Doing the Sunfish Slide

[Rick]

Matt Johnson and I went out looking for bluegills.

Not just any bluegills mind you but the big bulls. We were looking for those hump nosed warriors in the 9" to 10" class.

We cruised the inside weedlines until we found a few and Matt caught five in the 8" - 9" range while I filmed. Then it just stopped. We cruised around catching a few smaller gills here and there.

Our weapon of choice was a CrappieTom Special panfish rod, a Scenic Tackle collarless jig head in the 1/16 oz variety and the coup de gras was the Mr. Twister Micro Shad.

I preferred pink micro shads and they paid off with a very nice gill in the 9+" class but not quite there. Boy these bad boys slide through the water using the sides of their body to help them keep as much distance as possible between them from you and the boat.

But back to the story. Matt and I motored along and stumbled onto the mother lode. They were a bit deeper than we thought, they were bigger and and the bite was on. It was one big bull gill after another.

Matt finally cashed in on a 10" class Sunfish although it did not quite make it there either. But as you can see it is a beautiful sunfish.

One thing you can count on from Matt and I when fishing gills this time of year. We just do not keep any. Especially in the size class we were tagging them. We also didn't keep fishing until the bite quit.

Those big gills are too vunerable to over fishing right now and keeping gills like this can leave a lake with stunted sunfish for years to come.

It's important to release the big bull bluegills if you wish to have good fishing for these platter size sunfish for your children or grandchildren.

We decided to give the gills a rest and let them stay there for a deserving angler on another day. With any luck it will be a Dad, Mom, Uncle, Aunt or friend and the kids.

With the adults ensuring the kids are having a blast.

Here's a parting shot and hoping you and the kids get into some of these size gills as well.

With any luck Matt will join in here on this post and give you a few more details on how to target early season panfish, get your photos and release them for others to enjoy.

We hope to see you around on the water or outdoors sometime in the future. I for one would love to meet all of you. Stop by and say hello if you see us.

[Mr. Pike1]

That is a awesome picture of a bull sunfish. I was out two weeks ago with my father and got into some 9-9.5" bulls. The old man was chopping at the bit to put them in the live well. He got a lesson in select harvest and all over 8.5 were released. He brought home a meal of 8-10 8"ers.

I love getting into the bulls this time of year and I as well was fishing primarly with the exude micro shad. It has beem my panfish bait of choice since they hit the market a couple years ago.

I use a collared jig almost always a 1/32 white jig head and then the microshad in black/white or green/yellow. I do like the way the pink or bubble gum color looked on Ricks presentation. Might just add a bag of those to the plastics.

[Sheephead Slayer]

Nice fish guys!

Matt, remember your sunglasses next time!!

Kevin

[Matt Johnson]

Definitely a great day on the water!

Like Rick mentioned, we started our search out shallow where I've found fish in the past, but only a few were there and then it went dead.

I knew of another spot where we could find them, but it was out a little deeper, and sure enough... wham! There they were! Holding in about 3-4 feet of water instead of 1-2.

The warm temps and high suns pushed the fish out of the shallows and forced them to relocate towards deeper water surrounded by more vegetation.

Rick and I worked them over with Exude Micro Shads. Pearl White and Pink were the two hot colors, but the fish also took dark colors like black as well.

As Rick mentioned, letting these big fish go is very important to preserving the fishery. Keeping a few smaller ones for a meal is totally fine, but the large ones need to swim another day if we want to have successful fishing in the future for these "bull" gills.

The coloration of these beauties is incredible!

Very brilliant colors and dark gold breast plates. The coloration really comes out this time of year.

Targeting these gills can be a lot of fun, and enjoyable for anglers of all ages. The bite can be pretty fast and furious at times, and they put up an excellent fight on light gear.

Once the fish move out of the shallows, you can expect to find them on the nearest weed beds, and on the edges. Also look for pockets in the weeds where you can pitch a jig into.

I also like to target summer gills with small spinner-baits like the Tadpole Spin from JB Lures, the Beetle Spin, or the Betts Spin. They work great for summer-time gills and crappies. A very aggressive presentation that allows you to cover a lot of water and be very productive during the hot summer months when targeting these aggressive-natured fish.

So, best of luck out there chasing down those "bull" gills, and enjoy the summer!

[harvey lee]

Matt&Rick

Nice job with the pannies.

[rod-man]

Thanks guys

first for releasing them bulls and for some great refrence photos

I am a wood carver and am always looking for good refrence

photos to save for new works of art

I have one in mind for a jumbo bull on the bed and really am

thankfull for the refrence

[Rick]

I for one would love to see that carving.

Please share when you get er done

[rod-man]

you got it

[Deitz Dittrich]

as rick said.. I too would like to see that carving when its done!