i found a spot where there are a million shelcrackers this is one of the bigger
Comment by shooter on December 31, 2009 at 12:40pm
Dan i have wanted to fish Merrit's for years,i thank the state record red ear came from there,at 4.86 lbs.
man you should fish that pond.
gators have a bad attitude
Comment by Dan Gwaltney on October 5, 2009 at 1:32pm
I don't know why I haven't joined this group before! (?) In the places I fish, I rarely catch just one species, and 'crackers are almost always in the mix. I live about 30 miles from one of the most famous shellcracker lakes in the Country, Merrit's Millpond in Jackson County, Fla, but I don't care to fish there too much. The water is crystal clear, but stays choked with Hydrilla much of the time, both of which make it difficult to fish successfully, Besides that, there is a rather unusual size limit on that particular lake. There is a 10 inch minimum size. Anything smaller goes back in the drink! I'm sure a lot, perhaps all, of you would cringe at the thought of tossing back a 9 1/2 incher 'cause he is too little!! Of course, I might change my opinion of the place if I were to ever catch a keeper! :-D
Just joined this site, I've been lurking here for over a month and just am amazed at the pictures of quality fish being caught.
I'm a shellcracker fisherman at heart, but love to catch the big bull bluegills too. Shellcracker are a much more difficult species to target and catch, but the payoff when you do hit the mother lode is an awesome feeling.
That has been my experience as well, I always see the reds move up to spawn just after the gills....mid June is also the time frame in Northern Illinois.
Hey guys...it has been my experience that the redears seem to spawn a little later than the gills in the Mid Atlantic region. I have caught spawning crackers at Rocky Gap State Park in western Md on June 15 which is the bass opener in MD. I have caught them in Mid June in Amelia County ,VA, farmponds and all were bedding fish that seemed to overlap the gill spawn in these waters. I must say that they can be quite challenging when they are on bed.
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