Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

Two trips to The Everglades netted more than 500 fish. The fishing is red hot down there. We did catch bluegill, but not many. Bulk of the catch was oscar. Bet we caught more than 300 oscar over two trips.

They're the fightingest fish in Florida's fresh waters.

Caught most of them on Myakka Minnows.



Views: 2863

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Holy Smokes, Steve!!! I am having a hard time kicking the shack nasties and your aren't helping ;-) Keep the excellent reports coming and lots of fish pictures!!!
You guessed right. They can be traced back to 1954 in South Florida waters. I have to drive about 2 hours south to get into them. Too cold here in Sarasota. Oscar and other exotics seem to peacefuly co-exist with native species. There's some really good bass, bluegill, shellcracker and speckled perch fishing in The 'Glades. Last trip down, I even caugth four nice warmouth perch.




Oscar are very good to eat and yield thick fillets.
I bet they bulldog pretty good....are they good table fare?
That's nice Steve. Never caught an oscar in the wild, only in my aquarium. Never seen that fly before, could you post a photo. Thanks.
Check my new post: Tying the Myakka Minnow.
What a bulldog!

Looks like I've got another fish on my "fish wish list".
Bruce,

You've never felt a fish fight quite like an oscar. For most fly fishing bluegill and panfish, I use 6X tippet (about 3 pound test). That's waaaaaaayyyyyyyy too light for oscar and Mayan cichlids. I have to "beef" up to at least 3X and sometimes heavier.

They're very structure-oriented and their first response after being hooked is to get back into the structure. It's your job to keep them from doing that.

Typical oscar structure:

Now that is way cool! I love my fishing in Nebraska, but one of these days, I gotta do some traveling to get into some fishing like that! Thanks for sharing an outstanding trip report and the kick but pictures!!!
Well Bruce and Alex G. when your southbound on I-65 headed to I-10 you can pick me up at exit 19 in satsuma and I will do the cookin! I got some really nice flies to fish with to thanks to Alex!
Interesting! Its new to me! I went to Florida and one time we stay hotel for one night near Disney and I walked to a pond.....no fishing allowed! I saw some real big bluegills but I looked at it again and it is Blue Tilopia. Someday I would love to catch Oscar and Blue Tilopia!
How's Oscar fight? Like Bluegill?
Bluegills are tough little fighters, and Oscars fight like bluegills on steroids! GREAT fighters, very strong...especially on a fly rod!


Wow a fish that size sells for close to a hundered bucks in the pet stores here.

RSS

Latest Activity

Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
22 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Caught Seven Small Bass in Rough Conditions…..3/18/2023

"Hey Bruce….our tannic water largemouth transition similar to our bluegill…..when the…"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
yesterday
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Caught Seven Small Bass in Rough Conditions…..3/18/2023

"Nice. The ones in PA have a visible lateral line and are a much darker green in color."
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Even though we were blessed with some unseasonably warm weather in February and caught quite a few crappie shallow, March cold and windy"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Friday
John Burns commented on Bruce Condello's group The Shellcrackers
"Nice video and good feeding for 60 degree water. I will try posting the direct link to the Youtube…"
Thursday
Randy Wagoner commented on Bruce Condello's group The Shellcrackers
"I couldn't get the video at 1st by clicking the link 3 posts previous.  Try clicking the…"
Thursday
Randy Wagoner commented on Bruce Condello's group The Shellcrackers
"Several considerations with feeding in Feb.  I don't think there's much forage in…"
Thursday
dick tabbert left a comment for chuck pool
"I'm sorry been lots going on around here. I looked at the hairy cricket I think that's…"
Thursday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

This Was Cody’s Second Cast……Personal Best Largemouth…..3/5/2023

"Thanks for the feature on this one……he was very happy and I was even happier!"
Wednesday
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jim Gronaw's photo
Wednesday
Troy Dorman commented on Jim Gronaw's photo
Mar 14
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Mar 11
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Best of 2022….Addictive Gills

"Thanks….we’re ready for a great 2023!"
Mar 11
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Sows in the mix Shallow….2/22/2023

"Thanks Jim! Enjoyed an early start this year…."
Mar 11
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jim Gronaw's photo
Thumbnail

Healthy 15.5 female

"Great fish Jim……looks like a mild winter on the Mason Dixon!"
Mar 11
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jim Gronaw's photo
Thumbnail

The one I wanted...Almost!

"Still a wonderful fish….Slab Alert!"
Mar 11
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jim Gronaw's photo
Thumbnail

Gronaw finally kept some eaters!

"Time for a fish fry! Hard to resist….enjoy!"
Mar 11

© 2023   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service