Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

 I have often been amazed at the many adaptations that nature has made for the survival of individuals and species alike. One of these that is really interesting to me is the Coppernose Bluegill's color in dark tannic stained waters. I've fished these type of waters my entire life from growing up as a kid in Louisiana and my years living in the Carolinas and extreme southeastern Virginia.....The dark waters derive from the acid seeping from thousands of Cypress trees and their decaying needles which are a staple on the black waters. Many of these regions have never been disturbed existing for hundreds of years back to the days of the native Indian tribes and beyond.....Take for example the "Pocomoke" river in eastern Maryland which is Indian for black water......or the thousands of acres covered by the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and south into northeastern North Carolina.....Santee Cooper lakes are 170,000 acres of lakes and canals that are considered by many as tannic down in South Carolina.....Not only have the fish adapted to the lower oxygen conditions associated with the swamps but they have ultimately adapted their color markings in these regions to ensure their ability to not become a prey item as easily and also be able to catch food and raise their young.

 

How many of you fish tannic waters and do you also find that your bluegill are very dark in these areas......

Views: 11597

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

The fish start out lighter in the colder waters of the Winter and become darker through the summer as the water warms up and the tannins leech into the water more rapidly......

You can actually see the difference in early Spring as the trees bloom and the water temperatures begin to rise......

As the light penetration lessens through the season, these fish will become darker and darker....

Great reading Jeff and the pictures to boot. Always interesting to have another fisherman's perspective even though we don't have coppernose up here its all interesting. Than you for your input and pictures stuff like that always leads me to want more and more.

It's time for the dark coppers as our tannic waters take on their deep dark colors of spring and summer......

Talk a little here about the distinct color markings in tannic water.......

My area in Mn is known for what we call "coffee stained waters" for much the same reasons as the cypress trees stain your area water we have an abundance of cedar swamps and decaying trees that stain our waters. An interesting comparison to our waters is that gills in our stained waters tend to be very lite and pale in color where our clear waters tend to have the more vibrant and deep color gills. It's cool to see the diversity in our favorite species with fish in your stained water doing the opposite in color as the fish in our stained water.....

RSS

Latest Activity

Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Picked up Several Nice Yellow Perch Shallow…..4/29/2025

Also caught two nice white perch shallow also…
11 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
11 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
11 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Dock Crappie…..4/29/2025

We had blue skies with 81 degrees…strong southwest wind but our water was still blown out from the…
11 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
11 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"It was still windy but a friend and I splashed this afternoon, nice mixed bag ….low water at 70 degree surface temperatures…good times…"
11 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

493726391_10238746707466370_4942384414329687790_n

"Nice John….I caught several white perch this afternoon very shallow…"
11 hours ago
John Sheehan posted a photo

493726391_10238746707466370_4942384414329687790_n

The slip sinker Bullhead Rig catches some nice Fat White Perch also.
21 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Troy Dorman's photo
Thumbnail

1000003851

"Pretty specimen Troy!"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on Troy Dorman's photo
Thumbnail

1000003857

"Posting some nice Fish, Troy!"
Sunday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

492222666_10238698533862060_5336729201480880262_n

"Fish are flopping around like its July up here and we haven't seen May yet! Very weird year!"
Sunday
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Troy Dorman's photo
Thumbnail

1000003857

"I can just taste the fillets!"
Sunday
Troy Dorman posted photos
Sunday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Saturday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

491348751_10238683890455984_2672104245638727985_n

"Yes and very aggressive that Day!"
Saturday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Saturday
John Sheehan replied to Bruce Tomaselli's discussion Unable to Log in
"No idea ,Bruce . It doesn't happen from my end! Hope it gets straightened out for you ."
Saturday
Bruce Tomaselli posted a discussion

Unable to Log in

It's curious. I can go for 3 to 5 days straight without being able to log in here. It happens quite…See More
Saturday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Ringwood Brook Rainbow Trout

"Smoker time…..enjoy John!"
Friday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Friday

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service