Do you love big bluegill?

Bruce Condello's Blog (109)

Big Bluegill definitions and trash talk.

The following words are used to describe a bluegill.

Scientific name: Lepomis macrochirus

'Gill

Bream

Brim

BG

Perch

The following words describe a redear sunfish.

Scientific name: Lepomis microlophus

Shellcracker

'Cracker

Government brim

RES

Chinquapin

Stumpknocker (thanks for the reminder, Theo)

The following words are descriptive for largemouth… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on October 12, 2008 at 6:30pm — 4 Comments

Greatest underwater bluegill video of all time!

I'm not kidding.

I decided to use my creative side yesterday. I took some bailing wire, and bent it in a semi-circle so that it dangled right out in front of my Aquavue camera, which incidentally looks just like a bluegill.

Then I tied a short little piece of monofilament to the end of the wire, attached a severely overbent hook so as not to injure any fish, and added a big chunk of nightcrawler.

Wacky hijinx ensued.…

Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on September 25, 2008 at 8:30pm — 26 Comments

Big Bluegill and Stewardship.

How does "Big Bluegill" feel about conservation?

Easy. We're all for it.

Big Bluegill members are a gang of anglers who know they're on to something special.

The bluegill is really the perfect fish when you think about it. Perfectly satisfying to fly fishermen and bobber slingers. Equally satisfying for ice fishermen and kayakers. Beloved by catch and releasers, as well as those who fish to dine. Targeted by the trophy fisherman, and the folks who just crave… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on September 14, 2008 at 7:00pm — 12 Comments

Wyoming angler catches new state record bluegill.

The following story is a press release from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

NEW STATE RECORD BLUEGILL

8/15/2008

CHEYENNE - One of Wyoming's long-standing fish records was broken last month with the catch of a new state record bluegill, besting a record that has stood for 20 years.

Wheatland angler Rod Horsley caught the record 1.92 lb. fish on a fly rod from a stock pond near Lusk using a… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on September 12, 2008 at 7:07pm — 2 Comments

Do bluegill spawn more than once each year in the Northern U.S.?

We all know that bluegill will spawn multiple times in the Southern U.S., but will they do the same in the North?

This question was addressed by Dr. Dave Willis of South Dakota State University. Dr. Willis is a Distinguished Professor who joined the Department faculty in 1987. He assumed the role of Department Head in 2008. He is also a member of Big Bluegill.

This commentary was originally posted in the world renowned pond management forum "Ask the Boss". His post was… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on September 12, 2008 at 3:00pm — 3 Comments

Big Bluegill's biologist Daryl B. defines "stunting" of bluegill.

Stunting is easy to define--slow growth.

In panfish populations stunting usually occurs when there are so many panfish that there is not enough food to go around. That is why I crawl up on my soap box so often and state that largemouth bass are KEY in controlling numbers of panfish in pits and ponds.

However, what might be a density of panfish that causes stunting in one body of water may not be a density of panfish that causes stunting in another more productive body of… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on September 8, 2008 at 5:14pm — 3 Comments

Big Bluegill has a theme video! Not for the faint of heart!

Click HERE for Big Bluegill video!

A friend of mine from the NEFGA forum took the photos of big bluegill that he could find and made a video from them. I thought it was pretty awe-inspiring. If you have a picture of a big bluegill upload it to the www.bigbluegill.com website and perhaps we can make another video sometime in the… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on September 8, 2008 at 4:00pm — 1 Comment

Relative weight chart for bluegills.

Relative weight, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Wr", is a reference to how much a bluegill should weigh for a particular length.

If you look at all bluegill in a particular region of the country, the fish that would be at the 75th percentile, or bigger than three out of four fish is given the designation of Wr 100.

Therefore, if you catch a fish that is 10% heavier than the 75th percentile bluegill for your region, your fish will be given a designation of Wr… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on September 7, 2008 at 7:00am — 19 Comments

Bluegill growing at their very best.

These two bluegill represent what the approximate maximum growth potential in the Midwest can be, if you keep fish's bellies full at all times.

The top fish is about 6 ounces and is 14 months old (age-1), and the bottom fish is a little over 12.5 ounces and is 26 months old (age-2).

Typical bluegill grow significantly slower, but these fish have been fed a high quality Aquamax Grower 500 and Aquamax Grower 600 diet. This program has… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on September 3, 2008 at 1:00pm — 3 Comments

When it comes to bluegill, how old is "old"?

I posed the question to biologist Daryl Bauer what qualifies as an old bluegill, and asked if he had sampled some really ancient specimens in his years as a fisheries professional.

Here was my question.

"Actually, I'd like to know from Daryl if he's seen any truly ancient bluegill in his sampling days. You know, like 12 or 13 year old fish. I've probably aged, or assisted in aging somewhere around or over 200 bluegill, but haven't run across any real oldies like… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on August 30, 2008 at 1:30pm — 1 Comment

Food "A" vs. food "B".

The following blog will document the introduction of a new pelleted feed for a specific group of bluegill. Eventually the brand and formulation will be revealed.

Food "A" has been in use for a group of bluegill for 1 year. These bluegill are currently age-1 and age-2. The fish grow well on food "A", and seem to eat vigorously.

Food "B" is the feed that we wish to convert to.

Food "B" was delivered to my house at 1:30 p.m. today. The feed was then brought to the… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on August 27, 2008 at 8:30pm — 16 Comments

Pond Boss editor Bob Lusk nails mammoth bluegill.

Pond Boss editor Bob Lusk describes the ridiculously big bluegill that he caught just two days ago.

"This bluegill measures 10.75 inches and weighed 1 lb 10 oz on a hand held scale. It is a coppernose bluegill, stocked in December, 2005 into Richmond Mill Lake, a 125 acre impoundment outside Laurel Hill, North Carolina. The fishery is a combined stocking of feed trained largemouth bass up to 6 pounds with a remnant population of… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on August 19, 2008 at 10:00am — 9 Comments

Big Redear Sunfish. Article and photo courtesy of North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Young Angler Reels in State Record Redear Sunfish

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 30, 2008)– A last minute decision to go fishing with his mother netted a 13-year-old from Rocky Mount a new freshwater fish state record.

Travis Jackson reeled in a 4-pound, 15-ounce redear sunfish from a private pond in Edgecombe County on May 19, using a worm as bait. The fish measured 15 1/16 inches in length and 18 1/8 inches in girth.

According to Arlene Jackson,… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on August 10, 2008 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Big redear sunfish! If you're a big bluegill fan, are you also a big shellcracker fan?

Of course you are!

Lepomis microlophus, or redear sunfish is the epitome of everything we big sunfish enthusiasts crave.

Also known as "shellcracker", the redear sunfish is an even larger growing version of the bluegill. Redears have been known to achieve sizes of over five pounds, and are known for their enthusiastic bites and fights. But don't get me wrong--big redears aren't easy to catch. Quite the contrary. Sometimes redears practically disappear from a water body for… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on August 9, 2008 at 9:30pm — 1 Comment

Coppernose bluegill--identification and characteristics

A frequently asked question is "How do I identify a coppernose bluegill?"

Here are some photos, and an informative narration on this subject. Bigbluegill member "Ewest" generously assisted with compiling this blog.

Coppernose bluegill have been around for a long time. They are only one of three recognized subspecies of bluegill (lepomis macrochirus). Coppernose (lepomis macrochirus purpurescens) is native to Peninsular of Florida.… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on August 6, 2008 at 10:00am — 8 Comments

OldBaldGuy--"Why I Love Bluegill" This contribution is just way too good, so I'm copying it to a blog post.

Like many American males, I have a recurring fantasy.

It usually strikes while I’m sitting at my tying bench, admiring my latest creation through the big magnifying glass on my tying light. Instead of the cluttered, out-of-focus bench top in the background, I see my newest fly gently drifting downward in sparkling water, surrounded by a forest of aquatic plants. Suddenly what I thought had been a shadow materializes just beneath my descending fly. It is the largest bluegill I’ve ever… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on July 30, 2008 at 9:16am — No Comments

First known photo showing bluegill, bluegill/redear sunfish hybrid and redear sunfish!!!

And by "known" I mean that I personally don't know of any others. ;-)

Added by Bruce Condello on May 17, 2008 at 6:26am — 4 Comments

Progress notes on Dad's trophy bluegill pond.

I don't know if it's the barley straw or the aeration system--or likely both--but right now the pond has secchi readings of over 3 meters. This is unheard of on any of the ponds on my farm. I have some Earthtec ready and available for the beginnings of an algae bloom, but maybe I won't have to use it for awhile. The fish are all basically still tiny. Way too little to provide a fishing experience. Maybe we're close to two years away from having a good fishery.

249 bluegill that are… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on April 28, 2008 at 7:00pm — 32 Comments

Harvest strategies

In most ponds, if you want to support a population of trophy bluegill it will require some sort of harvest strategy. While it is true that vast populations of smaller, lower Wr largemouth bass can prop up a quality bluegill fishery, there are things that you as an angler can do to promote the possibility for the bluegill of a lifetime.

Most experienced bluegill anglers have seen high densities of agressive, nest defending males during the springtime. If you sneak up on these fish you… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on April 25, 2008 at 8:00pm — 1 Comment

Pond Boss magazine and forum!

Pond Boss magazine is a terrific resource when it comes to enhancing your pond for growing big bluegill! If you like the cross of science, humor and great photos that you see here on Big Bluegill, then you'll love Pond Boss magazine and it's forum. Starting September of 2008 you can buy Pond Boss magazine right off the magazine rack at Bass Pro Shops throughout the country. Make sure to at least pick it up and thumb through it a little. I am neither the owner, nor the editor of this… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on April 20, 2008 at 3:30pm — 1 Comment