What is keeper size?

[Mike Schmidt]

I am a complete newbie to gills.  After thinking about it for the last couple years, I went for the first time the weekend before last and I am hooked!

One question (of many) I have is how big does a gill have to be before I should consider keeping it?  I ask from the standpoint of cleaning effort versus size of fillet. Maybe the better question would be; how small of a gill would you keep?

Keep in mind that from the research I've done, it seems like a 10" gill is pretty big up here in North Dakota.  And my question is coming from a "selective harvest" mindset.  Since gills are an afterthought -if thought of at all- for most anglers up here, I want to do my part and thin out the runts so the big ones can get bigger.

Now, being one guy in a small minority of anglers fishing for gills might mean that whatever I do will have no affect whatsoever.  But, I'd rather just do the "right thing" and hope everyone else does too.

Am I overthinking this? (I have been known to do that before!)

[Mike Schmidt]

"northern fish always wanted to be Southern Fish !"

Hahaha!  I don't doubt that, how would you like to live under a 2+ foot thick glass roof 4-6 months of the year?  haha

[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

 Mike , I was wondering how long that would be out there with out a reply, !    LOFR

[Tony Livingston]

And southern anglers want to be northern anglers.....we don't have a daily limit in my state!

We also don't quit fishing when the water temps fall below 40 degrees. You see, our northern strain bluegills feed all winter, and a good angler can catch them 12 months out of the year. Of course, that means we need to put the flyrods and porcupine quills away for a time, but northern anglers are a hardy bunch, and we have learned to adapt to the seasons rather than simply reliving the easy pickings, glory days of the previous spring.  If we wanted it easy, with no challenge, I suppose we could always move south from the sound of things.

And then there's the matter of  water.....it's generally accepted that northern waters are more fertile than southern waters, meaning that we usually have to work at preventing our bluegills from outpacing our bass and becoming stunted. In southern waters, most stocking procedures intended for a "balanced" fishery call for stocking forage (bluegills) first, then giving them a few months to hopefully multiply enough you can stock the bass.  Try that up here, and you may not be able to get ahead of all those bluegills...

You see, just like I stated earlier, it all depends...........Good and bad elements to every location. A good angler can catch bluegills on both coasts, north and south, high elevations, and down in the valleys.

[Nathanael Deloach]

   Sounds like you need to do some road work and start visiting some lakes!  Sounds really rough, having to go explore and fish lakes to find out if it's worth focusing on.....I wish I could join you :) LOFR is right about the south having a longer growing season which allows a lot of their lakes to get a great quality of fish as a result. I lived in NC for 7 years and cut my teeth on B-gill fishing down there ("Reflecting on the Beginning"). With that said, we have plenty of lakes up here that would rival any of the southern lakes in quantity, quality and big size classes. But I do think we would be more vulnerable to over harvest then our southern counterparts since growth of fish are slower up here. 

  To your question, I never rule out any techniques or baits that could potentially catch our favorite fish.  But I do think that we have different eco-systems up here where the Gills will end up feeding on different things. Though this can be true with lakes that are right next to each other as well. My advise would be to gather as much general info on gills, techniques and bates as you can and then experiment on each lake until you find something that works best.  I have settled in with a "fly" like pattern where I use 1/64th oz feather jigs (like Lindy's little nipper) tipped with Berkly's power wiggler. This completes the "fly look alike" since the jigs are really meant to imitate minnows. I use it under a slip bobber rig that I have developed and tweaked over the years. I've found that bug hatches and flys tend to be the main food sources of panfish in our area lakes. Not sure if ND would be the same or not. Don't over look other methods tho, Modica's spoon system is very effective, drop shotting with just a hook and crawler (or plastic look alike) can work great too. Fly fishing can be a really exciting way to go as well when the gills are looking up.  Not sure if there is a "wrong way" to fish for gills if you are catching them. 

  My advice to you would be to stick with crawlers (Crickets or other live bate that is tried and true) while you search for the lakes that hold the quality fish. Once you key in on the lakes that show promise then start the experimenting and find out what method(s) may work best for you. It's a fun journey that all of us are still on, I hope you embrace the road less traveled become a ND Gill master! :)

[Tony Livingston]

I try not to get hung up on any one aspect needed to produce big gills. Length of the growing season is important, but it is not the "key" that unlocks the door behind which giant gills wait.....if it were, we should see 2-3 lb bluegills regularly from down south, which of course we don't. It's one piece of the puzzle, nothing more.

Case in point: It's true that the south has a longer growing season, but it's also true that the water is generally not as fertile as it is further north.  It's common to fertilize your pond down south, to try and establish a phytoplankton bloom....that greenish look that fertile water sometimes gets. Up here, I spend time trying to knock that bloom back... fertilizing to try and encourage it would be crazy in my location. And fertile water forms the basis for the food chain. Phytoplankton feeds zooplankton, and zooplankton feeds smaller fish, and larger fish consume smaller fish. An extra long growing season means little if the food chain is not there to support growth.

The second part of the equation deals with lifespan. Southern bluegills don't generally live as long as northern bluegills. Longer life equals more time eating, which translates into further growth. As is often the case, nature incorporates a system of checks and balances into her plans.

Longer growing season = shorter lifespans, probability of less fertile water resulting in less food.

Shorter growing season = longer lifespans, probability of more fertile water resulting in more food.

[Nathanael Deloach]

  Good points Tony, I know there are many different aspects as to why some lakes do better then others, you went into good detail with some of those reasons. This has been a great thread, thanks for sharing the knowledge...:) 

[Mike Schmidt]

Nathanael, you are so right about needing to put in some road work!  Work and this wet spring has put a damper on that, but I will keep at it.  Thanks for all the advice.

And you are also right about this being a great thread.  A LOT of great replies in here! 

[carl hendrix]

Tony;; I guess that's one way of looking at it.  But like that old song goes::  IF HEAVEN AINT A LOT LIKE DIXIE;; I DONT WANNA GO!!  you just have to be from the glorious south;; to understand;; being redneck!!!

[Tony Livingston]

No worries, I've long since decided that a redneck can hail from anywhere...it's not geographical in nature, it's more a state of mind.

I'm happy where I'm at, but if I were to move, it would be further north before going south. No slight intended to my southern bluegill brothers and sisters, but I actually enjoy a definitive change of seasons, and the challenges they bring to a hard fishin' angler.

I no longer fish just to catch fish.....I want a challenge. Numbers used to be my reward, but these days I gain satisfaction from landing a single, great bluegill, rather than a cooler full of good bluegills.

That's what bluegill fishing offers. It's different for everyone but we can all enjoy it, no matter our respective goals.

[Mike Schmidt]

Yep.  I know a BUNCH of rednecks who live far north of the Mason-Dixon!  And I must say, if I'm not a full-blown redneck, I'm darn close! :-)

[Nathanael Deloach]

  You wanna see northern rednecks?  Go Ice fishing, A lot of those folks are "in that state of mind", it's great....lol

[Mike Schmidt]

Oh man...that is for sure!  Ice fishing is a great experience.  We should get a BBG Rendezvous up here in January and get some of these southern boys on the hard water!  :-)