Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

Hey folks, I have recently been posting some picks of some very big pumpkinseed sunfish that I now believe are actually hybrids of seeds and bluegills. After viewing many photos from the BBG collection, I am pretty sure that our 'big male pumkinseeds' are male pumkingills. Notice that in several of these the bright red mark on the gill flap is either not present or is merely a small orange edge at the bottom of the opercular edging. The mouths also seem to be proportionately larger than those of pure pumpkinseeds., lending to bluegill parenting.

Notice the white margin on the gillflap with the orange spot near the base of the flap in the fish above.

The fish above has the same characteristic.

The above fish lacks any red or orange on the gillflap, just a partial white crescent.Above we have Matt and Elena with a pure female seed from the same water...classic pumpkinseed body dynamics and opercular coloration, plus typical size structure for seeds. All the male pumpkingills were much bigger, averaging over 9 inches with some exceeding 10 inches in length.

So...what I thought was my biggest seed, above, was actually a very fine 10.5 inch male pumpkingill. Notice only the slightest hint of a white edging on the opercular tab. Still a super fish in my book. No complaints from me as these fish are pure powerhouses on an ultralight rod, and they are spooky on the beds, making them difficult to catch. Live worms seems to do best for now.

Views: 6835

Replies to This Discussion

Love the natural hybridization.

Great fish and post Jim !

A few PGills from years past

John...indeed...they are P-gills! Nice pics!

Thanks Jim ! Here are some more Pgills:

Pumpkingills are a very cool fish, I usually catch a few each year. One thing I've noticed about them is they almost always seem to be a very round fish. Whether they are 7" or 9" they always seem to be a little dinner plate with a tale. This is probably why they are such good fighters. Like most bluegill hybrids the majority of the ones I catch are males, but I have caught a couple females, which also had great body dynamics. I like how the colors and patterns take after each parent, having the colors of a pumpkinseed, but with slightly different patterns.

This was an 8 5/8" p-gill through the ice this winter. Great colors even under the snow and ice.

This fish was only 7 1/2" but it was my prettiest p-gill in my opinion.

This is a female I caught this year, still a pretty fish, it's colors just aren't quite a brilliant as the males'.

Adam....that pretty 7.5 inch male looks exactly like what we have found in a local public lake this year, only they average about 9 inches and we have gotten a few over 10. It's quite a fishery, and one where all the anglers seem to laugh at the big panfish, settling for 8-12 inch bass...and happy with that! Shheeeesh!I am finding mostly females when I do catch a pure pumkinseeds there. Mostly male hybrids. like the one above. Nice observations!

RSS

Latest Activity

John Sheehan posted a photo

July Bully jig/crawler piece

The lonely Bully and in July midday! Didn't see them at this spot earlier this year. In years past,…
Monday
John Sheehan posted photos
Sunday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Quality Gills…Caught and Released….7/9/2025

"Thanks Bruce…..I think they’re here for the Buck moon tomorrow and a week from now…"
Jul 9
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Beautiful Crappie Replica Mounts…..7/9/2025

"I thought they tuned out great…..the tuxedo crappie looks real…."
Jul 9
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Jul 9
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Jul 9
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Jul 9
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Jul 9
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Jul 9
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Jul 9
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"We’re in another heat wave so I got to my first spot ten minutes before sunrise….left the ramp at 5:30 and back on the trailer at 8:30…"
Jul 9
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Nesting Pair of Ospreys......

"Yeah most nests are not this close to the water and this river is remote with alligators and large…"
Jul 7
John Sheehan commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Nesting Pair of Ospreys......

"Guess the Osprey knew it was a great spot too. The Cormorants up here are murder on the stocked…"
Jul 7
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Nesting Pair of Ospreys......

"This was a great fishing spot for me until the osprey nested……I’ve seen chicks…"
Jul 6
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Jul 6
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

So many spots to place your bait...

"These cypress trees are now in the water….still producing great fishing…"
Jul 6
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

The big Cypress downed by a Hurricane.....

"This is a good example John…..I posted this picture in 2012 and a couple weeks ago I caught…"
Jul 6
John Sheehan commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Jul 6
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Found a Few Hibiscus not Quite Bloomed…..7/5/2025

"Thanks John…..being in the south we’re always drawn to cypress trees and the…"
Jul 6
John Sheehan commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Found a Few Hibiscus not Quite Bloomed…..7/5/2025

"Nice info, Jeffrey! Up here my main Crappie habits have been wood cover near deep water and willow…"
Jul 6

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service