Caught a good sized gill this weekend

[Bluegill Chaser]

Was fishing a local lake (Lake Anza, Berkeley) that isn't the best environment (people and dogs in a tiny lake), but happened to pull out a 1lber on a chartreuse jig in about 3 foot of water fishing from shore. Phone ran out of battery so no picture =(.

[JBplusThuy]

Cool, I'd never heard of Lake Anza before (relatively new to the Bay area and I live on the peninsula side). Might take the kids over there for swimming and maybe dabble at fishing. I hear the dogs can be a real problem, though, as well as people swimming all around the lake. Is float tubing allowed?

Cheers,

Jonathan

[Bluegill Chaser]

It's a great place for kids to swim and catch stunted bluegills and pumpkinseed. There is a small beach with a lifeguard most days and there is usually some kids splashing around there. Although there are a million posted signs to the contrary people allow their dogs to run off the leash and in the lake so the fish habitat isn't the best. Also, the panfish in that lake are severely stunted as the only thing people kept from the lake were the bass/catfish/trout that USED to be in there. As long as your kids don't mind catching tiny fish, bluegill jigs and your standard worm on a small hook under a bobber work fine there.

In regards to a float tube, no water contact is allowed, but as you can tell, no one really pays attention to or enforces that rule.

[JBplusThuy]

Thanks for the info, BC. We can deal with stunted bluegill. My wife says the smaller ones taste better anyway, and after having recently eaten the 9" readear I caught last weekend, I tend to agree with her. The smaller ones seem more moist and tender than the big ones. We typically throw back nothing when bluegill fishing, cognizant of the fact that keeping the little ones is generally beneficial to the overall bluegill fishery in a lake.

Anyway, I guess they're not _all_ stunted, judging by that one-pounder you caught :-)

Cheers,

Jonathan

[Bluegill Chaser]

When I say stunted I am talking super-small, with some adults maxing out at 6". Pumpkinseed dominate lake, but are very aggressive. If you ever wind up trying there, let me know how you do.