What is your favorite Bluegill destination and why?

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Tulls Bay is a beautiful blackwater location with hundreds of flooded cypress and boscoyos....Very scenic and full of good sunfish of multiple species.

This is in the upper reaches of the Pasquotank River near Goat Island.....Dozens of creeks and cuts off this river and Trophy Coppernose make this river my favorite Bluegill destination in the country.

The North River is by far the most remote North Carolina river in the Dismal Swamp chain.....Blackwater and flooded Boscoyos and marsh grasses make this a great destination for multiple species of sunfish and this place is the location of the North Carolina State record Yellow Perch......

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

These are a few of mine......funny thing is these places look a lot alike..........These are all within thirty minutes of my house......

[Tony Livingston]

If you were taking me fishing, I certainly wouldn't debate your choice of locations Jeffrey! There's no doubt in my mind that you know where to find the fish!

[Shawn Allison]

Jeff if you keep posting stuff like this I'm going to be knocking on your door with an ultralight rod, a box of crickets and a big smile!

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

If you get up this way let me know......I have an empty seat sometimes......

[Carlton Hill]

Jeff , you have to take me here!

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Are you catching any gills in your area Carlton?

[Vince Fusco]

My favorite Bluegill destination is a 3mile section of the Chattahoochie River in Roswell GA. There are 5 backwater lakes off this section of river, which hold some incredible gills. I caught my largest one ever from one of these lakes, as well as my largest yellow perch. The water in the main river stays in the mid 50's even in the summer, but these backwater lakes warm up, and grow some really nice gills. The main river holds a good population of trout, and yellow perch.  Water pumped from the bottom of Lake Lanier supplies water to the river. 100 fish days are not uncommon for those that know the secret of these lakes. Back in the mid 80's I was lucky enough to live on the river and learned what it took to catch these big gills. There is another dam downstream and each day when the water is released, the fish really turn on. I have since moved about 2hrs. NE of here and rarely get to fish it any more. 

[Lee]

 Your picture of Tulls Bay reminds me of my favorite lake, Norris Lake in Lake Co. Florida. It's roughly 1200 acres, tea stained water almost completely surrounded by Cypress trees. There's only four homes on the lake and a Boyscout camp on the northside. The only public access is 2 miles down a small creek that only a kayak or canoe can do. No powerboats, waterskiers or jetskies on the lake!

And depending on where you fish, Bluegill, Stumpknockers, Warmouth, Largemouth Bass and Catfish like you would'nt believe!

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

My favorite fishing ground is the Little Saluda River area of Lake Murray, SC.

I like it because it is within 10-15 minutes of my front door. It has three public boat ramps and at least that many rough launch sites for my kayak. It also offers large water abutment, making for some good sized fish.

Finally, it holds a wide range of species:

Striped bass

Large Mouth bass

Catfish

Sunfish (primarily red-ear and bluegill)

Yellow perch

White perch.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

I love to hear South Carolina mentioned David.....one of my favorite places to fish....heat and humidity will chase many but if you can tough that out there is good fishing year round with a wide range of freshwater fish....

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Thanks, Jeff. You know I'm always gonna talk up the Palmetto State! It also matters that a) it is where I live and b) Lake Murray is what I have available. LOL.

I suppose that may sound a bit too pragmatic to some, and you know I like your motto - "I'll drive to fish."

At the same time, I'm of the mind that fishing should be done as often as possible and with the least amount of fuss. The benefits of this approach are that you can get to know what works, where the best spots are and you can hit them frequently throughout the year. Consistency is key and this fairly screams "close to home" in my opinion.

I envy your many travels and the angling opportunities they afford. At the same time, "there's no place like home," as Dorothy would say.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Well put David. I started this discussion with the mindset that more than any other species out there, BLUEGILL/SUNFISH are caught almost everywhere and it turns out if you read the replies, almost everyone who responded talked about fishing success close to home and that's the cool part of Bluegill fishing....It's alright to have dreams and a bucket list like I do, but why not catch fish where you can until those moments are realized.....