The Beds Are Getting Hot,, bluegill is on the menu

[Capt.Bob]

 

Last August after a month trying, I got in on three Private lakes,, all with less than 15 homes or cottages on all three total. No ski jets, no wake and 2 plenty big enough to ski on. No public, or commercial access, and not visible from any road. This is over a mile from the closest paved road, and I/2 mile down the drive off the gravel! I'm in heaven! This has been like going to Canada every week, just 45 mile from home in NW Ohio!

 

This fall it proved great Blue Gill and Perch fishing, as well as Crappie. I new all year there were plenty of good bass, as I could hear them feeding in the shallows, when I was fishing for Gill's to fill the freezer!

 

But this winter, being told it is was very good Northern Pike fishing I was skeptical. I only fish for Northerns on hard water anymore with my injuries and health at my age, those 1 oz to 6 oz. lures are just much to throw for hours anymore. But live bait and jigging while on hard water is still doable. This was my best hard water season ever,, and the freezer has plenty of Pike in it to break the monotony of Walleye Perch Gills and Crappie till the we get that great time of year again next December. With no fish caught under 29" this winter, and 5 landed over 38" for around here thats hard to imagine today. And never seen more than 3 other people on the water any day I was their. Staying 2 to 3 days at a time every week or two, it was total tranquility.

 

 

 

 

 

[Capt.Bob]

Hit Monday late morning after the rain then about the time they started firing up, here come the rain again and shut em down, but got 17 anyway's, 5 of which were perch! This 11 3/4"r was the big boy of the week! a few 9 and 10" but none under 8".

 

 

117 this week with limits every day after the 2 weeks of rain ended Monday night. I don't mean a little but we been getting hammered with heavy rains fer 2 weeks, this was my scene at 5:45am Tuesday morning,,,

 

But after thinking this may be a waste of time,, two hours later a I was well on my way of limit. All males Tuesday, with 3 or 4 females that were only about 6" anyways so they went back. What a week, with about 1/2 my limit everyday coming on the fly rod,, what a ball! I think next week or the week after are going to be killer, with the big girls showing up, in good numbers! But out of 3 different lakes this week all are just turning on, with males being the main course,,,, no pun intended,

 

That was the scene after 2 or 3 hours all week, next week they are going to be getting bigger. All week by the time I got home and cleaned fish I didn't have time to mag em till tonight, but after a week fishing and one Lake here in Ohio just south of the Mi line here is what we worked for 9.8# scaled and filleted, (it is a sacrilege here to skin a bluegill!) but we did have 1.5# skinned in the bag behind the strainer. 

 

Man this is hard on an old man, I'm glad the holiday weekend is here,, I need a break,,,, 

But I'll be back on em come Tuesday, and like I say, it should only get better the next week or two! Good luck to all over the weekend, be careful and, stay safe!

 

 

[Darren.]

Wow, some nice size gillies! Tasty fish fry!

[Ratherbfishing]

Terrific catch!  Don't forget to throw some of the big ones back (to keep the gene pool healthy).

 

If you can cast a fly rod (or use a casting bubble), poppers and spiders for bluegill is an absolute riot.

[bassh8er]

I had a fish fry tonight and have had several this year; I’m obviously a proponent of keeping fish for a meal, but I’d consider throwing 9” and over gills back.

 

Those big males are an absolute necessity to a healthy bluegill population and a very rare fish.  They are also super-vulnerable during the spawn.

 

 Nice fish anyways.  We ate some walleye and white bass tonight by the way.

[Capt.Bob]

The 9"+ are why I put my gill's up this time of year, and as most know in this area, far from rare, unless you don't know what waters to fish? I don't keep them the rest of the year, 7.5" up to 9" are what I keep after the gill's leave the bed's, but I am only fishing the lake I am on for them after that, I quit traveling to other lakes, and am no longer stocking the freezer for the next 12 months variety! I only fish the beds for the "BULLGILLS" but I don't fish waters that are in danger of being over fished either! After 64 years and the last 27 doing this full time 5 to 7 days a week, being retired, and because of health reasons having to sell my Lake Erie charter service 12 years ago and quit guiding, I have a pretty fair knowledge of what waters to hit for freezer meat and which ones to avoid. Most lake's are no wake lakes or have limited speed limits, and a few are electric motors only, thus see very little pressure, as most think you need a big boat and a lotta HP to be successful these day's. . 

 

I also own 3 small rigged boats instead of the 16' or larger bass boats or deep V's to be able to access most of the lakes I fish. But Panfish, Pike, and Walleye are all I fish in three different states year round. I am not one to fish for junk fish like Bass or trout, except my annual couple trips north for Salmon, which are also for canning not releasing! But Walleye are kept during the spring spawning runs, bluegills for me and the wife during the bedding season, and Pike pre spawn through the ice. after that I am only keeping fish for camp meals, and a few summertime perch trips for a little more variety!

 

This trow em back crap is good advice only on some waters, as you get older you learn to understand that, it is like thinking a hunter should only take 2 or 3 deer a year? That morality is only correct in some places, some places I hunt they need more of the hunters that are hunting some areas, killing more than 4 or 5 to keep a healthy heard, or more hunters on or the other, and fishing is no different! To many of any species is not healthy, any waters can be overpopulated with any species to a point there is not enough food source for different species. I know some Lakes that need Bass caught and their throats cut like dog fish since they are not worth eating, and this would help make bigger fish and more available baitfish to produce a better healthier fishery! 

 

Sorry to sound so heartless to some that think they know what they are talking about but just because it is legal, a responsible fisherman knows if it is ethical as well,, but on some waters I agree, just because it is legal doesn't make it very responsible!  

 

As for Flyroding and what flies, I quit using what everyone else thinks is good years ago! My best gill fly depending on the lake is either a grey cricket pattern, or a black cricket pattern, and as I said in that first post, over 1/2 of these gills come on a fly, but at 64 years of age with a crushed shoulder and broken pinned and plated neck with a total of 11 busted vertebra in my spine from a 42 foot fall ending my steel erection carrier, I can only take so much before I start getting stingers and numbness running through my hands, that means stop now if you want to hit it tomorrow!

 

Lastly I just came home of three days at our lake, had limits everyday over 7.5" and a couple 9.5"ers but on our lake I don't keep em unless I am eating them there, and it is one lake that has some big gills but caution has to be used on how many you take, I usually only take 7.5 up to 9" gills from this lake. It is like anything else as you age in life and become more in touch with your surrounding, you have to their limitations!! Good Fishing!

[Capt.Bob]

Well off the beds but took the grandson to our fish camp fer a couple days, after 17 Wednesday we found them more receptive Thursday morning. He get's his choice of what, when, and how, and let's me choose where, the way it needs to be when you spoil em the right way! Wednesday night he said can we get up at 4:30 and get around to go get em, so I suggested 5:30, and have some juice and go fishing before sunup then come in before it starts cooking us and have a Big Man Breakfast, (mashed fresh blueberries I freeze in pancake batter, served with butter and local honey instead of syrup, sausage links, and eggs) spool em right!