Bluegill Fishing Guides?

[Stan Wright]

When I travel to a new fishing location, I hire a fishing guide.   My time is limited and lack of local fishing knowledge, or inexperience with certain species of fish makes hiring a guide the best way to catch something.  By talking with a guide or fishing lodge owner, one can plan their vacation to take advantage of the best season and prime time fishing conditions for the kind of fish your after.

I was wondering... are there guides that specialize, or at least are willing to guide a bluegill fishing trip?

I've fished the lakes in Texas and most guides want to go for bass.  Most feel that being  tied up to a tree and using crickets to fill a fish basket with bluegills is beneath them... or at the least bring. Most had no idea what to do with a fly fisherman. LOL

Since I'd be traveling and staying in a motel or fishing lodge, I have no desire to keep any fish. Just some CPR  (Catch, Photograph, and Release). My dream is to take a fly rod... especially my Tenkara Rod.. tie on a tiny popping bug or something ... and seek out the spawning beds of frisky bluegill.

I recently saw a TV show about "Shooting Boat Docks".  (fishing around boat docks) They were after crappie, but caught some nice size bluegill.  Looked like great fun. They used ultra-lite spinning outfits, but it could have easily been done with a fly rod  or tenkara rod.

I know most of you guys live near prime bluegill waters and can drop your boat in the local lake to take advantage of some really good fishing.  You probably can't imagine someone like me spending $300 or $400  dollars a day to fish for bluegill. LOL   (but we do it for Trout in Montana... Smallmouth in Oregon, Salmon in Alaska, Stripers in Las Vegas, and Largemouth in Mexico)  But I live in Hawaii... our state record bluegill is 8 ounces... and they are few and far between.  A Bluegill Fishing Trip to the Mainland for me will require some long range planning and months of research.  But from the pictures you guys are regularly posting of those Giant Bluegills... it seems well worth the effort.  LOL

[Robbie Everett]

If you want the bluegill experience of a lifetime, get me to guide you at KingFisher Society's Richmond Mill Pond.  2 pound plus gills are common! 

[Donald Kern]

Need 3 more

[Bo Arnold]

Check out  Reelfoot Lake in Tn. There are guides on the lake that guide for crappie and bluegill. I have done it and its a blast.

[Walt Foreman]

Stan, I specialize in guiding for trophy bluegill, and my rates are right in line with what you're wanting to pay.  And my bluegill will eat Reelfoot bluegill.

I have several ponds and small lakes ranging from one to twenty-two acres each that I've been managing intensively for trophy bluegill since mid-2009.  The bluegill average close to 10" in more than one of these ponds, and will average well over 10" in one pond this year.  Several bluegill in the 24 to 32-oz. range were caught last year, including a hybrid that weighed 31 oz. and another hybrid that weighed 28, and a couple pure-strain northern bluegill that were not weighed but would have pushed two pounds each.  I expect two-pounders to be common this year; these ponds were in bad shape when I began working with them, and the bluegill were just starting to get big last year; this year should be really special.

Bluegill are not an afterthought to me - they're the star of the show, and have been the focus of everything I've done with these ponds.  If you go to my page and click on the tab on the left for "My Photos," all of the bluegill photos I've posted since 2010 have come from ponds I guide on.  

trophypond.com

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

ONE QUESTION WALT, can someone take a fish for a trophy ?

[Walt Foreman]

I just had a guy from Texas ask me the same thing a few days ago.  I don't allow any of the northern-strain or coppernose bluegill over 9" to be caught, but I have no problem with someone keeping one of the big hybrids, and there should be a hybrid over two caught this year so that would be a big trophy.  I don't allow the big ones to be kept simply because if I did, it wouldn't be long before the big ones became scarce, i.e. end of the guide business.

The other option for a mount of a pure-strain is to take weight and measurement of the fish and then get a replica made.  I use a quality digital tray scale that you can see in some of my photos, and it weighs in tenths of an ounce; and I always have my tournament ruler on hand.  

[Gary D. Higgins]

Walt I would like to fly fish for the bluegills. Do you have many people fly fishing for them? I have a Hardy 9' 5 wt Syntrex Zenith and a Orvis 7' Superfine fiberglass 3 wt. I think those bluegills would be an absolute gas on the the fiberglass 3 wt.

[Walt Foreman]

Hi Gary.  I have not had anyone fly fish for them yet; I think it would have the potential to work well, since they feed daily on the surface.  They would most definitely give a 3-weight a workout, to say the least!  You may or may not have seen my recent blog post, but two Saturdays ago I saw two 2-lb.+ bluegill within a second of each other about ten feet apart, and then five minutes later I saw one that was three pounds or more if it weighed an ounce.  And no one has fished these ponds since June so they should bite well.

I'll send you a friend request so you can PM me if you like.

[Bill Purmort]

I second the Kingfisher Society...check out my profile picture...I'll be there in three weeks for my second trip and can't wait  you will not be disappoinited...my last trip top 10 fish went 16 lb 2 oz and the top 5 went 9,8 lb...two weeks after I was there there were two blugill  over 3 lb. Robbie Everett is the main man when it comes to Kingfisher, if you are going you want him in your boat.

[Bill Purmort]

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Great fish Bill....hope Robbie puts you on a few of those three pounders.....please let us know how it goes in April!

[Garett_Svir]

Check out Slab Seeker Fishing Guide Service http://www.slabseekerfishing.com, or http://www.facebook.com/SlabSeekerFishing. We specialize in public water, northern giants! The In-Fisherman Panfish Guide has rated us one of the top destinations in the country for bluegills up to 2lbs. Beautiful remote locations, very little fishing pressure, knowledgeable guides and big fish!