45acp

87,000 new IRS agents are about to be unleashed on the American public.
You can bet your favorite spinnerbait that farmer's markets and fishing tournaments are on their list.

87,000 new IRS agents are about to be unleashed on the American public.
You can bet your favorite spinnerbait that farmer's markets and fishing tournaments are on their list.

I've heard guys talk about using flathead for crowd control in ponds, but I've never talked to one who actually did it.
My pond is already a biology experiment.  I don't want to make the situation worse by putting something in that is capable of eating my very expensive smallmouth bass and yellow perch.
The bluegill are a nuisance, but so far they are proving to be a manageable nuisance.  Being able to walk across my front yard to collect a fish fry or a weekend's worth of trotline bait isn't a terrible thing either.
 
 

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

I've heard guys talk about using flathead for crowd control in ponds, but I've never talked to one who actually did it.
My pond is already a biology experiment.  I don't want to make the situation worse by putting something in that is capable of eating my very expensive smallmouth bass and yellow perch.
The bluegill are a nuisance, but so far they are proving to be a manageable nuisance.  Being able to walk across my front yard to collect a fish fry or a weekend's worth of trotline bait isn't a terrible thing either.
 
 

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

I've heard guys talk about using flathead for crowd control in ponds, but I've never talked to one who actually did it.
My pond is already a biology experiment.  I don't want to make the situation worse by putting something in that is capable of eating my very expensive smallmouth bass and yellow perch.
The bluegill are a nuisance, but so far they are proving to be a manageable nuisance.  Being able to walk across my front yard to collect a fish fry or a weekend's worth of trotline bait isn't a terrible thing either.
 
 

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

I've heard that exact thing from many sources.  Trouble is, I don't want any bluegill in my pond.  They snuck in with a batch of redear fingerlings that I bought from NEMO in 2019 (long story).  I remove every bluegill that I catch that's under 9".  7"-9" get butchered and eaten.  Under 7" go in my bait pond to be used as flathead candy on the river.  Over 9" they go back in to grow, and as you mentioned, hopefully keep most of the smaller males out of the beds.
The reason for that... I stocked the pond with redear, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, and hybrid striped bass.  Smallmouth bass don't have a large enough gape to adequately control bluegill numbers.  The hybrids help out on the smaller BG, but they can't do much with the big ones.
I soak traps 24/7 from March-November, and hook-n-line several times a week in hopes of keeping the numbers down.  About once a month I'll take the Wehebe out at feeding time and throw that thing at them until they've all run to the other side of the pond.
So far I've been successful at keeping the bluegills in check.  It's likely they will overrun me eventually, though.  When that happens I'll bucket stock some 12"+ largemouth and the cool water fishery experiment will come to an end.

I would like to add I want to be your friend!  What a paradise. A flyrod dream for sunfish.

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

I've heard that exact thing from many sources.  Trouble is, I don't want any bluegill in my pond.  They snuck in with a batch of redear fingerlings that I bought from NEMO in 2019 (long story).  I remove every bluegill that I catch that's under 9".  7"-9" get butchered and eaten.  Under 7" go in my bait pond to be used as flathead candy on the river.  Over 9" they go back in to grow, and as you mentioned, hopefully keep most of the smaller males out of the beds.
The reason for that... I stocked the pond with redear, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, and hybrid striped bass.  Smallmouth bass don't have a large enough gape to adequately control bluegill numbers.  The hybrids help out on the smaller BG, but they can't do much with the big ones.
I soak traps 24/7 from March-November, and hook-n-line several times a week in hopes of keeping the numbers down.  About once a month I'll take the Wehebe out at feeding time and throw that thing at them until they've all run to the other side of the pond.
So far I've been successful at keeping the bluegills in check.  It's likely they will overrun me eventually, though.  When that happens I'll bucket stock some 12"+ largemouth and the cool water fishery experiment will come to an end.

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

Looks like they're getting plenty of groceries.

 

 

 

 

 
Some of the bluegill were invited to a fish fry.

 

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

My fish made it through the winter in good shape.
 

 

 

 

Caught 18" walleye all week long.  Found a few crappie but they were biting better early in the morning and I don't like to get out of bed early when I'm on vacation so didn't spend much time on them.  Found a few smallmouth hanging out with the walleye.
New trolling motor took a dump on day one.  Lack of proper boat control turned fishing into work, so we spent most of our time fishing standing on shore.  Think I caught a walleye off of every boat ramp on the lake.
Anyway, better luck next time...

Caught 18" walleye all week long.  Found a few crappie but they were biting better early in the morning and I don't like to get out of bed early when I'm on vacation so didn't spend much time on them.  Found a few smallmouth hanging out with the walleye.
New trolling motor took a dump on day one.  Lack of proper boat control turned fishing into work, so we spent most of our time fishing standing on shore.  Think I caught a walleye off of every boat ramp on the lake.
Anyway, better luck next time...

Caught 18" walleye all week long.  Found a few crappie but they were biting better early in the morning and I don't like to get out of bed early when I'm on vacation so didn't spend much time on them.  Found a few smallmouth hanging out with the walleye.
New trolling motor took a dump on day one.  Lack of proper boat control turned fishing into work, so we spent most of our time fishing standing on shore.  Think I caught a walleye off of every boat ramp on the lake.
Anyway, better luck next time...

Caught 18" walleye all week long.  Found a few crappie but they were biting better early in the morning and I don't like to get out of bed early when I'm on vacation so didn't spend much time on them.  Found a few smallmouth hanging out with the walleye.
New trolling motor took a dump on day one.  Lack of proper boat control turned fishing into work, so we spent most of our time fishing standing on shore.  Think I caught a walleye off of every boat ramp on the lake.
Anyway, better luck next time...

Caught 18" walleye all week long.  Found a few crappie but they were biting better early in the morning and I don't like to get out of bed early when I'm on vacation so didn't spend much time on them.  Found a few smallmouth hanging out with the walleye.
New trolling motor took a dump on day one.  Lack of proper boat control turned fishing into work, so we spent most of our time fishing standing on shore.  Think I caught a walleye off of every boat ramp on the lake.
Anyway, better luck next time...