Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

Big Bluegill in Goose Creek, S.C. - Am I remembering them correctly?

Hello folks. I'm new here, and thought I'd start with a question about bluegills in the Goose Creek, just outside of Charleston, S.C.

Long ago and far away, ('72-ish)I was stationed at the sub base at Charleston. Often I would hang around the boat launch on Goose Creek watching the old men come in off the creek in the waning hours of daylight. I saw some big stringers of BIG fish. I could have sworn they were dinner plate sized. I was a long way from home, and really wanted one of those old fellas to invite me to go fishing with them, but it was the Viet Nam era, and there wasn't much more reviled in a Navy town than a sailor. In fact, were it not for my persistence, they wouldn't have even acknowledged my existence.

Here's the deal: I was recently fishing in a friend's farm pond in north central Missouri, and caught some bluegill that I thought were "nice", but nothing to 'write home about'. They were just over 9" long and weighed just at a pound. Nice fish no doubt, but not exactly 'braggers'. However, my friend and his neighbors practically wanted to notify the newspapers! "Biggest fish caught around here since anyone can remember"...

And here are the questions: Are those truly "big" bluegills? Am I remembering the ones from Goose Creak with the "eye of a fisherman"? Were they really likely only a pound or so? I would have sworn that they were at least two pounds, and maybe three! However, when I look on line for state records, I don't see any 3 lb bluegills. 

I would appreciate a "reality check" from any of y'all that fish that creek, or are familiar with it and the fish (and gators!) that inhabit it.

Thanks,

Paul

Views: 1491

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Nope. The issue isn't their size, the issue is the species. The fish I saw were bigger than dinner plates, and were no less than 2 lbs and could have easily been pushing 3. The "problem" was that they weren't bluegills, they were most likely red-breasted or redears. The fish I caught in MO were bluegills. Nice fish, but one-pounders, and "nothing to write home about" IN COMPARISON to the ones I saw come out of Goose Creek.

Paul

Guess I was using the term Bream to loosely . All the locals around here called the Bluegill a bream, The red ear sunfish they call the shellcracker and also the other popular panfish is the  Redbreast which most folks associate with the Edisto and other black water rivers.

The Shellcracker is the king as far as size and 2 to 3 Lb, ones are not unusual unless you are talking about what I catch.LOL

And if I may, with all due respect, here in South Carolina we call em, "brim."
Sometimes we'll slip and say, "bluegill," by accident. But we mean those sunfish that ain't 'red bresses' or 'shellcrackers.'

However, only Yankees and other furriners call em "bream."

I pronounce it "Brim" but I spell it   " Bream " , the only reason I say  " Bluegill "  on here so it would be easier for our northern friends to understand,   Scruff is right   Bream are those big black one that have cabovers, those are the treasure we seek, other fish fall into this category but really they are not bream, they are punkinseeds , longears, green sunfish , and fliers .Others we treasure are Red Ears a.k.a. Shellcrackers  and Orangebreasted , Warmouths, a.k.a. Goggle Eye, also fall under the umbrella of Bream but they have there own names and we treasure them too just like the true black bream. LOFR

I read that the name, "bream," originated with the first British to come here.
Being avid anglers, and generally as hungry as anyone else, they fished a lot. They admired the sunfish for its sportiness and fight on the hook. But, lacking any other name to call them by, they used one that referred to a common panfish back home.
It stuck and has been applied ever since.

And even further south, down Texas way, many sunfish are lumped together as "Perch".......or perhaps "Purch"

Tony...I caught a 9 3/8 inch p-seed many years ago that weighed 15 ounces...an absolute balloon. The seed I got today was right at 10 inches and .995 pounds...still a balloon. Only difference was the 15 oz fish was a gravid female and todays seed was a male. 

Comparing redears to bluegills is like comparing apples to oranges. Both are fruits, but the similarity sorta' stops there. Same thing with ears' and gills'.

And technically speaking, a nine inch bluegill that weighs a pound is a monster. Standard weight for an average, healthy, nine inch fish is 9.9 ozs. An honest to goodness one pound bluegill that measured 9" would come in at 161% of average.....a beast!

Lotsa variation as one moves substantial distances geographically. However,  I now find out they were "hybrid" bluegills. These hybrids were - I believe - crosses between bluegills and redbreasts, but I am not sure. A "for the record" picture is attached. Weights were 15.8 and 16.1 oz about 4 hours after capture, but they were in a stringer 'til about an hour before the weights were taken.

Paul

Those fish are extremely heavy for their length.

Those are some outstanding fish! I don't see anything that leads me to believe they are some type of hybrid however. They look like northern strain gills to me?

Yeah, Tony...northern strain males on steroids.

RSS

Latest Activity

John Sheehan added a discussion to the group Lure History
Thumbnail

Discontinued Lures

Some of my favorites I can't find anymore: Acme Fash King Flutter Spoon, Eppinger Flutter Chuck,…See More
16 hours ago
John Sheehan posted photos
19 hours ago
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

25"+Spoon Pick

"25+inch Pickerel was best of the 13 Fish caught today a day after the Worm Moon. Two Bass and the…"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"1/16th oz., good!"
yesterday
dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"These are my last build. I added more colors."
yesterday
dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"No Jon I went with the 1/16 oz jig heads so I could have a larger hook for crappies. It's a #4…"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"Colors are great !"
Monday
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"Thats a good Crappie size! Are they 32nd Oz Jigs?"
Monday
dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"They are right at 2" long."
Monday
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"I Can see Crappie and Bass chomping on them, Dick!"
Sunday
dick tabbert commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"I made these up for crappie in mind. They might be a little big for gills unless it a bigger gill."
Sunday
John Sheehan commented on dick tabbert's photo
Thumbnail

IMG_0186

"What Species you got in mind for these great Minnow ties , Dick?"
Sunday
dick tabbert posted photos
Sunday
John Sheehan commented on Sam k.'s group Trout Bums
""Trout Season opens April 6th 2024 in New Jersey. Waters are runnin' high for…"
Sunday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's status
"An Instrumental Guitar recording of mine to commemorate. …"
Sunday
John Sheehan posted a status
"Trout Season opens April 6th in New Jersey. Waters are runnin' high for stocking."
Sunday
John Sheehan replied to John Sheehan's discussion Plastic Worm varieties in the group Lure History
"My favorites through the Years: Manns Jelly Worm, Manns Auger tail, Charlie Brewers 4" on a…"
Sunday
John Sheehan replied to John Sheehan's discussion Plastic Worm varieties in the group Lure History
Sunday
John Sheehan replied to John Sheehan's discussion Plastic Worm varieties in the group Lure History
Sunday
Troy Dorman commented on Troy Dorman's photo
Thumbnail

1000003444

"Thank you, Jeffrey!"
Sunday

© 2024   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service