Bluegill

[JohnF52]

What's the largest Bluegill anyone on here has seen come from Beaver Lake?  According to charts, a one pounder would be 10-1/2 inches long.

Personally, I have never seen one bigger than about 8.5 inches from Beaver.

[J-Doc]

I trolled iPhone about 10" once.  Totally surprised me.  

[JohnF52]

9 minutes ago, J-Doc said:

I trolled iPhone about 10" once.  Totally surprised me.  

iPhone?

[J-Doc]

Yep. 

I put a picture of a Flicker shad on it.  Works every time. 

[J-Doc]

Sorry. 

I meant "one" and must have mistyped and phone changed word.  Fat finger syndrome.  

[Stump bumper]

My wife caught a sunfish, not a bluegill but same family around 2lbs during a bass tournament and it was the biggest fish we had all day. It hit a 10inch worm on a Crig. That was like 10 years ago, haven't seen anything over 8 inches since, but I stopped fishing tournaments. Seems like the more shad you have the less bluegill and with warm winters and no ice over and shad die off that is the cost.

[JohnF52]

I just wondered about this.  By feeding carefully managed bluegill in a farm pond, they will grow to over a pound in about three to four years, with a few reaching two pounds and 12.5 inches.  You would think they might grow at least half as well in a good lake environment like Beaver.

[MoCarp]

genetics....better ones would help, MDC stocked copper-nose in Stockton a fews years ago...fish are noticably bigger.......I also read some new harvest management rules in Minnesota having a good effect 8" length limits smaller bag limits..etc..

[JohnF52]

Coppernose will die out in central MO if you have a cold winter.  Their northern limit for good survival is close to the AR-MO border, from what I have been reading.   The first picture looks like some sort of hybrid bluegill.  Bottom is a coppernose male.   I wonder where those were caught?

[MoCarp]

2 hours ago, JohnF52 said:

Coppernose will die out in central MO if you have a cold winter.  Their northern limit for good survival is close to the AR-MO border, from what I have been reading.   The first picture looks like some sort of hybrid bluegill.  Bottom is a coppernose male.   I wonder where those were caught?

 Top is a red ear out of AZ I think...but we have some dandy ones here..Ill shoot you a PM......... I know some thats been in a pond in Kirksville for 8 years..still going strong....the people that push that agenda want you to buy fish out of your area instead out of deep south fish farms that have a longer growing season...same story different day....I grew up in Mobile Alabama in 1985 it got to 3 degrees..my folks said they should have stayed in Missouri...funny thing is the all those southern things did not die..bass..bluegills..yadda yadda even gators, all those critters made it through the last ice age so they can adapt, most ponds that die out in winter here are from O2 issues and bluegills are one of the 1st fishes to croak in a low O2 event.............it gets cold in the deep south just not very often or very long...I would have no qualms spending my $ on coppernose bluegills, but if your twitchy get them from as far north fish farm as you can.....http://www.intellicast.com/local/history.aspx?location=USAL0371