Quest for a monster 10" gill (pics requested)

[Chad Halvorson]

Here is a true Pounder plus.

Another

[mplsnative]

Think i know the lake your talking about. My grandpa caught a bluegill that would have also shattered the state record it used to hang in one of the bait shops in park rapids.

Forget the name of the place and gramps is long gone now wished i could have gotten a hold of that.But any ways a couple years ago i got into so big bulls in the area and i'll tell you what i had a least three over 10 one was even pushing 12. I bet i'll never run into that again.Gramps also had a big green sunny at same store i know he knew the owner of the store just cant remember stores name.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Here is my personal best from MN caught last year, just a hair over 10".

Caught this 9" pumpkinseed on Whitebear lake fishing a jig and pig.

My biggest bluegills (10.5") are from florida The fish had some really unique coloring, dark blue and purple coloring.

[Slyster]

Check this out.. as near as I can figure I was a few oz. short of some state record.. in one category or another.. never was quite sure what these critters were...

No one here could positively ID this thing.. some thought a 'hybrid'...

BUT... tis a BIG sunfish!

1Lb 8oz

Dumb of me not to measure the length.

[Cyberfish]

It is a cross between a Green sunfish and pumpkinseed.

[CALVINIST]

Quote:

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Do hybrids count as a gill?

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I guess nobody answered this question...

[Cheif Catchemall]

Now be honest. Who gets frequently outfished by the misses? I take her out, set her up with the proper presentation for the conditions, give her a few ideas of location, and SHE pulls them in left and right I hardly have time to fish sometimes. Last summer she cuaght a 10.25" gill while we were drifting for 'eyes. She already has a 10.5" on the wall!!! I am still pround of my rare 9" gill.

BTW She also caught a 22" LMB that went on the wall OFF THE DOCK with a tear drop and 1/4" plastic becasue she doesn't like to touch worms!!!

[Corey Bechtold]

Bluegills are called that because of the dark blue patch on their gill. So my guess it that they are not the same.

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold

[Cyberfish]

I have looked at the gills of all sunfish, and they are all the same color, red!

Actually I think they got their name from the brilliant blue color on the bottom of their gill covers, not the "ear"spot on the side that can is usually more black, whith a little blue sometimes.

[Chad Halvorson]

They are of the Sunfish family, and technically are called "Hybrids". Some of the biggest Sunnies I have caught are Hybrids.

[Scott M]

The best way to tell apart bluegill from any other sunfish is to examine the gill rakers. Do this the next time you catch a Lepomid (Sunfish genera). Take a look behind the operculum (gill cover) and check out the white projections that face opposite the red gills. Bluegill have long slender white gill rakers. Most other sunfish have short stubby gill rakers. Gill rakers differences depend on diet. Bluegill are named for their blueish scales near the bottom of their gill covers. Another key identifying mark for Bluegill is the black spot at the posterior end of the dorsal fin, but always remember that the worst possible way to identify a fish is through color, for a multitude of reasons.

[Corey Bechtold]

Bluegill

Minnesota has several sunfish species, but the most popular with anglers are the bluegill and the pumpkinseed. Both are found in most of the state's lakes and streams. Both spawn from late May well into the summer. The bluegill tends to grow larger than the pumpkinseed. Though both have a blue spot on the ear flap, the pumpkinseed also has some bright orange at the very edge of the flap. Also, bluegills tend to be mostly olive colored while pumkinseeds are more orange colored.

Pumkinseed

Like the bluegill, the pumpkinseed lives in many of Minnesota's lakes and streams. This popular sunfish is nearly as large as the bluegill. The pumpkinseed can be distinguished from the bluegill by the bright orange spot at the tip of the ear flap and the lack of a dark blotch on the soft portion of the dorsal. Breeding males are particularly colorful; their cheeks and gill covers are marked by wavy bright blue bars. Identifying and distinguishing sunfish is complicated by frequent hybridization.

Green

Drab in comparison to others of this tribe, the green sunfish is also distinguished by a mouth far larger than is typical of other sunfish. The ear lobe is black with a pale margin. The green sunfish is common in many lakes throughout the state and thrives in creeks. It tolerates greater turbidity and lower dissolved oxygen than bluegill or pumpkinseed. The green sunfish usually is far smaller than pumkinseed or bluegill, though hybridization with the larger species produces larger fish.

Orangspotted

The orangespotted is the smallest Minnesota sunfish, rarely reaching 4 inches. It is on of our most colorful species. Spawning males carry orange-red lines of the cheeks and gill covers. Their bellies and lower fins are reddish. Ear lobes are dark with a pale border.

Just a little information from the DNR's HSOforum.

Later,

Corey Bechtold

[CALVINIST]

Thanks for the info Cory...never even knew about the orange spotted sunfish.

[eyepatrol]

Thanks for the info Corey. I've wondered about the species and differences also. Guess I never thought to look at the DNR's site.

As with most people, I've caught each of the species in the past. The Green sunfish can get awefully big at times when you get one that hybrids with larger species. They can be awefully heavy too.

IMO, the prettiest one of them all is the Orangespotted. I've only caught a couple of those and they were very small, but man are they full of color! It's a shame they don't get very big as one of these, or a replica, would look just awesome "on the wall".

[dougger222]

I just caught a sunny yesterday evening that went 10 inches and weighed 12 oz's. Caught about 10 that went from 8-9.5 in.

Looking in my pictures for a picture of a huge sunny caught down south a few years ago. The world record for a bream (shell cracker) is out of South Carolina I think and it's 7+ lbs. The fish feed on clams or something of the sort.

[dougger222]

Ca someone post the last picture is the 10 incher caught yesterday, bad photo, took it myself. Got some taken by another person on a disposable camera there are better, will post those in the future.

Enjoy!!!

[bdiddy]

I particularly like the ones with the bass in the kitchen and the 19" eye on the shack floor with the URL crappies. Nice fish man... Healthy looking...

[igotem]

Here's dougger222 pic

[iland99]

Post deleted by hollywood_pete

[ducksnbucks]

10 bluegills are difinetly not easy to come by. I have caught a lot of 8.5-9.5 this winter but I still haven't hit the 10 yet this year. My biggest kept sunfish is 10 3/4, that weighed a 1 pound six ounces, and I caught a monster 11 1/4 incher by Bemidji two winters ago, measured and then threw her back. They are an awsome fish!!!

[dougger222]

Today while at Barnes and Nobles book store paged through an issue of a Crappie magazine and seen some pictures of huge gills. More than likely they were either farm pond fish or fish from the South.