Bruce Condello's lake record 3 pound bluegill from Richmond Mill

Comment

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 26, 2013 at 8:58am

So we're saying this catch is luck of the draw?

Sorry, but I may be the only guy here that finds that more than a little hard to accept. You're right - in this case it is very easy to play the "managed fish" card. If you could achieve nothing better than 'maybe', why bother with the time, money and effort to create a place like RM? You'd soon be closed.

Admittedly, its not dipping fish from a bucket: someone still has to catch the danged thing.
But it IS a closed cell, an enclave experiment in what is possible (or perhaps, impossible.) This is what the King Fisher Society proudly proclaims at Richmond Mill...

Yes, when all conditions are right, such a beast may develop anywhere - it has happened, as Jim suggests. The IGFA record bluegill, 4-12, happened. Other examples also occur; the recent record red ear from Lake Havasu comes to mind. So my original Queston, "Could it happen?" is answered.

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 26, 2013 at 8:47am

Luck certainly has a role here, the same as it does in a wild scenario. But skill, on the part of the management, and the angler, plays a larger role. How many people across the U.S. do you suppose have private ponds that contain Bluegills, and are fed daily? Hundreds of thousands? Why then, don't we see photos of three pound bluegills all the time?

After all, it's inevitable right? Where are they then? Possible, it is.....inevitable it most certainly is not. A Bluegills growth is indeterminate...it will continue to grow for as long as it lives, although not at a constant rate. They are not however, immortal.....time will put a stop to growth, sooner or later....THAT, is the key. How long will it live?

I have had this same conversation many times on forums across the web. Usually, it boils down to one of two things: the water is private, and not everyone can fish it, or it costs money to be allowed to fish it. Both of these scenarios can cause resentment.

At one time in its life, a three pound Bluegill, from ANYWHERE, was a two pound bluegill....if it were caught as a 2 pounder in public waters, it very well might never get any larger. It's going on the wall.

In spite of efforts to equate giant Bluegills grown in managed lakes as being unnatural, or unfairly manipulated by man, the fact is that anglers fishing public waters manipulate those fish all the time, by virtue of keeping fish. Once you put a fillet knife to it, it ain't going to get any bigger!

Fish, and Bluegills in particular, are a renewable resource, fun to catch, and delicious on the table. Keeping a mess of fish to eat is a time honored and respectable tradition, one that I feel more folks across the country should take part in. But, as much as I like to eat BG's, I realize that harvest, while necessary in most cases, will impact the general population...which is why we advocate for a selective harvest.

At RM, that two pound BG didn't end up on the wall....it went on to become a three pounder. And yes, RM is managed for the benefit of all species....but the public lakes are managed also. David claims that his homelake has had the aquatic growth thinned out....that's management. Perhaps the goal in this case was beautification, or ease of fishing/boating, rather than growing giant bluegills, but management just the same.

Private waters give the owner the freedom to manage as they see fit, without going before a committee to get everyone on board first. It's not unfair, or unethical, nor is it cheating. It's about setting goals, and working towards them.

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 26, 2013 at 6:16am

Exactly!

Face the facts: fish of this caliber  are exceedingly rare......that's why the Hoosier record BG catch has stood for almost 42 years!

It's easy to play the "managed fish, artificially grown, doesn't count" card.......and many folks do. But I'll let you in on a little secret: managing a BOW for trophy fish doesn't automatically guarantee a new record! Not by a long shot. There are a lot of factors in play, and everything would have to line up Juuuusssst right.......which almost never happens.

Then, even IF you manage to produce a fish like this, you need to remember that it's not swimming in your bathtub.....it's free range in a good sized BOW....you still need to target, and catch it....and hope that it's down there in the first place! After all, you have no guarantee that such a fish is swimming in your lake, you go off of what you are observing, and what has been caught before, and you surmise, and you HOPE.......no guarantees.

This is where the lake management skills of Bob Lusk, and the angling talents of Bruce Condello come into play. We wouldn't get to see such a fish without either one....and rather than belittling their accomplishments, maybe we should be glad they decided to share their success with all of us here at BBG.

Not every BOW holds giant Bluegills...I must have stated this a hundred times here on the forum......If I weren't happy with the caliber of fish I were catching, I would either take steps to try and improve the quality of those fish, or I would fish elsewhere. It's really that simple.

Comment by Jim Gronaw on December 25, 2013 at 10:27pm

The Maryland State Record bluegill was 3-7 at 13 inches, caught from Deep Creek Lake in August, 1997. Deep Creek is a 3900 acre public lake that yields many 10 to 11 inchers annually. Rumors of numerous 12 inch class fish from last season are circulating. The previous state records of 2-14 and a 2-12 both came from quarries. All these fish were naturals, from lakes that were not fed or managed for panfish specifics.

So, yes, giants like this can occur in the wild and in public venues without the intense management.

None of which, of course, takes anything at all away from this incredible catch. Great fish!

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 25, 2013 at 8:57pm

Yeah, their world is manipulated, managed, on their behalf. You're right - it's unlikely you'll find that degree of orchestration "on the outside."

Heck my own home lake kills their breeding habitat, so homeowners don't have too many weeds bothering them. It CAN occur naturally, but there are just a lot of factors against such a thing developing outside a cloistered BOW.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 25, 2013 at 6:57pm

What a beast - Gillzilla!

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 25, 2013 at 6:25pm

Absolutely it could. Indiana's state record BG went 3 lbs 4 ozs., and was 13.5" long....in the wild. The fish at Richmond Mill are not the result of superbreeding, or genetic manipulation. They are the result of excellent water quality, appropriate predator/prey ratios, and having plenty of food available.....and time. Remember too, that RM is catch and release....when that fish hit the 2 lb mark and was caught for the first time, (hypothetically), it was RELEASED.....to continue growing.

Those same conditions are possible in the wild, but returning a 2 lb BG to the water instead of hanging it on the wall is a pretty tough sell sometimes.

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on December 25, 2013 at 5:46pm

The fact that they could drives me David.....my favorite species......I love the growth rate in our wild waters of North Carolina but there is much to overcome to make it this far.......It's interesting to watch the progress of Richmond Mill.....

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 25, 2013 at 5:38pm

Could  bluegill achieve those proportions in the wild?

Comment by robert b reid on December 25, 2013 at 8:38am

most impressive

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