What state would you choose to fish Bluegill if you could only pick one?

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

We are fortunate to have members from all over this great nation...One of my favorite things about Bigbluegill.com is the instant connection with the people that love and enjoy the same things that I do when it comes to all things Bluegill from folks all over the country.....Many of us have also had the great experience of fishing several different states whether vacationing, traveling for work or as a result of moving..... If you could pick one state to fish Bluegill, what state would it be and why? Thanks for sharing and I expect this may be a difficult choice for some and very easy for others.....Again, thanks in advance!

[william lint]

The Santee Lakes in South Carolina.

[mike martinez]

Right around there where you catch all them nice Coppers Jeffrey...........

[mike martinez]

Right around there where you catch all them nice Coppers Jeffrey........:)

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Come on over Mike........we'll go chase a few!

[Dan Bippus]

I've tried Indiana, Michigan, Florida, California, Missouri and W. Virginia.  For me,  Florida had the best 'gills and largemouth.

Michigan or Indiana for the other species.  Would love to try many other states.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Thanks Dan...........looks like some great places you have fished and I'm with you on checking out some other states......always interesting to try new places.........

[Sean Phillips]

Northern Florida. South enough to have big coppers but not so far as to have those pesky invasives like cichlids.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

I've fished the St. Johns River system before myself...........I'm certainly fond of those big coppers wherever you can find them! Thanks for sharing!

[Andy is OptiMystic]

Some of my fondest memories from nearly 50 years ago were fishing with a great uncle on the Chocawhatchee River near Ebro on the pan handle. I didn't know how amazingly good the fishing was or how few times I would catch that many large bream that fast in the decades since. I love FL; lots of relatives there, many trips over the years. It isn't just the gills, but also the proximity to other fishing with the long season that gets my vote. 

I was fortunate enough to get a short free guided fishing trip on the St Johns. My wife and I were just going to look around and do a little casting at a dock while my brother took his family to breakfast. We were on the way to the beach from Disney and I just had to wet a line there. A guy was putting in and starting chatting with us and when he heard what we were doing offered to run us up into the "lake" (wider open parts of the river) for a few minutes. Turns out he was pre-fishing for a tourney and had won a couple there. He put us on bass and then took us back over to the dock with some meat in the cooler for dinner that night. Fortune smiles on me in FL...

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Tanks for sharing Andy........I have a soft spot for Florida and the lack of long extended periods of cold air......Florida strain gills are my favorite so I have to give credit to their native land......

[Ray Ditzenberger]

Yea, there was a thread on here some time back that asked about our favorite bluegill state or some such question. I opted for Florida. I have caught some real nice gills in one of the canals around the big O lake. Okeechobee. Caught in about 4' of clear water. I could see several white spots on the bottom which were spawning beds. We were bass fishing but I threw the bait caster in the bottom of the boat and rigged up the 5wt fly rod and started hauling in some great gills. My fishing buddy did not fly fish but he dug out my 9' 9wt and I told him how to rig it while I hauled in some gills. I think it was the only time he ever threw a fly. Those gills loved my little 1/4" diameter poppers. We were on a family vacation and staying in a motel in Palm Beach so had no way to cook the fillets so we gave the fish to some folks that were bank fishing with cane pole. They really ogled the gills and was thrilled to get them.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

I hear that Ray........great testimony and I compare your story to the feeling I get when I discover a new creek or oxbow that holds trophy class gills......can't say enough about the warmer climates........