Bluegill
INTRODUCTION
The bluegill (Lepomis machrochirus) is a member of the sunfish family. It may also be called bream, brim, pond perch or some other common name depending upon where it is caught in the United States. Whatever it is called, the bluegill’s flesh is firm, well-flavored and highly prized by many anglers.
DESCRIPTION
The bluegill is a deep, slabsided sunfish with a relatively small mouth. It commonly reaches a length of eight inches and weight of six ounces. Color will vary with age and sex of the fish as well as water color. Bluegills are generally dark olive-green along the back and lighter along sides. They have five to nine dark vertical bars on each side. The cheeks and opercles are sometimes bright blue. The opercular lobe is entirely black. a dark blotch is prominent at the posterior base of the soft dorsal fin. Bluegills travel in loose schools with 10 to 20 fish often swimming together. During midday, they remain in deeper water or rest in the shade of a pier or overhanging tree. Activity and feeding are greatest at dawn and dusk when they move into the shallows searching for food. Feeding is primarily by sight. Bluegill fry feed primarily on zooplankton. Insects are the staple food item for adults, but fish eggs, small fish, crayfish and snails are also eaten. Algae and other vegetation is eaten when animal food is scarce.
DISTRIBUTION
Bluegills originally ranged from southern Ontario and south through the Great Lakes and Mississippi drainages to the Gulf of Mexico, to northeastern Mexico and Florida, an up the coastal area to the Carolinas; however, widespread introductions have greatly extended their range in North America. Bluegills are present almost everywhere in Indiana. Although they can be found in deep, quiet pools of streams, they are most abundant in our lakes and man-made impoundments. Bluegills do not tolerate continuous high turbidity and siltation, but thrive best in warm, clear waters where aquatic vegetation or other cover is present. Habitat requirements of bluegills are very similar to those of largemouth bass, another member of the sunfish family.
REPRODUCTION
Bluegills begin nesting in the spring after the winter temperature has reached about 65 degrees F. Spawning may continue as late as August or September although the spawning peak occurs in June. Nests are usually built in water from one to six feet deep. Almost any type of bottom may be used for nesting but gravel is preferred by the male which constructs the nest by fanning away the sediment with his tail to form a shallow depression. Bluegills usually in colonies with many nests adjacent to each other in a small area. Females are admitted into the nest when ready to lay eggs. The eggs are fertilized by the male as they are deposited onto the floor of the nest, where they stick to the substrate. Several females often spawn in the same nest, and a female may deposit her eggs in more than one nest. The eggs hatch in three to four days depending on the water temperature. After hatching, the fry remain in or near the nest for several days before dispersing and leaving the protective influence of the guardian male.
FISHING TECHNIQUES
The bluegill is Indiana’s favorite panfish. It puts up a vigorous fight and is exciting to catch on light tackle. Because of their varied diet, bluegills can be caught on many different baits throughout the year. Still-fishing with worms, crickets or insect larvea (bee moths, spikes, mousies, wigglers) is a very popular and effective method of catching bluegills. At certain times, such as when aquatic insects are emerging or bluegills are spawning, fly fishing with wet flies, dry flies or poppers is also very effective. Since they have small mouths, the angler should use small hooks (sizes 8, 10, or even smaller) to catch bluegills.
MANAGEMENT
The history of bluegill management in Indiana goes back nearly 90 years. During that time, supplemental stocking, closed seasons, bag limits and minimum size limits were some of the bluegill management practices used by the state. As it was learned that these practices were unnecessary and ineffective, they were gradually dropped. The closed spawning season and 5-inch size limit were dropped in the late 1950s. The daily bag limit of 25 was dropped in 1970. Bluegills are very prolific. Heavy predation of young bluegills to maintain good growth rates. To ensure heavy predation, bluegill management presently includes practices such as protection regulations on predators (mainly largemouth bass), lake drawdowns and aquatic vegetation control. If overpopultion cannot be controlled through predation, chemical thinning of bluegill numbers or a total renovation of the fish population followed by restocking may be required. Evaluation of data collected by biologists during fishery surveys indicates what type of management is needed to maintain good bluegill fishing.
