Beautiful 9” Class Warmouth……7/19/2025
Growing up in southeastern Louisiana the two most abundant species of sunfish in the bayous and…
Do you love big bluegill?
New member
I stumbled across this site thanks to Dave Merical. I live in Sarasota, FL where I'm a professional outdoor writer and kayak fishing guide. Most of my guiding takes place on saltwater, although I do a few freshwater trips per year.
When I get a chance to go alone or with friends, I like to go to Lake Manatee, which is a 2,500-acre lake about 30 minutes from the house. There's never very many boats on the lake and I often feel as if it's my private lake.
I always fly fish and I catch lots of bluegill, bass, shellcracker, speckled perch, stumpknocker and channel catfish.
My flies of choice include No. 10 poppers, No. 10 or No. 12 gold beadhead nymphs and my Myakka Minnow. I like using poppers, but when that bites slows I just go subsurface and find it more productive on most days.
Another think I like to do is drive to the Everglades and fish for oscars, Mayan cichlids and peacock bass.
Hope I can learn from this site and contribute.
When I get a chance to go alone or with friends, I like to go to Lake Manatee, which is a 2,500-acre lake about 30 minutes from the house. There's never very many boats on the lake and I often feel as if it's my private lake.
I always fly fish and I catch lots of bluegill, bass, shellcracker, speckled perch, stumpknocker and channel catfish.
My flies of choice include No. 10 poppers, No. 10 or No. 12 gold beadhead nymphs and my Myakka Minnow. I like using poppers, but when that bites slows I just go subsurface and find it more productive on most days.
Another think I like to do is drive to the Everglades and fish for oscars, Mayan cichlids and peacock bass.
Hope I can learn from this site and contribute.
Views: 126
- Attachments:
-
-
IM000662.JPG, 203 KB -
DSC02806.JPG, 127 KB
-
DSC02835.JPG, 462 KB
-
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Bruce Condello on
-
Thanks for joining the site, Steve. My favorite thing in the world to do (outside of fishing) is writing about fishing. I think ultimately this site is going to be a great scientific reference, but also a place to sit down and have a good read. Can't wait to get further acquainted. :)
Bruce
P.S. I love doing things with my wife and girls, but that's on a different "favorite thing to do" list.
-
Permalink Reply by David Merical on
-
Hello, Steve!
I give Scott Kershaw credit for directing me here! The world keeps getting smaller! Hopefully, the bluegills will just be getting BIGGER!
-
Permalink Reply by Ethan Lovelace on
-
I was talking to David Merical earlier and I am very interested in taking one of these guided fishing trips for oscars, mayan cichlids and peacock bass. I think this is an amazing combo of fish and would be a blast of a fishing trip. Thank you for joining the site. Feel free asking question and posting pictures, we love pictures. Happy fishing partner.
Latest Activity
THIS COLOR COMBINATION SEEMS TO WORK THIS YEAR
"Bleeding pink Silent Stinger and all pink jigs work on multi species in brackish water…..I…"
Nice Round Specimen…..7/19/2025
Bleeding 🩸 tail working in the cypress roots……all of the coastal counties in the northeastern part…
Some Bleeding 🩸 Coppernose Behind Last Week’s Buck Moon…7/19/2025
"The busted fins are also a dead giveaway to colonizing gills….."
AN LATER SHOT OF THIS FISH BEFORE IT WENT IN THE FREEZER FOR A MOUNT
"it won't be back from the taxidermist till this coming winter some time, I CAN'T WAIT TO…"
"Pleasantly surprised with a multi species morning totaling 78 fish…..we've had a week of thunderstorms and triple digit heat index. Wet July"
AN LATER SHOT OF THIS FISH BEFORE IT WENT IN THE FREEZER FOR A MOUNT
"Very good! These fish fight so hard……can’t wait to see the art work…."
AN LATER SHOT OF THIS FISH BEFORE IT WENT IN THE FREEZER FOR A MOUNT
"Must have been great ! Excellent Fish !"
© 2025 Created by Bluegill.
Powered by
