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

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!

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Comment by Tony Livingston on December 25, 2011 at 4:38pm: Well, let me start off by wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas. In light of this week's festivities, this blog entry will be short and sweet. I thought I would post a few photos Of what you DO NOT want your BG to look like. This fish came from pond #3, and she is a perfect example of what happens when your BG become over crowded, and there is not enough food to go around. I had hoped to weigh her, and establish her relative weight, but the batteries had failed in the scale, so I'll talk more about that in a later post.

She was 7.5" long, but, as the pics show, she wasn't very "tall". The most striking feature is the size of her eyes. A BG's eyes will continue to grow at a fixed rate, no matter if the rest of the fish stops growing. So what do I see when I look at this fish?

Despite her smaller size, the large eyes tell me she is mature. Therefore, this fish is probably stunted. There wasn't enough food early on, and/or the pond is overcrowded with BG, so she never realized the growth potential she should have. This fish was no more than 3/4" wide. You might also notice a couple of yellow grub, or Clinostomum parasites in her fins, although these were not the cause of her current condition.

We implemented a feeding program in this pond 6 months ago. This should improve the condition of the fish in pond #3, but for this fish it is too late. While she might put on weight, she will never achieve the size we are looking for. She was not returned to the pond.

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 18, 2011 at 6:30pm: Thanks Dwayne and Jeff. I'm located in south-central Indiana, and yes, we usually get enough ice to get out on for at least a couple of weeks. Not so sure this year, as winter is taking a while to get rolling.

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on December 18, 2011 at 6:21pm: Cool concept to share with the group Tony....Looking forward to the upcoming reports..Do your ponds "Ice Over" or you're not far enough North?

Comment by Dwayne Denison on December 18, 2011 at 3:27pm: Tony, I will folling this very closely, Beautiful land you have there. Where are you located?

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 18, 2011 at 3:16pm: Pond #5... Approx 1 acre, max depth 16'. Stocked with LMB, BG, RES, and CC.

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 18, 2011 at 3:13pm: Pond #4... Approx .5 acre, Max depth 15'. Stocked with LMB, BG, RES, and CC. This pond will be managed for CC only.

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 18, 2011 at 3:07pm: Pond #3... .75 acre, max depth 16'. Stocked with Native Bluegill (BG), Largemouth Bass (LMB), Redear sunfish (RES), Channel Catfish (CC), and Grass Carp (GC).

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 18, 2011 at 3:03pm: Pond #2... The Hybrid Bluegill pond. Approx .66 acre, 11' depth max. Stocked with HBG, Largemouth Bass, a few Redear, and 5 Grass Carp.

Comment by Tony Livingston on December 18, 2011 at 2:56pm: Pond #1... .5 acre, 12' max depth. Stocked with Largemouth bass, and Bluegill. Currently, we are not managing this pond in any way, and it shows. Still undecided as to which direction I want to take it.