Spinner rig for Panfish

[John Sheehan]

http://bigbluegill.com/photo/p1012709?context=album&albumId=203...

[Slip Sinker]

check this out 20 miles from my location

[Tony Livingston]

If that;s correct, someone may have missed their big chance....the Michigan state record gill was only 13.75" long, at 2 3/4 lbs, and it looks like that was set over 30 years ago. I wonder if they are looking at a redear, and calling it a bluegill? See how much vastly larger that one fish was compared to the others listed?

[Jim Gronaw]

Tony's got a good point, as mis-identification does occur, even in and among today's local and regional tournaments. Sanford Lake looks like it might be a spot.

Keep in mind that some quality panfish fisheries 'come and go' and this can be the case with bluegills as well. Consistent producers over a long period, say 8-10 years, usually shows a waters ability and health to produce quality to even trophy individuals of any specie. Long haul efforts show good water quality, lack of overharvest, good biological factors that can produce big fish, year after year. Then again, some waters just 'peak' in a 3 to 4 year span where everything was 'just right' to produce a few year classes of monster fish, then the fishing may gradually dwindle. The window of big-fish opportunities can be short on some waters due to many factors.

Yes, if the info is correct, I would also wonder if this 14.75 inch fish were a red ear. And even if it were a red ear, for a northern fish, it would be phenomenal.

[Slip Sinker]

redears just in most southern counties of michigan

[Tony Livingston]

This is correct. I believe this fish was caught in a river, in August? Not trying to take anything away from the angler, or dash anyone's hopes......but an often overlooked aspect of bluegill biology is the math...there is a correlation between length and weight, which can be useful in determining or corroborating submitted information, as well as gaging the overall health of a population of fish.

I would expect to see a northern fish have a lower weight than a more southern specimen of the same length, but a 14.75" bluegill should blow the previous Michigan record completely out of the water. I wonder if there is any more info out there on this catch? If a biologist examined the photo for master angler certification, he or she surely would've recognized that a state record catch had occurred, even if released. I wonder if they contacted the angler, or if there are any photos spread around of her application?

[Slip Sinker]

the thing is ... it was submitted as catch and release... she could of had a state record there and not realized it

[Tony Livingston]

I have handled and measured thousands of northern bluegills, and even after all those fish I have seen one that went almost 13", and 4-5 that were heavy twelves. That's not to say that records aren't made, but only to show how hard it is, and what an accomplishment it is, to actually catch that caliber of fish.

BUT......if I had a dollar for everyone who told me they had caught a one pound bluegill, or an eleven inch bluegill, only to have their claim fall apart when an accurate scale or measuring tape was produced, well, I could take tomorrow off for sure.

Anglers get excited, and in their excitement they estimate....and more often than not, they tend to err on the large side. Or, they stretch the tape OVER the fish, rather than right above or below it. They're not intentionally trying to mislead anyone, they're just excited. The same goes for misidentification. Many folks lump lepomids under the general term of 'bluegill', or 'sunfish', or even 'perch' (purch?)...one is as good as the other. Again, these people aren't trying to pull a fast one, this is how they see these fish.

Whatever this fish was, it was obviously large and the angler has every right to be proud of the catch. I don't think anyone should try and take that away. But when the details matter, accuracy on all counts is paramount.

[Jim Gronaw]

To receive a catch and release citation from the Maryland DNR you have to supply a photograph of the fish. With all the modern digital media today, it's pretty easy to register a fine catch & release fish and a pic of the fish. Some states and contests do not require the photographic proof, but in almost all cases it will clearly determine the specie. It would have been interesting to see how much this fish weighed and what the exact demensions were. Truly a giant!

I view the catch and release awards as a greater honor than the kept fish, simply because it shows a spirit of conservation and foresight that panfishing needs to sustain quality, trophy fisheries. Taking absolutely nothing away from a kept trophy, the releasing of big panfish is still, in my eyes, the 'final frontier' in catch and release angling for one of our most popular sport and food fish...the bluegill.

Interesting stuff!

[Allen Morgan]

I've tied up a few of these for Saugeyes.  Need to do a few down-sized versions for sunnies and drift my local lakes.....

[John Sheehan]

Look forward to hearing your results Allen !

[Slip Sinker]

while fishing the public access over here on wixom lake i used to see an old boat with a team of anglers... grandpa son and grandson and they used to clean up on the walleyes with a green in line spinner, split shot about 3ft in front and slow trolling.

[Slip Sinker]

Heres an interesting article related to trolling with spinner harnesses

http://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2014/07/23/trolling-consistency-m...