Do you love big bluegill?

All Blog Posts (1,103)

Today was IceFishing 101

Take a Teacher Fishing!

Today was icefishing 101. My fishing partner for the day was Luke Luginbuhl from Mackinaw. He is a good friend and physics teacher at Washington High School. The high for the day was about 9 degrees, and the only reason I ventured out was because this was the only day of his Christmas vacation that he had available.

So I told Luke not to expect too much as far as action is concerned, but that we would give… Continue

Added by Nate Herman on December 22, 2008 at 10:30pm — 1 Comment

Bluegill are a "Big" Deal

The first fish I ever caught was a sunfish, a smallish big-mouthed creature my dad said was a 'bream' and that I later learned was a green sunfish. I would venture to say the first fish many, many kids catch is a sunfish...and bluegill are the kings of panfish.

As a professional fisheries biologist with 30 years in the pond management business, helping people design, build, stock and manage private fishing lakes and ponds all over the nation, bluegill are head and shoulders above all fish… Continue

Added by Bob Lusk on December 16, 2008 at 7:20pm — 17 Comments

The Forbidden Pond

Last week I ventured back to an old farm pond that I used to fish in the early 80's.......small, about an acre....small feeder creek coming in and a substancial dam to slow the flow.....I used to catch some really nice Gills and big Largemouth there back in the day.

Traveling light...spudbar/bucket/vex/pole/scooper....I finally made my way back to the pond only to find someone fishing it....I approached in a kind manner and asked the very old gentleman if he would mind if I also fished the… Continue

Added by Bill "Musky" Modica on December 13, 2008 at 8:05pm — 12 Comments

The new Big Bluegill logo is unveiled!!!!

Well? What do you think? Does it look like it would make a cool hat or sweatshirt? This was developed by the creator of Big Bluegill, Aaron Matos. He kind of stays behind the scenes, but he's always watching and monitoring us (spooky, isn't it?) so that we stay focused on big bluegill.

Added by Bruce Condello on December 12, 2008 at 4:24pm — 60 Comments

The Ice Cometh!

Located just slightly north of the 42nd paralell, we experience 12-14 weeks of hardwater action every year......and the games are about to begin!

My primary box is armed with an array of Demons, Marmooskas, Hali jigs, Rat finkeys, Moon glo and glitters, Gill pills and an assortment of horizontal jigs that are at the ready.

Members like Eric White, Kyle Sorenson, and Justin Gloede have… Continue

Added by Bill "Musky" Modica on December 4, 2008 at 2:30pm — 10 Comments

BIG BLUEGILL RULES

I'd like to reiterate the rules on Big Bluegill blog posts and discussions.

1. No profanity

2. No commentary in regards to race or…

Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on November 30, 2008 at 8:00am — 54 Comments

The Helmet.

I was thinking the other day of all the reasons I love bluegill.

I love the way they bite.

I love the way they fight.

I love the way they taste.

I love the way they look. Oh, man, I think they look so cool. They kind of have an attitude. Sometimes a big bluegill will look at you, and his look says, "If I had a chance dude, I'd kick your butt."

All those bright colors turn even darker when you hold them--sometimes turning almost black with… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on November 20, 2008 at 6:30pm — 8 Comments

Did it................won't do it again.

Well, I did it. I stepped out of my comfort zone and into uncharted waters..............literally.

I'm strapped for time, so I'll have to keep it brief................for now.

The weather forecast called for rain as I loaded the truck with chest waders, wading boots, and a tackle vest that was carefully packed with "first assault" gear. The destination was a local river for some exploritory bluegill angling.

The result was less then appealing, however not because of… Continue

Added by Zig on November 20, 2008 at 11:00am — 4 Comments

How to tie a 10-cent fly

I read with great interest Alex G's post about fly fishing and eventually fly tying. Seems like the logical progression.

You learn to cast a fly line, learn to fly fish and then you want to learn how to tie flies. And that's perfectly natural.

When I started fly fishing more years ago than I'd like to admit, I was determined to be a fly fisher and never a fly tier.

I don't want to be one of those guys, I told myself.

But a funny thing happened at the… Continue

Added by SteveGibson on November 16, 2008 at 11:00am — 12 Comments

Wishing or fishing?

Some people fish. Others wish.

What do you do?

I suspect if you're into bluegill, you fish.

The difference between wishing and fishing is clear. Those who catch fish are fishing. And then there are those who simply make a wish to catch fish.

This scenario is played out daily on lakes and streams throughout the country. One angler goes out with an intimate knowlege of the lake and the species he is seeking. He's knows the lake, its bottom and its… Continue

Added by SteveGibson on November 16, 2008 at 10:42am — 2 Comments

Mighty Myakka Minnow

The Mighty Myakka Minnow was born out of frustration. I’m sure you’ve been there.

Imagine a day on the water with fish busting minnows throughout the morning. But after several hours, you still have nothing to show for your efforts. You cast into the spray of minnows, but your offering is ignored repeatedly. The fish are so keyed into the tiny minnows that they ignore everything else.

Although the scenery is nice and weather gorgeous, it sure would be nice to feel the tug… Continue

Added by SteveGibson on November 14, 2008 at 3:00pm — 5 Comments

Bluegill Observations

I'm heading out in the morning with a friend and surely bluegill will be a target. We'll put the kayaks in at the Nine Mile Canal at North Port, Fla. Haven't fished that body of water in years, but I know it's good.

I'm not a purist by any means, but I find I can catch more bluegill and other freshwater fish on fly rod than I can other tackle. Of course, I use fly tackle all the time. Tomorrow I'll take a 1-weight, 2-weight and maybe something just a little bigger with a bass… Continue

Added by SteveGibson on November 13, 2008 at 5:37pm — 6 Comments

Fly fishing, the next step, fly tying

I began fly fishing about a month and a half ago, and with colder weather that I am not a fan of upon us here in Nebraska, I took the next step and began wanting to tie my own flies. This is natural I'm told, not only because flies are not cheap for the most part, but it also gives you a greater sense of accomplishment when you hook a fish on a fly that you tied. I've also found out that fly tying isn't exactly cheap either, I did the math and figured that to buy the materials to tie one single… Continue

Added by Alex G. on November 11, 2008 at 7:30am — 9 Comments

Back to Bluegill

I began my fishing when I was 5 years old with my grandfather. There was just something about watching that red and white bobber. I was literally mesmerized by it.

Of course, I fished live bait at the time. At first, I just wanted to catch a fish and I didn't care what it was. I was as thrilled by a catfish as I was anything.

Still, bluegill won a place in my heart -- especially big bluegill.

Fast forward to 1971. I moved to Florida and really began learning how to fish. Spent… Continue

Added by SteveGibson on November 10, 2008 at 10:30pm — 8 Comments

Just a little bit of fun

My oldest wanted to do some bluegilling.

I wanted to actually find a few decent fish in this water hole we call Lake Redman.

Ever since I met this Dr. Bruce Condello guy and his blasted Relative Weight chart, I can't seem to look at bluegills, or any other local fishery the same any more.

It's a the mixed feelings of desire, restlessness, desire to learn, and sheer determination that guided me to hook the boat up again this morning.

Besides, I had something new I wanted to… Continue

Added by Zig on November 9, 2008 at 12:32am — 10 Comments

Float tube modifications for bluegill fishing

The float tube is a versitle tool for bluegill fishing as it comes from the factory. To make it more usefull for my use I have done some modifying. Having had a few of my valued spinning… Continue

Added by Michael J. Searl on November 7, 2008 at 1:00pm — 7 Comments

Making orange juice from a lemon

The beginning of November greeted us with a crisp wind, and seasonal air temperatures. GZ's last soccer game was Saturday morning, making Saturday afternoon open game for a little panfishing. The plan was to launch the boat just after lunch and fish for bluegill till dark.

Plans never quite seem to work out for myself.

After an hour of waiting in our local Red Lobster, we were informed our lunch orders had been "lost".

That little fiasco took a 2hr. chunk of time out of our… Continue

Added by Zig on November 4, 2008 at 6:30am — 6 Comments

Warning...not big bluegills...but giant perch!

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.

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… Continue

Added by David Merical on October 30, 2008 at 11:32am — 10 Comments

Why did I put off the chores so long?

Week 2 - I've almost resorted to fishing in the aquarium........again.

Everytime I walk through the door at BigBluegill.com, I'm reminded why I'm getting so grouchy.

There are only two things I can hope for right now, and my actions seem to control either direction that is taken:

1) I can finish painting the window trim on the second floor, and still have a few weeks to float the boat before the water starts doing that hardness thing, or

2) I can dig out the ice… Continue

Added by Zig on October 28, 2008 at 10:08am — 1 Comment

Big Bluegill pride.

I just spent an hour or so reading and re-reading some of the comments and observations made by members of Big Bluegill over the last few days.

VERY impressive.

What started as a fun way to post some pictures of my favorite fish, has turned into a fantastic clearinghouse for bluegill information. That's not even mentioning some pretty good fellowship and friendly banter.

Nice job, people. I thank every one of you.

I think there are thousands of other… Continue

Added by Bruce Condello on October 22, 2008 at 1:39pm — 12 Comments