new blog up with an article on raising big bluegill

[Walt Foreman]

Hi all.  I've started a blog for my bluegill guiding service on which I will also be posting articles on pond management, especially big bluegill, from time to time.  I just posted an article on common mistakes made by pond owners who want big bluegill.  Here's the URL:

http://bluegilladventures.blogspot.com/

If you visit the blog, leave a comment so Google will know I exist! 

[Walt Foreman]

That's what I was afraid of when I heard the numbers for the largemouth and hybrids.  They were trying to make money off you and sold you too many fish - unfortunately, a common practice with many hatcheries (definitely not all) these days.  That's way too many bluegill and redear for that size pond in your region, even if your goal was big bass.  And if your goal is big bluegill which it sounds like it is, that's about four times too many fish for that size pond.

I did notice that you've been keeping some, so that's good.  Harvest is an important element of managing any pond for big bluegill but it will be especially important for you.  I would suggest releasing most of the larger males (80-90% of them), and keeping every single female bluegill you catch unless it's huge.  Eventually when you get them thinned out some, you won't want to keep more than thirty or forty a year out of there, but right now I'd aim to take a total of 200 out of there this year, focusing on female and smaller bluegill.

That really burns me up that hatcheries are still doing this!  

[James E. Sampson]

600 bluegill and redear

450 bluegill and 150 redear

[Walt Foreman]

Yes, you want lots of small largemouth, so that's good.  The stocking number on the  largemouth is good; but that's too many hybrid stripers for really maximizing the pond for jumbo 'gills simply because they're taking a big percentage of the pellets that could be going to the bluegill.  I would suggest taking out every hybrid you catch, and not re-stocking them.  They would only be beneficial if you were low on largemouth, which you're not.  Hopefully the largemouth are not feed-trained?

One big question: how many bluegill did the hatchery stock?  

[James E. Sampson]

by the way i am seeing many baby bass from 3 to 4 inches long in the pond. i know i want a lot of small largemouth up to 15 inches right.

[James E. Sampson]

the fishery that stocked my 1/2 acre pond put in 70 largemouth 30 hybrid stripers with bluegill and redear it was an accelerated 1/2 acre package  that i purchased from them. i know the stripers focus on pellets i just enjoy watching them and catching them. am i good to go. i am catching bluegill 8" long in the ponds third year

[Walt Foreman]

James, how many largemouth and how many HSB per acre?  Largemouth are better at controlling bluegill because they have a larger mouth than the HSB and thus can eat larger bluegill.  But if you had a good number of bass in the pond, the hybrids could help in controlling the bluegill.  If you feed pellets I wouldn't recommend the hybrids because they'll focus on the pellets rather than the bluegill - same thing with feed-trained largemouth.

[James E. Sampson]

walt what about hybrid stripers with largemouth is this ok for bluegill control

[Greg McWilliams]

All GOOD STUFF, Stocking has started!!!!!  99 to go!!!!! LOL

[Walt Foreman]

New article up on the blog - Greg, this one might particularly interest you:

http://bluegilladventures.blogspot.com/

[Frank Ribble]

THE GILLS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SMALL THERE. DON'T THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF BOWFINS.  DNR SAYS STUNTED GILLS ARE A COMMON PROBLEM IN SOUTHEAST MI. WITH A LIFE SPAN OF 6 YEARS. SEVERAL HUNDRED SUNFISH & GILLS IN A SMALL AREA ABOVE A DAM. BULLHEADS ARE THRIVING IN THE SAME AREA. A COUPLE BASS & LAZY NORTHERN PIKE, BUT NOT NEAR ENOUGH TO CONTROL THE POPULATION.