Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

Views: 9076

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

...fly hatches since Labor Day on a couple BOWs

no unusual bubble activity... 

20170912-made plans to fish a local private lake with a decent panfish population to get 2 of my G’kids hooked up with some fish on the ULs.

The weather was fantastic!... probably the best of summer…. Calm, hot and sunny.

Water conditions were glass smooth, 72 degs surf temps but a significant algae bloom going on.

On an 18% Solunar slow bite day we caught few fish that reflected that percentage.

Brenden ended up with the largest LMB at 12” which was his first and PB tagged on the Long-Cast/.016 oz Jig/Apex Minnow in pink and white. Brenden is hooked on the Long-Cast/tiny jigs method.

I caught a few chunky B.Crappie up to 11” on the Mid-minnow mounted on a .032 oz jig.

My BFOTD came on the Long-Cast/.016 oz jig/Pink Waxie… a nice B.Gill in the upper 8’s

20170912-my BFOTD nice upper 8’s B.Gill tagged Long-Cast/.016oz Jig/Pink Waxie

20170912- Brenden's First and PB best LMB tagged on the .016 oz Apex in pink/white

20170912-Nice trip on a nice day with family!

I've been noticing algae blooms on a couple lakes down here in my area.  Is this normal for MI?  I do know that we didn't get a lot of rain this summer, and a couple chains of lakes are all down about 12", and even the streams are that low.

Yep typical Michigan lake congested with homes around it’s perimeter with septic systems on small lots… nutrients leach into the BOW and causes excessive weed growth to absorb those nutrients. Weeds are harvested and chemically removed with herbicides and nutrients build up. By late summer early fall some of the annual weeds die off add a few calm sunny days and the algae growth takes off.

20170913----~~<")))))><(---*Post Summer Period*--14%/mid 60's

20170913-on a 14% solunar day one doesn’t expect to set the waters on fire with fishing efficiency and production… however I use the slow period to expand by exploring alternate areas on the BOW. This trip was no exception… expectations were not high. I hit some favorite waypoints initially no hitting on any particular pattern… fish seemed scattered some tight to the cover near shore or tight to edges. Not much schooling activity takes place during these times. I picked up a fish here and there. The Long-Cast/.016oz Jig/Waxie & Lil Minnow methods were key.

A good mixed bag of panfish were eventually tagged during this trip including Rock Bass, Blue Gill, Y.Perch and B.Crappie

Tagging a lunker B.Gill on the Long-Cast/.016 oz Jig/Chartreuse Waxie was the highlight of the afternoon

20170913-Best B.Crappie of the day... Long Cast/.016 oz Jig/1“ GULP Minnow

20170913-Nice B.Gill … BFOTD!!... Long-Cast/.016 oz Jig/Chartreuse Waxie

...20170913-very slow day per solunar month at 14%... I was able to tag single fish tight to cover from spot to spot.

...

...Managed a mid 9-inch bluegill through the minor Peak but very slow fishing

20170914----~~<")))))><(---*Post Summer Period*--28%/mid 72's

20170914-we’ve had a great string of summer time temps

after that long cold streak starting in mid August… some of the best weather of the year returned here in mid-Michigan. Surface temps are up on average for this time of season.

So to take advantage of this weather opportunity I decided to investigate some new areas on my home lake reservoir of 1700 acres.

Once launched and on the water, I noticed extreme clear water conditions that I have rarely seen on this reservoir. I initially thought I would probably have to go a little bit deeper than usual to find the fish.

The area I pre-selected is a cut extending from the deeper area basins to a large 7-9’ flat. The area was basically free from weeds excluding some thin sporadic patches.

I did a quick sonar scan of the area and found fish close to the bottom. I started tagging fish straight away from 7-8.5” but at a slow methodically timed pace.

I decided to try a different area and moved further up about 100 yds and let the spot cool down. As soon as I moved another angler coming out of nowhere moved right on top of the spot!

After striking out in the immediate waypoint I decided to move on and work my way back to the launch. I could not pick up on another patterned bite the rest of the trip.

Method of the day was Long-Cast/.016oz Jig/Waxie twitched along the bottom in 15-18 FOW.

 

...20170914-one of the better B.Gills at Mid-eights…

...

...

20170915----~~<")))))><(---*Post Summer Period*--43%/72 DEGS

20170916-here is the bait of choice in yesterday’s trip… the tiniest tungsten jig in my arsenal tipped with a Chartreuse waxie.

For those who know me and the way I fish… color is on the bottom of the list of importance when it comes to presentation… I use plain lead jig heads or black as a second choice. I believe that bait profile is the next most important factor to presentation just under fish location. Hey you can’t tag fish when they are not there… lol.

However the extreme clear water recently in the reservoir (15-20 ft) may have shifted preference to the bright chartreuse waxie over the pink!?

20170917----~~<")))))><(---*Post Summer Period*--71%/71°

RSS

Latest Activity

dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

New measuring boards

"Thank Jeffrey"
14 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion A Prosperous 2014 Panfish Season To Date
"Thanks Dick….2014 was an amazing fishing year on the Albemarle….those of us that were…"
21 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

New measuring boards

"Nice craftsmanship Dick……"
21 hours ago
dick tabbert posted a photo

New measuring boards

New measuring boards 18",24", and 36".
yesterday
dick tabbert replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion A Prosperous 2014 Panfish Season To Date
"Great pics Jeffrey and loads of fun to catch."
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion A Prosperous 2014 Panfish Season To Date
"If you’re new to big bluegill.com or you just missed this post……2014 was an…"
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Best Fish Today Were Quality Shellcrackers……9/28/2024

"Thanks Tracy……growing up in southern Louisiana we called Shellcrackers either “…"
Tuesday
tracy willis commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Best Fish Today Were Quality Shellcrackers……9/28/2024

"very nice fish and great conservation.  hats of to ya.  anything over 11" here is…"
Tuesday
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

2024 Has Been a Great Year for Shellcrackers ….9/30/2024

"It sure looks to be a great year, nice cracker!"
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

2024 Has Been a Great Year for Shellcrackers ….9/30/2024

Reflecting on the growth of these fish on the river systems…
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Best Fish Today Were Quality Shellcrackers……9/28/2024

"Twenty five years here and this is the best I’ve done in public water in North…"
Monday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Some of Today’s Largest Crackers……9/28/2024

"Thanks Troy….I’m so glad these fish are adapting so well on the  Albemarle…"
Monday
Troy Dorman commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Best Fish Today Were Quality Shellcrackers……9/28/2024

"Wow, I don't remember you having such shellcracker success!!"
Monday
Troy Dorman commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Monday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Sunday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Some of Today’s Largest Crackers……9/28/2024

"Thanks Bruce…..we’re so fortunate to have such fertile waters with quality…"
Saturday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Always Love This Tree…….9/28/2024

"Thanks Bruce……it screamed picture when I went by…..you can’t even tell…"
Saturday
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Saturday
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Saturday

© 2024   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service