That word strikes a fondness, and the urge to fish, in many an anglers heart.
After all, is there anyone that can't have fun catching colorful, willing bluegill?
Bluegill, lepomis macrochirus, is a distinct species among a rather large group we have come to call, "sunfishes."
And as much fun as that is, here is where the path wanders a little, because bluegill are also generally lumped into an even wider group known as, "panfish."
This term, 'panfish,' is heavily used to describe any number of smaller fishes, from perch to trout, and is mostly applied to edible game fish that will fit into a frying pan.
But for the purposes of this piece, if I say "panfish," what I mean is bluegill.
Or "brim," as we call them where I live in the South. Some people call them "bream," too..., and we Southerners just look at them and assume they aren't from around here.
The Prince
Anyway, ...the bluegill. It gets a place all its own, in my esteem.
It can rightly be called the, "Prince of the Panfishes."
It is one of the most satisfying fish you can catch, and probably the first fish on which most anglers cut their teeth, at least in the United States.
And for some of us, they retain their princely status throughout our lives.
In fact, some anglers - like me - focus on bluegill as their primary quarry...
My Custom Decal
While it is true that bluegill can be caught on many things, from live bait, like worms and crickets, to whirling metallic lures,... I prefer to fly fish for them, although that isn’t the sole focus of this article.
No, what we want to do is have a look at my personal best reasons to GO FOR BLUEGILL!
Bluegill Are Nostalgia
Here in the United States, the natural range of the bluegill runs from The Great Lakes to the Gulf, from the Atlantic to New Mexico. But these scrappers don't stop there. Bluegill have been introduced to every state in the Union, except Alaska. (1)
With such a wide range, a great many folks have access to bluegill, and indeed, it was the first fish for legions of kids. Thus, the figure of a small boy with a cane pole, and a stringer of "sunnies," is a potent image that strikes a chord for many....because it relates to their own lives.
Oddly, though - not me. My first fish was a trout, at about age 5.
Me...I was five. I don't know how old the trout was.
We probably had bluegill around our part of California, back then, but we didn't fish for them. During my childhood, the only fresh water fish I had any experience with were trout and minnows.
By the time I grew and had a family of my own, I still wasn't keyed in on bluegill.
I knew them from living in Florida for many years, but didn't pay them any mind.
Then, in the mid-1990's, my stepdad took me to a spot on our local lake where we caught bluegill like I had never seen before.
These were not the small hand-sized fish I was used to.
They were huge, helmet-headed things, nearly black in color and kind of intimidating, to be honest... In the South they call these, “titty brim,” because they’re so big and powerful, you need two hands to hold one securely against your chest!
I remember all the details of that experience, still.
It opened my eyes to another, hidden world of the bluegill, different from the one most anglers content themselves with.
That is where my PERSONAL, “bluegill nostalgia" begins.
This changed everything. While most anglers feel the call to graduate beyond a can of worms and the humble bluegill, I never have. I now know there are bluegill out there that few will ever see, and I make it my challenge to find them.
For me, the Prince of Panfish holds a special and unique place in my memory.
And it lies there, waiting, never really disappearing.
So, for me and others, the bluegill has nostalgia attached to it.
Bluegill Are Ubiquitous
One of my favorite words, "ubiquitous."
The dictionary defines it this way:
ubiquitous
yoo͞-bĭk′wĭ-təs
adjective
"Being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent."
That first trout that I caught, mentioned above, well, it required my parents to forge an expedition to reach the waters where it lived. It was not ubiquitous
Bluegill would probably have been much closer.
Now, consider again the range of the bluegill.
They literally are everywhere. Ubiquitous!
Bart Lombardo of, "Panfish on the Fly" says something to the effect that these fish are his, "...neighbors - they live right down the road."
If you want to catch barramundi, well, you'll have to head to Australia.
Mountain trout, when you live along the coast?
Another far reaching trip is needed.
But bluegill?
There's probably a city park or some such place you can bicycle to, and catch bluegill. Maybe you cross small streams, pass by ponds and lakes, or skirt well-filled drainage control ditches as you go about your daily routine. I know I do - and I have tested a good many of them and found that they hold bluegill.
That is ubiquitous. Yep, I love that word.
Bluegill Are Value
You've probably noticed the cost of everything today is rising precipitously, with little sign of coming down. We hope it will, but we're not sure....
Meanwhile, anglers go right on chasing whatever "trophy" they desire.
But, the reality is that getting to the "hot" locations, going for the big whoppers, having expensive tackle, taking grand safaris... all these things are a stretch expenditure. A hit to the wallet, in other words.
Possessing all these things, and traipsing all over for some fishing, well..., that may be increasingly out of reach for many, in the near future.
That's when I remember something I read, to the effect that I can recover the cost of my fishing license on almost any bluegill trip. (2)
Here's what I mean.
My South Carolina freshwater license is $10 per year.
And now that I'm officially an old geezer, the state even gives me a discount on THAT meager sum. (3)
With most white-fleshed fish selling between 5 and 10 bucks a pound, it doesn't take too many fish to recoup that license cost.
And even if I don't care to keep fish for the table, bluegill fishing doesn't require exotic tackle or expensive gear.
The fly fishing bro's are out there with $300 reels, $100 shirts, fly lines that require a small loan... and that's fine if they want that.
Me, I have a quality used fly fishing outfit.
I tie my own flies and leaders, and have a few simple pieces of needed gear.
The total cost of my bluegill set-up, the whole shootin' works?
Maybe $100.
Maybe.
And its good for years and years to come.
I dunno about you, but that's value in my book.
Bluegill Got Game
Bluegill aren’t just valuable as catch-and-keep eating fish. They also provide an amazing amount of sport in a small package, putting up a hell of a fight for their size... whether you eat them or not.
I’ve gotten into fish that I thought were bass, only to find a decent bluegill was on my line. They wont go airborne like bass, but they will turn that broad, disc-shaped body to the side and pull you into a fine scrap.
That throbbing battle is made all the more exciting on light fly tackle in the 3-5 wt range, and may be one of the best fights you'll find in any body of water.
Its been said that they if they weighed five pounds - most of us would not have the skill to land one!
Along with this is the fact that they are shoal fish, so they are in competition with one another. When they are feeding, they attack, or attempt to attack, anything that resembles food. Most of you reading this have probably caught small bluegill on large lures, and marveled at their feistiness. Its a tough world in which they live, and they don't dilly-dally. They hit hard!
The last part of this, "bluegill game," is to understand that they also school by age/size, and to focus your efforts on the larger fish. Do THAT, and you may find your rod nearly taken from your hand at times.
These bigger fish, the bull and hen bluegills, they are not the juveniles found in the shallow, "shore necklace." These guys live in deeper water, and have a different existence.
They are not eager bait stealers, but demand that you first find them, then present the RIGHT THING, THE RIGHT WAY, at the RIGHT TIME. If you can figure all THAT out, well... we all want to fish for a quarry that is eager, even bellicose, and which surprises us with its ferocity. Right?
If you can scale back your thinking, and your tackle, to accommodate the larger bluegill specimens, you are gonna get schooled in a new kind of respect.
SIDE NOTE: Fishing for bluegill also opens the door to numerous by-catch species. Bass, perch, redbreast and red-ear sunfish, pickerel, crappie, catfish, even carp and gar are all possibilities... and I've caught them all but carp while bluegill fishing.
"Oh, you're just bluegill fishing..." people will say to me, with a touch of scorn in their voice.
"Yeah, that's it." I say with a wink. "Just bluegill."
Bluegill At The Table
Speaking of respect, you catch-and-release anglers might not care about eating bluegill - but much of the country grew up with these delicious fish.
To those folks, this matters a lot.
As panfish, they go best inside a frying pan. And while I generally release most of my fish, I count bluegill as one of the tastiest fish I might eat.
It has a firm white meat that is both palatable, and mild.
Since they are essentially flat, they produce thin, flaky fillets if you have a talent for that kind of work. But cooked whole, too, they are delicious as a finger food, taken right off the bone.
Fresh hush puppies and cole slaw, to accompany, of course.
Bluegill Have Generous Allowances - Sorta
In Nature's scheme of things, the bluegill is prey for bass, trout, and other large game fish. So she ensures that they are prolific, and breed in high numbers.
This abundance normally means possession allowances* for bluegill are generous.
Most states offer bluegill catch allowances in multiples of ten.
In my state, South Carolina, for example, it is 30 per day.
In some locales, like Louisiana, the allowance is endless - there isn't one!
* I like the phrase, "possession allowance," better than the discouraging term, "limits."
But there's a catch to all this catching,... well, a couple of them, really.
Because there may be a great many of them, bluegill can overpopulate a body of water. They compete for living space, and prey heavily upon gamefish eggs and fry. Plus, most of the angling public wants to catch bass and the other glamour fish, so sunfish are generally shunned.
This sets up a scenario where the waters become unbalanced, and overrun with sunfish, especially ponds and smaller public venues.
The result? Small, stunted sunfish and fewer of the “good fish.”
Dang IT! Fewer bass!!
We are also learning that the SIZE of sunfish can be affected by heavy fishing pressure.
Dang IT! Smaller bluegill, too!!
With this in mind, I tend to return the biggest fish back to the water, and keep the next size down if I want some for the table.
This way, I help the population, if even in just a small way.
So give bluegill a try - give them some respect and some focus. If you do, you'll probably find there are many more fishable waters, closer, than if you join the crowd chasing the "fashionable fish."
Some waters are maybe better than others, but no matter where you live, there is liable to be good bluegill water within a short drive.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and will share it with your friends.
Tight Lines,
David
Palmetto Fly N Fish
© All rights reserved 2022
References
(1) https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=385
(2) Don Kingery, PA ANGLER magazine, May, 1981
(3) South Carolina residents, 64 years and older, are eligible to purchase a lifetime license for $9. The license covers the following privileges:
- Hunting
- Big Game Permit
- Wildlife Management Area Permit
- State Waterfowl Permit
- Freshwater Fishing
- Saltwater Fishing
- Freshwater Set hook Permit
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