Can we have a blue gill thread?

[M_D]

Ohio near home
View attachment 183111

Whoa! What a fatty! Musta been fun

 

[rotato]

Ohio near home
View attachment 183111

Beastly!

 

[rotato]

Not hot this evening but fun enough
Bonus that the trout were eating the dropper
Only a few blueys on the hopper
Good time with buddies on the lake
Love this time of year

 

[Josh]

Pond gills on poppers. One of my favorite ways to fish. If I ever tire of them, I hope someone gives me a swift punch in the gut and tells me to get my head out of my ass.

 

[Pink Nighty]

Pond gills on poppers. One of my favorite ways to fish. If I ever tire of them, I hope someone gives me a swift punch in the gut and tells me to get my head out of my ass.

View attachment 183730

Ahhhh i tried to get there yesterday but the i5 entrance at bakerview was at a standstill so I went home

 

[Bugmeister]

Today was a funky day - I was trying to target bluegill and kept catching SMBs instead. Did find a few little blues though

 

[Dez]

First bluegill of the year! And a spicy pickerel. No bass today

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Hmmmmm….don’t look like no Pass lake rainbow Tim. When’s your spiny ray on the fly book coming?

 

[Burt Dagger]

Took the wife and toddlers out in the boat today. It was mostly a shitshow but we did catch this fish, which acquitted itself well even with half its tail missing.

 

[Northern]

Pretty one from early May
And an overly ambitious one on a 4" topwater

 

[Northern]

Came across these photos while searching my phone for the above 'gill pics. From a trip to Bend many years ago!
For scale, the sole of that boot is 11" long

 

[rotato]

Wow!
That’s quite the pig @Northern
Well done

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Those would even look better with panko, coleslaw and a cold beer!!

 

[Matt B]

Those would even look better with panko, coleslaw and a cold beer!!

I guess I'm not the only one who really likes a bluegill dinner and can't help looking at these fish with a couple different mindsets...I like it almost as much as catching a mess of them--not quite, but almost.

 

[Evan B]

I guess I'm not the only one who really likes a bluegill dinner and can't help looking at these fish with a couple different mindsets...I like it almost as much as catching a mess of them--not quite, but almost.

Honestly, probably best for those who like to fish for them also. Keep the populations in check, less stunted fish, more trophy 'bills.

 

[Dez]

I always end up catching bluegill on my 7wt when I'm fishing for bass, and it's a lot of rod for a bluegill. Are you guys throwing poppers with a 5wt, and how do you deal with wind in that scenario, just cast into the wind? My 5wt (and 3wt) are glass.

 

[Matt B]

I always end up catching bluegill on my 7wt when I'm fishing for bass, and it's a lot of rod for a bluegill. Are you guys throwing poppers with a 5wt, and how do you deal with wind in that scenario, just cast into the wind? My 5wt (and 3wt) are glass.

Seems like I don't fish for bluegills during a whole lot of windy times, so I guess I don't know. I also don't own any 5 weights (or any odd-number weight rods haha). A 4wt with an overweight line and a small popper (or popper-dropper) and a bunch of eager bluegills and occasional small bass is just a good time.

 

[Sam Roffe]

Seems like I don't fish for bluegills during a whole lot of windy times, so I guess I don't know. I also don't own any 5 weights (or any odd-number weight rods haha). A 4wt with an overweight line and a small popper (or popper-dropper) and a bunch of eager bluegills and occasional small bass is just a good time.

My first time tossing poppers to eager blue gills was a shorty 4 wt. It was a blast!

 

[Northern]

Couple pretty ones from a small basin lake this morning. (Second one is a pumpkinseed)

 

[Greg Armstrong]

The nursery.

There must have been fifteen beds in this one small area.

It was fun watching them fiercely defend their nests from one another.