Bluegill - (Lepomis macrochirus)
Common Names - bream, blue bream, sun perch, blue sunfish, copperhead, copperbelly, roach.
Florida
bluegill have a attitude for there size and
fight better than any other freshwater species
of panfish. Bluegill are fun to catch and are
second to none in the frying pan. Catching a
mess of big bluegill is a common event
throughout the spring, summer and early fall in
Florida.
Bluegill
and redear fishing will be at its best during
the spring. Redear should be well into their
spawning season by April. Much depends upon the
weather at that time. Start looking for spawning
areas within five days before and after the new
and full moons. Areas to check this spring will
be the shallow, rocky and sandy areas throughout
most of the Florida lakes. Most redear are taken
on live worms. Bluegills usually start their
spawning season a little later than redear. Look
for the bluegill bite to start picking up in
April. Lake
Okeechobee, the numerous canals in the
Everglades,
Kissimmee River
and complete central Florida area including
Orlando. Beetle spins and crickets are the
preferred baits for bluegill fishing.
During
the spawn the large male bluegill "bull" or
"copper head" as they
are called locally because of the copper band
that runs across their dark head are highly
vulnerable to being caught easily. Bluegill
during the spawn are at full coloration - dark
lateral bars down their sides and a deep red
chest. The male bluegill after establishing
their nesting area which are usually the same
spawning sites year after year, will become very
aggressive. They will in fact strike at anything
that intrudes into their nesting territory.
Although we talked about the months of spawning we also mentioned that weather had something to do with it. Bluegill spawning will occur when the lake water is between 70 - 75. That could be as early as March and last as late as September. The male bluegill begins building a dish shaped nest that generally is a round sandy depression that is 2 - 4 inches deep and from 8 - 24 inches wide. Bluegills gather in large colonies during the spawn. In most cases, there are dozens of nests side by side in an area of 50 - 100 square feet. Bluegill spawning activities also cycle around the full moon periods. The 5 day period before and after the full moon is a great time to catch a limit of fish.
Worms and crickets are the preferred live bait. Crickets top the list as the best live bait for bluegill. Anglers can purchase worms and crickets from local marinas.
BassOnline is the considered the largest & busiest guide service in the state of Florida, we have three main locations to service Florida. The hottest fishing lakes in Florida for largemouth bass, crappie and bluegill, also are the most famous lakes in the state for catching quality and quantity. We are located directly near Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Naples, Ft Myers, Jupiter, Fort Pierce, Orlando, Tampa, Daytona and Jacksonville. This makes the fishing convenient and assessable for everyone. Fishing, it is done by everyone...but only a few do it right. Our Professional Staff, with nearly 1000 years of combined angling experience fishing Florida lakes. Whether you fish with live bait which is one of the most popular ways for many, are prefer artificial lures which can range your next trip. No other guide service can provide you with the proven success record that we have accomplished.
Additional Bluegill Information:
Description - Bluegills have small mouths and oval-shaped, almost rounded, bodies. Body coloration is highly variable with size, sex, spawning, water color, bottom type, and amount of cover. In general, they are somewhat lavender and bronze with about six dark bars on their sides. Males tend to have a copper-colored bar over the top of the head behind the eyes. The breast is silver to slightly blue most of the year, with some yellow or orange during spawning season. Females are generally lighter colored than males. Two distinctive characteristics are the prominent black spot on the rear edge of the gill-cover and a black spot at the base of the posterior portion of the dorsal fin.
Subspecies - Two are recognized: the northern bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus), found in northwest Florida; and the Florida bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus mystacalis), found throughout Florida except the panhandle. The bluegill also hybridizes with other members of the sunfish family.
Range - Found naturally throughout Florida, and across the United States because of widespread stocking.
Habitat - Bluegills prefer the quiet, weedy waters where they can hide and feed. They inhabit lakes and ponds, slow-flowing rivers and streams with sand, mud, or gravel bottoms, near aquatic vegetation.
Spawning Habits - Bluegills are well known for "bedding" in large groups, with their circular beds touching one another. Bedding occurs in water two to six feet deep over sand, shell or gravel, and often among plant roots when the bottom is soft. Spawning occurs from April through October with the peak in May and June, when water temperature rises to about 78-80 degrees. A female may lay 2,000 to 63,000 eggs, which hatch 30 to 35 hours after fertilization.
Feeding
Habits - Insects, insect larvae and
crustaceans are the dominant foods of bluegills,
with vegetation, fish eggs, small fish,
mollusks, and snails being of secondary
importance, although they may dominate their
diet during certain times of the year.
Age and Growth - Growth is rapid in Florida. A one-year-old fish may be four inches long. Spawning may occur the first year. Bluegills can live up to 11 years, but most are less than 7 years old. The rate of growth varies considerably in different bodies of water. However, a six-inch bluegill in Florida is typically two to four years old.
Sporting Qualities - Because of its willingness to take a variety of natural baits (e.g., crickets, grass shrimp, worms) and artificial lures (e.g., small spinners or popping bugs) during the entire year, its gameness when hooked, and its excellent food qualities, the bluegill is one of the more important sport fish in Florida and the eastern United States. As a sport fish, specific bag and size limit regulations apply, and you can register a qualifying catch as part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's "Big Catch" program.
Eating Quality - Excellent; the flesh is white, flaky, firm and sweet. They are generally rolled in cornmeal or dipped in pancake batter before frying. Many rank the bluegill as the most delicious of all freshwater fish.
World Record - 4 pounds, 12 ounces, caught in Ketona Lake, Alabama, in 1950.
State record - 2 pounds 15.25 ounces, caught in Crystal Lake, Washington County, Florida, in 1989.
