Do you love big bluegill?

Better pic of the GIANT Redear..

Here's a much better photo of the GIANT Redear right after she was caught. It looks like he may have been bait fishing, by the looks of those rod holders in the boat. She
measured 17" long and had a girth of 19.5"!

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Comment by Tony Livingston on February 19, 2014 at 7:06pm: I think Mr. Sheehan might be doing this? Maybe he will weigh in.

Comment by Jeff Soto on February 19, 2014 at 6:51pm: Hey thanks guys. I kind of already knew about the Redear's diet, but I just wanted to have someone like Tony put in his expertise. I wonder if anyone has dug up and used freshwater clams for bait? Some of them are an inch in diameter, wouldn't be hard to open...

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on February 19, 2014 at 5:22pm: Tony nailed it. Bluegill will eat on the bottom, mostly invertebrates like nymphs, worms, larvae, etcetera.
But they cannot crush the shells of mollusks like the red ear, so they tend to orient above the bottom.
Essentially, the shell crackers have it to themselves.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on February 19, 2014 at 5:18pm: As Tony says, bluegill orient to the middle water column. They will feed both high and low in the water, but Tony nailed it.
They cannot crush the mollusk that red ear feed up

Comment by Allen Morgan on February 19, 2014 at 4:31pm: LOFR, I do believe I've seen a "snail" pattern. I think it was an epoxy fly.

Comment by carl hendrix on February 19, 2014 at 4:28pm: LOFR-- if your looking for somebody to make a bug that looks like a snail-- well-- I volunteer;; DICK TABBERT!!

Comment by Tony Livingston on February 19, 2014 at 4:17pm: If there's a 5-8......then there must be a 6 also......

Comment by Tony Livingston on February 19, 2014 at 4:14pm: Good observations guys!

Unfortunately Jeff, bluegills do not possess the pharyngeal plate, or molars, that redear use to crush the mollusk's shells. Pumpkinseeds do....but not bluegills.

Rats!!

I don't doubt that a bluegill would dine on a small mollusks though, one that could be swallowed whole.

Comment by Donald Schmotzer on February 19, 2014 at 3:53pm: The favorite bait for Red-Ear (shellcrackers) around here is freshwater clams. There are places in lake Murray where they are scattered around the bottom in shallow water. Worms is the number 2 favorite. They will take a fly, but red-ear tend to stay in deeper water than the Gills..........Don

Comment by Donald Schmotzer on February 19, 2014 at 3:46pm: I believe the world record Bluegill is 4lb 12oz. That's a bid Gill for sure...........Don