bluegill and shellcracker from today

[tnpondmanager]

Took a couple guys from Illinois out today. We had several bluegill that went between 19 and 21 oz., and the biggest shellcracker went 1 lb. 10 oz.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8547/8699722733_a451922c8e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699722733/) bluegill-2-may-1-2013 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699722733/) by tnpondmanager (http://www.flickr.com/people/87205953@N05/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8136/8700846596_bd5f1eb073.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8700846596/) bluegill-3-(2)-may-1-2013 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8700846596/) by tnpondmanager (http://www.flickr.com/people/87205953@N05/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8137/8699723267_327a76864f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699723267/) bluegill-5-may-1-2013 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699723267/) by tnpondmanager (http://www.flickr.com/people/87205953@N05/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8559/8699723451_51ee3569cd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699723451/) bluegill-7-may-1-2013 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699723451/) by tnpondmanager (http://www.flickr.com/people/87205953@N05/), on Flickr

[tnpondmanager]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8417/8699723889_1afcaa6098.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699723889/) big-double-may-1-2013 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699723889/) by tnpondmanager (http://www.flickr.com/people/87205953@N05/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8539/8699726309_f1b5a861db.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699726309/) pond-2-shellcracker-may-1-2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699726309/) by tnpondmanager (http://www.flickr.com/people/87205953@N05/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8700847752_127c9a309f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8700847752/) bluegill-may-1-2013 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8700847752/) by tnpondmanager (http://www.flickr.com/people/87205953@N05/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8398/8699724375_6f49c26e81.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699724375/) 1-lb.-10-oz.-may-1-2013 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8699724375/) by tnpondmanager (http://www.flickr.com/people/87205953@N05/), on Flickr

[MNfisher]

Those are freaks of nature!

[Alphahawk]

Definitely huge Gills. Pretty fish.




Regards

[tnpondmanager]

Thanks, guys! We also had a very large bluegill briefly chase a 3" largemouth that one of the guys was reeling in. Two of us saw the bluegill - no definite concept of how big it was other than bigger than any we caught.

[MNfisher]

Thanks, guys! We also had a very large bluegill briefly chase a 3" largemouth that one of the guys was reeling in. Two of us saw the bluegill - no definite concept of how big it was other than bigger than any we caught.

I had a big largemouth chase a small bluegill I had hooked today...similar in a way, but your situation is much cooler! Haha. What do you toss for those giant bluegill in your ponds?

[tnpondmanager]

All of these were caught on redworms. We tried jigs for a while, and caught several bass on them, but the bluegill laughed at us as long as we were using lures and would only take redworms. They even turned up their noses at some live waxworms one of the guys had brought.

[Travis C.]

Those are incredible.

What is the growth curve on those to get that big?

[blink]

amazing fish!

[tnpondmanager]

Travis, the big bluegill pictured grow fast in the pond we caught them from because there's a very low density of them, and a very high density of predators - there are probably more bass in that pond than there are bluegill, and there are also two tiger muskie (it's only a one-acre pond). I've only been working with this pond for a little under four years, and the bluegill averaged 3" when I began working with the pond, so these fish are almost certainly ones that were born since I began my management of the pond (the ones already alive would not have had the growth potential to get this big). So they're probably between three and three-and-a-half years old.

The big shellcracker I know is only three years old, because I stocked the shellcracker in this pond as 1-2" fingerlings three summers ago.

[tnpondmanager]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8265/8703620056_64ffd23867.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8703620056/) 17-oz.-may-2-2013 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8703620056/) by tnpondmanager (http://www.flickr.com/people/87205953@N05/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8702500405_85fd7f15e3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8702500405/) 20-oz.-may-2-2013 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87205953@N05/8702500405/) by tnpondmanager (http://www.flickr.com/people/87205953@N05/), on Flickr

[chaseasl]

wow, those are some tanks

[nomad60]

Those are some amazing fish and I bet they are a blast on ultralight gear.

[RonS81]

Wow nice fish. Haven't seen one like that Ina long time.


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