I could sure use some Bluegill advise..

[John "Formerly Pig Man" Waldrop]

I have been fishing an abandoned company pond since last year, primarily I have been catching Bass, but I caught several monster Bluegill last year, one tipping the scale at just over 2 pounds..I caught those few on a Rapala minnow..I would love to get advise on a more reliable lure/bait. I'm fishing an 8 acre pond, with a center depth of about 45 feet. The water is fairly clear to very lightly stained, if that matters..Any help would be appreciated.

[John "Formerly Pig Man" Waldrop]

That is the million dollar question.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Okay, nice response Walt

Fewer bluegill are in your future John. But they should be whoppers, when you catch one..

Now, back to the real question: Where will you find the bluegill that DO remain?

[John "Formerly Pig Man" Waldrop]

Okay..so, I've shot down the idea of thinning out the Bass, I'm still working on dinging the right fly/bug to use..I have several people offering to send me flies..When they arrive, I will put them to the test..with pictures following.

[Walt Foreman]

Keep in mind, John, that Tony and I both manage several ponds; I actually manage to get paid for doing it.  So we know of whence we speak.  The reason we're both urging you so strongly not to take ANY bass out - not a few dozen, not ten or twenty, not any at all - is because you have happened upon something extremely, extremely rare, and the combination of a lot of deep water and those squadrons of small bass is what has brought it about.  The world record bluegill came from a similar pond just outside Birmingham.  Biologists noted that one of the reasons the bluegill were able to grow so large is the very high density of small bass that kept their numbers low; another key factor they noted was the steep banks of the pond that provided few suitable spawning areas for the bluegill.  There are specific reasons the bluegill are getting as big as they are in the pond you're fishing; if you wipe out one of those reasons, it will become just another average fishery.

It's not a matter of whether removing bass will reduce the bluegill size; it's simply a matter of how quickly it will do the damage.  Within a few months there will be a large crop of small bluegill that will take most of the food that is now going to those few big ones, away, and three or four years from now the giant bluegill will be a distant memory.  

I have spent five years and a small fortune trying to get the ponds I guide on for trophy bluegill, to the point it sounds like the pond you're fishing has arrived at naturally; and I still only have a couple ponds that have two-pound-class bluegill in them, and they both have extremely high densities of predators.  And, somehow the predators have slept on the job the past year in my best pond because now suddenly I'm seeing dozens of bluegill in the 3-5" class, whereas this time a year ago I saw none.  So I know that to keep the bluegill big in that pond, I have to add more predators.  

Anyway, we can't twist your arm, and normally I don't differ this strongly with other posters - just as Tony doesn't; but he and I both manage several ponds for the sole purpose of trophy bluegill.  We have learned things the hard way that people who don't manage ponds have not.  We're just trying to keep you from ruining a really special fishery.  And removing bass will undoubtedly do that.

[Vince Fusco]

For catching clear water gills I like using a plain painted jig head tipped with a red wiggler hooked once through the nose. I use 1/64th oz. jigs on 4lb. test mono. White seems to be my go to color early in the spring, and as the water heats up I seem to do better on a black jig. Keep in mind those yearling bass like them too, and you may have to sort through a bunch of them to get a good gill. They are fun on light tackle too. 

[Tony Livingston]

Let me ask you something John. How many smaller bluegills are you catching? Clear water is often an indication of less fertile water, so something has allowed those bluegills to grow to such a size. For bluegills to reach the size you indicate, everything has to be just right....think nearly perfect.

Remember that old saying..."If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

[John "Formerly Pig Man" Waldrop]

I bought a BBQ sauce recipe from a guy in Sapulpa.

[John "Formerly Pig Man" Waldrop]

Nevermind he is in Sapulpa..that's just up the road..he just might come and learn me something.

[John "Formerly Pig Man" Waldrop]

How far is Allen from Tulsa?

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Man, I am impressed.
John, that is tremendously generous of you.
Let me say thanks on behalf of all the BBG members!

We may never see Allen again...