Richmond Mill--World class bluegill fishery.

[Bruce Condello]

Let me start by saying that I could make this blog post go on forever. I just came back from the best bluegill fishing of my life, so I'm a little fired up.

I'll try to keep it short.

Richmond Mill Lake is in North Carolina. It's a private, managed fishery that world-renowned pond and lake manager Bob Lusk has been in charge of.

Jim Morgan is the owner. He recognizes beauty and opportunity when he sees them, and he wanted to turn this lake into the best of it's kind.

So he hired Bob Lusk.

The original goal was to create a world-class largemouth bass fishery, and they're well on their way. The largemouth frequently exceed 5 pounds. The sky's the limit.

But something happened along the way.

Giant bluegill started showing up. Bass anglers were catching them on spinnerbaits and crankbaits.

I saw some pictures of them and about lost my mind. I had Bob contact Jim in the hopes that we could feature some of these fish on this website, and they graciously complied. A couple of the photos of RM bluegill were the most popular ever on this site. Lots of eyebrows were raised.

Jim Gronaw, who is a prodigious outdoor writer, and bluegill enthusiast hinted that he might like to know more about this amazing lake. So I contacted Jim Gronaw, Bob Lusk and Jim Morgan and we decided to collaborate on some articles to expose the public to a place where a person could go to have a legitimate shot at two pound bluegills.

This blog will temporarily be open only to Lusk, Gronaw, Morgan, myself and others who have personally enjoyed this lake. We'll take turns commenting on some of our experiences. Keep in mind that many of the best photos and information will be saved for an upcoming article in "In-Fisherman" magazine. There are some pictures that are even more staggering that need to be held back for now. :-)



Stay tuned.

[Clyde Augustus Douglass III]

There is one for you too, Jim Gronaw.

[Clyde Augustus Douglass III]

6-8 best anglers, that is.

[Clyde Augustus Douglass III]

Bruce, as you know I am hyper focused on the various fly fishing techniques which will consist of varying line types and presenting seasonal replication of available food to the gills where they are. This winter if we can manage some thermal imaging to locate the springs we can probably find the concentrations of fish. Ultimately we need to identify the 6-8 best in the land and put them on the water for a show down. A one time only thing.

The secret to topwater monsters is a realistic surface footprint in the film that makes the big bass have mercy but is a rewarding meal for the helmeted belly bream. I am working on three originals one of which I am going to name for you.

[Gene Jensen]

I'm so glad that you guys had an outstanding trip. I knew you would. Bruce, I love your comment about "the ghosts of fishermen past". It truly is a special place and the more I learn about it's history, the more love and respect I have for the lake and the family behind it.

As a fishing guide on Richmond Mill I am always amazed at what this lake can produce. We are growing bass at 1.5 to 2 pounds a year. The average bass right now is a little under 5 pounds. As everyone now knows, the bluegill are nothing short of amazing. There are many different species of sunfish from the huge coppernose to the small Black Banded and Dollar Sunfish. Every aspect of this fishery is beneficial to the growth of every species that lives in it. And the kicker is that it's all done in extremely acidic water. (5 to 5.2 ph)

Bruce, congratulations on that behemoth of a bluegill. I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures. You have now tasted the drug we call Richmond Mill. Expect the shakes to start in two weeks.

[Bruce Condello]

Jim's correct. It was a very light bite. Sometimes there wouldn't be a bite at all. The fish would simply swim away very slowly, then eject the bait if not hooked immediately. I'd be interested to see what would happen in the spring with the fish on the beds. The scenery was very "throwback". At times I could have imagined myself back in the 1800's. I can't quite put my finger on it, but you could sort of feel the ghosts of fishermen past. A very deep experience.

[Jim Gronaw]

You're right, guys. I'll likely never see the likes of gills like that for quite sometime, if ever! But I would like to add that, despite our success, it was a very soft, finesse bite that a lot of anglers, including me, may struggle with.

Bruce was a quick-study and soon keyed in on fish that were feeding softly off the bottom in 3 to 4 feet of water. He used a 1/32nd oz chartreuse 'ball-head' jighead with no tying collar and tipped the simple offering with a piece of nightcrawler. We got fish by slowly hopping and twitching the bait off the bottom. Strikes were very tentative and full attention was needed to read them. Sensitive graphite ultralights were needed to get the feel. Most previous bluegill catches at RM were just incidental catches by bass anglers. Bruce and I were the first fishermen to actually target these fish, which are actually the 'by-product' of this amazing fishery.

[Patrick "Bullworm" Olson]

WOW!! That is Amazing! That monster gill in the above picture is a beauty! I'm looking forward to more thats for sure! The science that goes into getting bluegills that big is what interests me the most. When I say science, I mean fish management. They must have a great predator/prey relationship as well as food source for those trophy gills. I can't wait to read more! Thansk for sharing this with us!

[IceWarriorGill]

Hey Bruce, that fish is INSANE!!! Welcome as my new Desktop Wallpaper!!! Truly an Inspiration to us all!!!!