David Merical's Posts - Bluegill - Big Bluegill2024-03-29T12:04:00ZDavid Mericalhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/DavidMericalhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2192385530?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://bigbluegill.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=36r15tkzg9nb4&xn_auth=noMy son WANTED to go fishing!tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2009-04-17:2036984:BlogPost:330372009-04-17T14:09:16.000ZDavid Mericalhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/DavidMerical
I took my son fishing last night, while my daughter was at choir practice.<br />
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He's been actually WANTING to fish lately! Hooray! :thumbsup:<br />
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So, I rigged up his ultralight with a tiny lead-head fly I had tied up, and put it about 1.5'-2.0' under a bobber. After just a few clumsy casts, he started really chucking it out there FAR. But actually his clumsy casts caught all his fish. On cast #1, he caught a 9" Hybrid Sunfish!! 2nd cast...a decent bluegill (for that pond), and then that was all he…
I took my son fishing last night, while my daughter was at choir practice.<br />
<br />
He's been actually WANTING to fish lately! Hooray! :thumbsup:<br />
<br />
So, I rigged up his ultralight with a tiny lead-head fly I had tied up, and put it about 1.5'-2.0' under a bobber. After just a few clumsy casts, he started really chucking it out there FAR. But actually his clumsy casts caught all his fish. On cast #1, he caught a 9" Hybrid Sunfish!! 2nd cast...a decent bluegill (for that pond), and then that was all he caught. About 10 minutes after his 2nd fish, my wife called my cell phone, and Carson picked talking to Mom over catching fish. He was bummed when it was time to go, though.<br />
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I used my fly rod and caught at least a dozen bluegills in about 20 minutes, but nothing as big as Carson's Hybrid!<br />
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Here's Carson's 9" Hybrid Sunfish:<br />
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2220391920?profile=original" alt="" width="910" height="945"/></p>Warning...not big bluegills...but giant perch!tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2008-10-30:2036984:BlogPost:95622008-10-30T18:32:30.000ZDavid Mericalhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/DavidMerical
As this isn't about bluegills or sunfish...but about another of those colorful "panfish", I apologize ahead of time if this isn't entirely appropriate. Don't read further if you'll be offended.<br />
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These are of the European Yellow Perch which is a closely related but separate species (depending on the source) to the yellow perch found in North America. But these things can grow large. One record I saw said the fish was 23.6"!! I don't recall the weight, but apparently up to and possibly over 10…
As this isn't about bluegills or sunfish...but about another of those colorful "panfish", I apologize ahead of time if this isn't entirely appropriate. Don't read further if you'll be offended.<br />
<br />
These are of the European Yellow Perch which is a closely related but separate species (depending on the source) to the yellow perch found in North America. But these things can grow large. One record I saw said the fish was 23.6"!! I don't recall the weight, but apparently up to and possibly over 10 lbs!<br />
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I personally would be interested in having this introduced into the US...I mean, nobody asked us if we wanted Carp introduced! Or... I'd be interested to see what a hybrid between the 2 species would produce.<br />
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Who wouldn't want to catch a few of these?? (these were "captured" from a slideshow on YouTube, and the creators are apparently from a European country)<br />
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As far as fish porn goes, these really impressed me, and I felt the need to share.<br />
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c221/FishnDave/FUNSTUFF/EuropeanYellowPerch1.jpg"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c221/FishnDave/FUNSTUFF/EuropeanYellowPerch2.jpg"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c221/FishnDave/FUNSTUFF/EuropeanYellowPerch3.jpg"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c221/FishnDave/FUNSTUFF/EuropeanYellowPerch4.jpg"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c221/FishnDave/FUNSTUFF/EuropeanYellowPerch5.jpg"/></p>
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<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c221/FishnDave/FUNSTUFF/EuropeanYellowPerch6.jpg"/></p>
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The heads on some of these things are so big, they look like bass!!Iowa Bluegills – Spring ‘08tag:bigbluegill.ning.com,2008-10-13:2036984:BlogPost:84112008-10-13T20:36:50.000ZDavid Mericalhttps://bigbluegill.ning.com/profile/DavidMerical
(I'd written this earlier this year and had it published on the Fly Anglers Online website.)<br />
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An unusually long and frosty winter made the ice stick around on the lakes and ponds here in central Iowa much longer than normal. Still, by April 1, the bluegills were starting to hit flies in the newly-thawed water.<br />
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I had tied up some “FishnDave’s Flashback” flies. I like this simple pattern for early season stained waters, but have found they work all season long, even in clear water.…
(I'd written this earlier this year and had it published on the Fly Anglers Online website.)<br />
<br />
An unusually long and frosty winter made the ice stick around on the lakes and ponds here in central Iowa much longer than normal. Still, by April 1, the bluegills were starting to hit flies in the newly-thawed water.<br />
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I had tied up some “FishnDave’s Flashback” flies. I like this simple pattern for early season stained waters, but have found they work all season long, even in clear water.<br />
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2220391634?profile=original" alt="" width="298" height="627"/></p>
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Another fly that I tied up for the first time this year was a modified Cap Spider. I modified it by substituting a small glass or plastic bead on the head of the hook in place of the 1/124 oz leadhead jighead. This modification helps to slow the fly’s sink rate.<br />
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2220391807?profile=original" alt="" width="751" height="431"/></p>
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I caught a LOT of fish on these flies, including a decent number of crappies and bass.<br />
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2220391867?profile=original" alt="" width="491" height="537"/></p>
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Pre-spawn conditions lasted approximately 1.5 months. As soon as the fish started to move shallow, the bluegills were really starting to hammer foam surface flies. Although the daytime bit was quite good, on calm evenings you could cast a foam fly almost anywhere in the pond and get a good hit within a few seconds! The foam surface flies seemed even more effective with some rubber legs hanging off them. Foam spiders are a good example of an effective foam fly, and I tie up a 2-color foam “spider” that also has a short marabou tail. I used a dark grey-colored foam on the bottom, and a cut-out piece of red or yellow foam on the top. The bright color on top simply makes the fly easier for me to see. Hey, it works!<br />
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2220392003?profile=original" alt="" width="665" height="488"/></p>
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By mid-May, the bull ‘gills were starting to move into the shallows and build nests. I didn’t check the water temperatures in the ponds I was fishing, but the area lakes and streams were sporting water temperature ranges from about 59°F - 62°F.<br />
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One thing I’ve found is the largest Bull Bluegills seem to be on the shallowest nests. Walking the shoreline will often send them to deeper water. Wait a bit and they often come back, but still might be cautious about hitting your offerings. So, it pays to practice stealth when approaching the nesting areas.<br />
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Usually the bull ‘gills are larger than the females, simply because much of the nutrition both sexes would normally utilize for growth is instead channeled to creating eggs in the adult females. In one particular pond I fish, however, I caught bull and female bluegills that were in the 9” range, which is very good for these public ponds.<br />
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When you find the males sitting on the nests, the females will be very close by, usually just off the nest areas in deeper water. They will often come to the surface for a foam topwater fly. If not, try “FishnDave’s Flashback”, or a #8 or #10 Woolly Bugger.<br />
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<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2220392045?profile=original" alt="" width="519" height="558"/></p>
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As you can see, during the pre-spawn and spawning period, the females will have swollen bellies. They are also identifiable by the smaller black “opercle” on their gill plate, and duller coloration.<br />
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I can’t stress enough the importance of releasing the largest bluegills, especially the nesting bulls. I found an article which makes the case very clearly. Click the following link to read the article:<br />
<a href="http://wfs.sdstate.edu/wfsdept/Pond%20Web%20Page/Articles/The%20Secret%20Life%20of%20Bluegill%20%20Jul.Aug%202005.pdf"></a><br />
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As I’m writing this on May 30, 2008, the bluegills have not spawned yet. Some of the females are getting absolutely huge with eggs. The biggest look as though they’re getting ready to lay a golf ball!<br />
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Best of luck to you when fly-fishing for these fun, scrappy fighters!<br />
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--David “FishnDave” Merical