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Do you love big bluegill?

David Merical
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  • Ankeny, Iowa
  • United States
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Bruce & the Big Carp
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Started this discussion. Last reply by steve b May 14, 2009.

BigBluegill.com is taking off!
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Started this discussion. Last reply by Dale Fortin Dec 8, 2009.

Ice-fishing for Redears?
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What type of animal is a bluegill?
Yes. 1 acre pond, reasonably clear water, partially fed by farm field run-off, and partially by a well seepage. Pond is a fairly uniform 8' deep, except the shoreline slopes. I've sunk some cedar trees weighted with concrete blocks.

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David Merical's Blog

My son WANTED to go fishing!

I took my son fishing last night, while my daughter was at choir practice.



He's been actually WANTING to fish lately! Hooray! :thumbsup:



So, I rigged up his ultralight with a tiny lead-head fly I had tied up, and put it about 1.5'-2.0' under a bobber. After just a few clumsy casts, he started really chucking it out there FAR. But actually his clumsy casts caught all his fish. On cast #1, he caught a 9" Hybrid Sunfish!! 2nd cast...a decent bluegill (for that pond), and then… Continue

Posted on April 17, 2009 at 7:09am — 3 Comments

Warning...not big bluegills...but giant perch!

As this isn't about bluegills or sunfish...but about another of those colorful "panfish", I apologize ahead of time if this isn't entirely appropriate. Don't read further if you'll be offended.



These are of the European Yellow Perch which is a closely related but separate species (depending on the source) to the yellow perch found in North America. But these things can grow large. One record I saw said the fish was 23.6"!! I don't recall the weight, but apparently up to and possibly… Continue

Posted on October 30, 2008 at 11:32am — 10 Comments

Iowa Bluegills – Spring ‘08

(I'd written this earlier this year and had it published on the Fly Anglers Online website.)



An unusually long and frosty winter made the ice stick around on the lakes and ponds here in central Iowa much longer than normal. Still, by April 1, the bluegills were starting to hit flies in the newly-thawed water.



I had tied up some “FishnDave’s Flashback” flies. I like this simple pattern for early season stained waters, but have found they work all season long, even in clear… Continue

Posted on October 13, 2008 at 1:36pm — 7 Comments

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At 5:29pm on December 9, 2009, Dale Fortin said…
i like pic #s 1, 3, and 10. 1 is bgill, 3 i think is pseed, and 10 i think is a green sunfish.
At 1:11pm on May 15, 2009, John Sheehan said…
Dave -Is photo 3, a Red Ear or a Pumpkinseed?
At 9:18am on January 8, 2009, Douglas Buck said…
Nice bluegills. Alot of fun on a flyrod.
At 9:31am on December 16, 2008, Charles Singleton said…
Welcome, David! I'm a 'yakker, too! Check out my page.
At 8:36pm on November 22, 2008, kip noblitt said…
david, let me help. shellcrackers basically stay on or near the bottom most of the time. they eat juvinile clams, along with alot of other things. they crush clams and snails in their throat. the lake I catch them in is semi clear with sandy bottom. so they don't spend alot of time in shallow water there. however, if the water has color to it, they will definitely go shallow. so you have to find them first. and they can be in the lily pads, around trees growing in the water, logs etc. try to get you some redworms, and put a couple on a size 4 crappie hook, with the ends loose. If they are shallow you can use a bobber, if they are deep just put a couple good sized splitshot 3 feet up the line, and fish it on the bottom, just like you were fishing for catfish. use two or three rods sometimes. I catch them 12-15 feet deep alot. you won't see them on your depthfinder, because they are on the bottom. they love cypress trees and the roots. they nearly always swallow the hook. and they will hit an artificial bait too, with black being a good color, as is a white beetle spin with red dot. another thing, they do not have to be spawning for you to catch a bunch, just feeding. as a matter of fact, I have only been lucky enough to find some spawning one time, and Iv'e caught several hundred over a pound. they tend to spawn deeper than bluegill, 3-10 feet so you probably won't see them on the bed. the small ones have the same habits as a bluegill, and when they get bigger, they become bottom dwellers. a shellcracker can get to one pound in 3 years, it takes a bluegill about 8 years....hope this helps.
At 10:30am on October 9, 2008, Bruce Condello said…
Welcome, David!

It's absolutely great that you joined BigBluegill. We're super glad to have you here.

I hope you enjoy all of the photos, videos and discussion. We've got a really nice group of bluegill fans here.

Bruce
 
 
 

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"Bruce -The Black Ice Dub might work nicely. Ripple Ice Dub | Ole Florida Fly Shop "
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"Dick the closest colors I found for Flash is the Grey Ghost, which I think I have,…"
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