No Big Gills

[Dwayne Denison]

It seems that here in Southern Illinois the gills are small. There are lots of them, just no size. Do I need change my fishing to get to the big ones? Or is it just So. Il?

[dave kensinger]

Pa is the same alot of little gills but you have to fish deeper and find the areas not fished as hard. This year i fished areas that most people ignore or cant get to from shore ,i used my float tube to get to these places and it paid off with some very large bluegills. The ponds here are usually not fished hard and that means stunted fish (more fish than the ponds can support with no predators to keep them in check. Their are large fish out there but you have to work for them  Good Luck

[Dan Blackburn]

We went to a visit my wife's grandfather in PA and there was this pond across the street from his house. The pond had some of the biggest gills that I have ever caught. I do a lot of creek fishing here in Maryland and most of the gills in them are small also. Every now and then we will hook into a big one. My point is that I think most of the bigger ones are in well kept ponds. The man who owned the pond was very selective about who he let fish there plus he took really good care of it.

[Dwayne Denison]

Thanks for the info guys. I am not having any trouble locating or catching fish, just all small.

[Dan Blackburn]

Try a hellgrammite plastic bait on a jighead with a red hook. Very deadly bait for the bigger sunnys. Works great for large and small mouth bass to. They are hard to find. I know Bass Pro Shops has them. Awesome bait...

 

[Dwayne Denison]

Dan,

I will give them a try. MisterTwister sells them. What size jig and hook are you using?

[Dan Blackburn]

I think they are 1/16 oz, you can also rig them on a hook with a splitshot up the line about 12" or so which keeps them off bottom. I like throwing them in the deeper holes of the creek and let the current do the work and feel for the bumps on the line. I finally found them last night at Dicks Sporting Goods. They came pre rigged with a red hook. 1.99 for two of them, a little more than I remembered them being. Well good luck with them I hope you catch lots of big fish...

[kevin diaz perez]

last time i went fishing i cought a nice 7 incher and i ate it.it wasent good,but it was better than the fish at the market

[Steve Crowder]

Location, location, location is the answer Dwayne. Keep looking and using the right kind of bait, lure or fly will find  them. Unless you are fishing in over fished water, the fish will be there.

[Dwayne Denison]

Steve, lots of lakes around here, but most of them are fished pretty hard.

[Cobra]

Agree with Steve it's all about location. Fish lakes that are heavily fished, known for "dinks" and still catch very nice to large 'gills on them. The Big Boys act more like Crappies than their smaller brothers in my area, most don't know, won't consider/listen and/or even want to try to understand it. They'll suspend, eat minnows, big nymphs, leeches and not go anywhere near the little ones and everyone else chasing them. Smaller fish bed in 2'- 6' of water here the bulls in 12', should tell people something. The big ones are behind their anchored boat, looking for food, willing to eat, and they keep casting towards shore........please keep doing it I'm having way to much fun out there all by myself