When to start keeping bluegill's

[Troy Bahlmann]

I renovated my farm pond about 4 years ago and we have fished it last spring and catch 6-7 inch gills. What size is a good size to start keeping them.

[John Cachel]

Keep 6" and let 7" go until you get 8" then keep 7" and let 8" go, etc, etc!
Until you get some monster bluegills in pond then let some 10 " and up back to water!

[Jeremy R. Mayo]

Sounds like somebody gonna have some good eatin before long!

[chris garton]

sounds like it is time now!!!! if you can get a fillet knife in em, eat em!!!

[Ben Winter]

A number of years ago, I'd fish a farm pond That no one fished for bluegills. I'd harvested a bunch of smaller ones several times a year. With each year the average size of bluegill & crappie increased. The last time I fished this pond, the size of the bluegill's had went from 5"-6" to 8"-9" in a time spand of 4 years.

[Jeremy R. Mayo]

whole fries to fillets!

[10.5" RES Sharon]

Does this rate of growth seem slow to anyone else, or does the growth slow down after 6"? My 2-3" BG have grown to 6" in one year. Hate to think it will take 4 more years to reach 8-9".

[bluegillboogieman]

I don't have a pond, no experience with raising them. I do fish a public lake nearby that was drained a few years ago, not sure exactly how many. It was re-opened for fishing Oct of 08. I learned of it spring of 09 and started fishing it. Almost everything I caught was 7 inches. The ones this year are 8 to 8.25. This is a 150 acre lake and there is no feeding program. This one came from this lake. They don't seem to have slowed down in growth from when it re-opened.

[Troy Bahlmann]

thanks all who replied

[bluegillboogieman]

So Sharon can expect about one inch per year growth meaning 8 inchers in 2 years for her?