The Bluegill Diaries.....Loch, Stock, and big as a barrel........ Someday!

[Tony Livingston]

This blog will be an attempt on my part to document my family's attempt to grow consistent numbers of big Bluegill, which in this case will mean fish that weigh one pound or over. The key words here being "consistent numbers". Think of the times you have seen a photo of a smiling angler holding up a single, colossal Bluegill. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, after all it was his or her skill as an angler that lead to that memorable catch, and they should be justifiably proud of the achievement.

Our efforts however, are directed towards growing a quantity of larger fish, and if need be we are willing to sacrifice the ultimate size potential of a few specimens, so that a greater number of our fish may achieve a smaller, but still well above average size. I suspect that the techniques and methods needed to produce a quantity of bigger-than-normal Bluegill are applicable in many private ponds and lakes across the country, requiring only a modest monetary investment,  diligence, and some hands-on input from the pondowner.

Simply stated, our ideal scenario is one in which we can catch 20 Bluegill, and at least 14 of those fish will weigh between a pound, and a pound and a quarter. The remaining 6 fish should not weigh less than 14 ozs. This should be fairly easy to achieve, and in fact we are very close now. The next logical question concerns whether or not this ratio can be maintained, and still allow for a modest harvest. This is an area my family and I will be exploring in the near future.

So, to begin, an introduction to my family's ponds!

 

[Tony Livingston]

Dick I made that one from plastic mesh and 3/4" black plastic well pipe.

[dick tabbert]

Tony where did you get you cage I've been looking for one, actually I wanted to make one.

[Tony Livingston]

Bag O' fish.... 100 in there!  Filled with oxygen for the trip home.Saturday morning I picked up some new fish. Since Hybrid Bluegill are predominantly male they don't reproduce much, and they require replenishment from time to time. This new batch of fish averaged 4", and they looked good.... no sores or wounds, and very active. I placed them in a cage where they will spend the next few weeks. We were happy to see them eating feed the first night, always a good sign!.

 

Home sweet home for awhile....

[dick tabbert]

Tony you have a nice looking pond. I like it. I'll see you next weekend.

[Tony Livingston]

Well, the arrival of warmer weather signals the start of the busy season, where our ponds are concerned. I have been feeding a little this past week, and the fish are very receptive. In addition, the combination of a very mild Winter, clear water, and an abundance of underutilized nutrients in the water, have led to an explosion of Filamentous Algae, or FA for short.

That means it's time to lower the water in the hybrid pond to the Summer level, despite the fact that it's technically still Winter. This will allow easier feeding of our fish, and give us an opportunity to get a handle on the FA.

Here is a photo showing the water over the concrete deck, at Winter pool level. This prevents the surface of the concrete from popping off due to freezing and thawing.

[IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u434/sprkplugphoto/100_0706.jpg[/IMG]

 

The metal grating is at Winter level, while the white pipe is the Summer level. It is plugged off in this picture.

[IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u434/sprkplugphoto/100_0715Medi...[/IMG]

 

I will remove the white cap and install this "T", to prevent the fish from escaping.

 

[IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u434/sprkplugphoto/100_0718Medi...[/IMG]

 

Success, the water will be at the lower level in less than 24 hrs.

[IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u434/sprkplugphoto/100_0719Medi...[/IMG]

 

 

[Tony Livingston]

Dick, thank you for the compliments. We do have trees surrounding all of our ponds, so decaying leaves are a constant companion to our water. And they can contribute to a lack of dissolved oxygen while they are decomposing. Unfortunately, due to the sheer scale of the problem, I have never arrived at a satisfactory solution. We don't want to eliminate hundreds of trees, nor is it practical to manually rake the leaves out. There are products on the market designed to reduce organic waste by benefit of introducing bacteria to "eat" it away. It's hard to find an independent, impartial study by which to base these products effectiveness, and the bacteria itself is usually quite expensive.

We are fortunate in that we have never suffered a low dissolved oxygen event that resulted in a fishkill. We do aerate our Hybrid BG pond, but all of the other ponds have thus far survived on their own. Fingers crossed.

[dick tabbert]

Nice Tony our goals are the same with you having a head start. Hope you don't mined if at times I try to pick your brain. I want big gills and do what ever means I have to do to achieve my goal short of killing out my pond and starting all over again. Hope that don't happen but it could be a possibility. Looks like you got a couple good helpers and I'm sure they are interested in the same things you want and your there to guide them one step at a time. Tony you have some nice looking ponds do you have trouble with all the leaves that blow in it, I'm thinking decay making less oxygen. Keep er up I'll probably be using some of your info to improve my water hole.

[Tony Livingston]

This past week saw temperatures more in line with late Feb. In a word, colder. I went out this morning to find heavy frost, skim ice right at the water's edges, and 19 degrees. Sure enough, the fish weren't concentrated in the shallower water any more, having moved out deeper and scattered about. I knew the forecast called for sunny conditions and warmer temps for the day, so I gambled that my best chance for a solid catch would be in the afternoon, hopefully after the shallows warmed up a little.

Instead, the boys and I used the morning hours to inspect dams, spillpipes, and to check for muskrat damage. And we did in fact locate a muskrat under the footbridge that extends out to an island on the big lake. He or she was having breakfast, consisting of freshwater mussels. I like seeing the mussels, not so much the muskrat. The presence of mussels is an indication that the water is fertile, and healthy. In addition, since Redear Sunfish feed on snails and other mollusks, I believe the  smaller Bivalves might supply an additional food supply for them. At least I hope so. We had to lie on our stomachs and look under the footbridge to find the muskrat's dining room, or Midden, as the proper term refers to it. The boys found that the empty half shells made great boats, and an impromptu regatta broke out.

About 3:00 in the afternoon, I headed for some shallow water to try my luck again. This time was a success, as the fish had come back in to forage in the now warmer water. I caught 22 Bluegills, between 8-9", with a couple of 10" fish thrown in.  The action was steady, but if the water warms just a few more degrees it will be fantastic, and artificial lures will begin to take fish, hopefully bigger fish.

[Tony Livingston]

Got out for just a short time today, but the bite was really good. Ended up with 16 average sized Bluegill and a half dozen Largemouth Bass.  It was sunny most of the day, with a high temp of 48 degrees. The water temp was 45 degrees in the main body of pond #4, BUT..... I fished a relatively shallow, dark bottomed cove located on the far Western edge of this pond. This area received sunlight nearly the entire day, and when coupled with its shallower depth probably meant that the water in that particular spot was just a few degrees warmer than the rest of the pond. And the fish were there to take advantage of it.

The first photo shows the actual area I was fishing. I was casting to the far shore, up underneath the tree branches, in about 4 - 5' of water. The bite was active enough that I upsized my offering, choosing to fish with a size 10 teardrop jig, (up from a size 16 horizontal) tipped with a beemoth.

A few sunny, warmer days will allow the shallower water to warm faster, and this time of the year the fish will move in to feed. Knowing your water temps should allow an astute angler to pinpoint these type of areas, and target some good fish. I prefer to hit the shallow areas that receive the most hours of sunlight, coupled  with overhanging vegetation and branches. Close proximity to deeper water seals the deal, and that's usually where I'll be on late winter days like today.

These  fish ranged from 8 - 9.5"  Thanks for reading, and good luck!

[Tony Livingston]

There's been a lot of discussions this week regarding fishing strategies, what makes for a successful outing, and who is best able to catch what. I don't want to just repeat my philosophies regarding these topics, as they are posted here elsewhere. Instead, I will offer a more detailed, personal insight into my own techniques and opinions.

I have been BG fishing for 40 years now, and although I would like to think I have a pretty good handle on it, the truth is there is always more to learn. I am always reading, researching, and talking to other, more knowledgeable anglers about their fishing successes and failures. Anything to improve my angling ability.

Having said that, I will refer back to a passage in my opening statement for this blog. A ideal outing to me consists of being able to catch 20 BG, 14 of which should weigh between a pound, and a pound and a quarter. The remaining six fish should weigh no less than 14ozs.

Now... those are considered maximum numbers for us. We normally stop when we reach 10-12 Bluegills, as we don't freeze any fish, it is all eaten fresh. We could catch more, it is our decision to stop there. Most instances, it is no problem to accomplish those numbers, it is the weights of the fish we are currently trying to improve. Our goal is trophy BG fishing, not necessarily high numbers of fish caught.

My family is truly blessed by having our own waters to fish. And I can assure you that we do not take it for granted, and we give thanks for it every day. I used to fish many different BG waters, both public and private. I learned much over the years, but one thing always stood out: "Why am I spending time and money to travel to another lake, only to catch Bluegills that are smaller than what we have at home?" That's when we decided to take our waters, already a very good Bluegill fishery, and see if we could turn them into something even more special. It seems to be working out well, as everyone who fishes here always comments on how big the Bluegills are. Friends and family are always welcome here, including friends we haven't met face to face yet.

I understand that different anglers' have different opinions on what constitutes success, and I think this is how it should be. I know I would think twice if I pulled my boat an hour one way to fish a BOW, only to stop fishing when I had my dozen BG in the livewell... believe me, I've been there many times myself in the past. Now, from the time I decide to go fishing to when I make my first cast, is 3-4 minutes. What that provides us with is the luxury of being satisfied with a dozen fresh fish, while our "freezer" becomes the lakes themselves... after all, they quit growing when they're filleted and frozen, and they stay fresh and continue to get bigger when they're still swimming around waiting for our next outing.

I leave you this week with a couple pics of my "on water" fishing setup. This little thing is as handy as a pocket on a shirt for small ponds. I built the trailer to allow the Kawasaki to pull it, although rest assured it has a lot of hours of "tailgate" time from the old days when I fished everywhere!!