Solid 1 lb. Plus 'Gill...

[Matt Breuer]

There are always people who catch 10" gills all the time, or people who say that they catch one lb. bluegills off their docks all the time.

I remember a post awhile back about how rare a true pounder is. The fact is that a bluegill 10" or bigger is pretty darn rare! Many 9-9.5" 'gills look like they're 11" long, but I think they're overestimated many times.

I have a pic to share with everyone of a true 10" 'gill that easily went a pound plus. This fish is being mounted, and is a true monster. 10 1/16" and 5 1/8" tall without the fins.

In three days of fishing I seen 6 legitimate 9.5+" 'gills come from this lake. After grueling and fighting myself, I finally made the decision that I wanted one for the wall.

I scaled down the pic so my hand fits over the hand in the pic closely and the measurements pretty much lined up to show how big a 10" 'gill is.

I have personally caught a total of two legitimate 10" bluegills through the ice, and maybe a dozen during open water. Everything I've caught over 9" has gone back without question, aside from two for the wall.

[CrappieJohn]

Having met you and knowing how large your hands are, I'd say that it is one fine fish and merits the wall. Congrats on your catch, Matt! Fish has got some beautiful colors for thru the ice too.

[Stratosman]

Nice work, can't blame you for stuffin that pig.

[Juan Grande]

Nice fish Matt.

My uncle used to own a resort on Big Sandy Lake, just outside of Grand Rapids, and we'd go up there for a week in the summer. Each trip we'd catch 2-3 sunnies that look like the one in your picture. We couldn't believe how round they got, almost like plates.. Those bull sunnies seem to grow just as tall as they do long. You know you have a pig when the blue gill flap is the size of a nickel.

[CRAPPIEBAIT]

Matt,Very nice gill.The wife and I used to live in Clearbrook.I was wondering if you have ever fished the pond off Blueberry hill road ?

[rwestb]

Looks like a pumpkinseed to me. Thats not actually a bluegill. Nice fish though.

[Matt Breuer]

CRAPPIEBAIT, I used to live in TRF, and dated a girl from Clearbrook. Maybe we know some of the same people! Never fished off Blueberry.

rwestb, he's a bluegill, no red on the flap.

[Dano2]

ya, no pumpkinseed, their pretty easy to tell apart, not that I have to tell you though Matt, heh, heh.

[ivegottabite]

Matt-

Can't wait to get into some gills and craps next week. Looks like you've pinpointed the big ones out for me

[bmc]

Good job Matt! That is one heck of a nice gill. A guy I know who is an avid bluegill fisherman always wants to see proof of big gills. I've got in the habit of taking a tape measure and camera along all of the time. If I catch one over 10" though and the color is good, he's on the wall. I'd really like to get a mount of some big pumpkin seeds on the wall, more so than bluegills.

Brian

[fishingmike0770]

Nice fish! The red on the tail, is that really there or is it just the picture? Never seen that on a gill before.

[Mike Smith]

Nice gill Matt!!! Around our area in southern wisconsin a 8 1/2" gill has a noticable bump on the nose or dip if you will. I usually use my hand to measure gills i am 5'9" tall and my hand size from middle finger to wrist wrinkle is 7 3/4" any fish bigger than that is a dandy in my book. i Have never caught one bigger than 9 3/4".

Smitty

[Matt Johnson]

That is a pig Matt! What was the girth like on that hog? Looks like a very thick fish.

I agree, 10 inch gills are tough to come by and a ligit 10 is a true trophy. Heck, even a 9 inch gill is a darn nice fish. And I would also agree, the big ones need to be let go. Big gill populations can be fragile and I personally think we need to look at big gills like we do big walleyes, bass, muskie, etc.. Catch and Release. A lot of anglers have taken the approach of catch and release on the trophy big gamefish, but I think the panfish could still use a little help. It is getting better though. A trophy here or there for the wall is nothing to be frowned upon, but a pile of monster gills for the fryin pan isn't something you want to tell me or show me. I'm fine cooking up the 7-8 inchers, all the big ones get to swim another day

Again, that's a dandy gill Matt! From one pannie diehard to another, congrats!!

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[Bobb-o]

i definitely agree with matt, we fish a lake up here in bemidji where it is tough to catch one under 8" but we never keep anything over 9", if you take those males out of the lake they will end up stunted.

[fishnutbob]

Matt, you da Man, no pumpkin, it's a bluegill My neighbor has one on his wall that is that big, caught up in your area. Won't say the lake but I bet you have fished it. Its ok to put one like that on the wall. Good job

[Matt Breuer]

Mike, I'm 6'2" with some mitts. I just measured and the tip of my middle finger to the crease on my wrist is 8.5".

bmc, I ALWAYS measure the 'gills I think may be close to or over 8.5". I have a small rollout tape that I measure them on, it only takes a second! I also try to keep a camera on me, but don't always have a cameraman, and am surely not going to ask someone else on the lake!

fishingmike, that red is from the fish sitting for awhile, plus my arm under it I'm sure. It did have a reddish tint, but really came out in the pic!

Matt J., I didn't measure girth, I was too enthrawled with the height! It was very thick through the entire fish but the top 1/2" or so, that's oddly thin. Although, this is probably the tallest 'gill I've seen!

My personal best 'gill is 10 7/8" and it too is on the wall. I know Matt J. has one or two over 11" under his belt! This fish was a good 3/4" taller than my 10 7/8" fish!

Bobb-o and Matt are right, those bulls won't come back, and they need to be released! That's why I fought myself so hard and hated keeping it. But once it hit the ice, I didn't want to toss 'er back!

On a sad note, I was out 'gill fishing a lake today and was checked by the CO. He checked a group that had 38 'gills and he said they averaged 8". He also stated that they kept 20 the previous day. I asked if he was headed there, he replied that it was a college house and there are 7 kids living there! I feel guilty about the one big one I took, and they had to have several over 9". Poor lake!

[ivegottabite]

A guy at work was telling me about some guys in Outdoor news getting busted. They said the fishing was too good and couldn't stop!?!?! I can't remember how much over they were but between catching over limits of fish and keeping the big boys, a lake can go dead pretty fast.

[Willy]

Matt,

Nice fish and that is probably the roundest gill I've ever seen. I'll agree with you that a true 10" is rare. I've caught only a few in my life that have been over 10" and my largest was 10-1/2". Those 9-9.5" always look way bigger until you put the tape to them. Nothing wrong with keeping that as I'm sure you throw your fair share back. Nice fish

[hanson]

That is a dandy Matt!

I happened to be over at my grandparents house this afternoon and your post reminded me to measure the bluegill he had on his wall. Its a big fish but have never known the actual size and/or weight of it.

Once I pulled the tape, it was 10 1/2" long and 5 1/4" from top to bottom excluding the dorsal fin. I don't know how much shrinkage a gill will experience upon going to the taxidermist but that must have been a heck of a fish when it was swimming.

[Brian Jones]

Matt,

That is a nice gill but I think some people might have just missed its true identity. I'm not saying it is or isn't because I'm not a biologist but it looks like the hybrid gills we catch all the time. They don't have the same distinct bars and if you look very close at the black gill tab on hybrids it looks like your fish. It is not solid black...they have a little red and some white on the very end. When we target these hybrids they often go over ten inches and are very tall. Anyway...just some food for thought. Now where are those twelve inchers!!

[Lost]

Awww, c'mon. You're taking all the fun out of telling fish stories.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I finally got my first 10" gill this year. When I set the hook I thought It was a bass or big crappie the way it doubled up my ultralight. Couldnt believe my eyes when I saw a bluegill coming up the hole. Got a picture and let him go. It kind of spoiled me, being that I live in the metro now I dont feel like going out to catch the little runts, I want more bullgills!

I know what you mean about those 9" fish looking 10". I hadnt caught any thing over 8.5 up until last year and the first time I caught a 9" I thought it was over 10" easy until I put a ruler to it.

[ducksnbucks]

Big gills are getting more rare as we go, I don't keep anything much over 8 inches to eat, all the big ones go back. Up here at school in Bemidji I have found some lakes with lots of fish over 9", and have managed a few 10" fish this year. My personal best is a hawg 11 1/4 incher I cuaght two winters ago. Thought I had a rock bass until I pulled it out of the hole. Still swimming hopefully. If I didn't have two 10 3/4 inchers on the wall already that one would have gone on there to. They are out there, but not as many as a few years ago when I first got here. Good Fishin.

[ChuckN]

Nice fish Matt, you are truly a finesse panfisherman!

I've only caught one gill over 10", it was 10 1/4" and from a lake near Bemidji. It was such a fragile fish it did not release well, so it's going on the wall. It's very dark in color and the black tabs on the gills are enormous.

They are rare and we need to preserve these babies for the future.

[walleye_jigger]

I think that pick was taken when hollywood_pete was holding the fish. And you and I both know he's got "puny girly hands" as he puts it. But on a serious note nice fish, and that was all hollywood could talk about for the next week. You should really make him sign a non discloser agreement. He get's pretty descriptive after a couple of beers. I am sure I'll run into you soon.