the membership?