Hello everyone hopefully the 2016 fishing is going swimmingly. (sorry for the water pun) Today we're going to talk about one of the most common fish to inhabit north america. Blue gill. I will discuss the various types and related species. Blue gill are wide spread in almost all types of water bodies. From lakes and ponds to rivers and streams blue gill and their cousins can be found almost anywhere. Blue gill tend to be most peoples first fish because of how plentiful they are and how diverse their diet is. Blue gill like to eat about anythings they can fit into their mouths. From live baits like worms, bee moths, minnows, and night crawlers to artificial lures like small crank baits, small jigs, and fly style lures. However, as i stated previously they will eat almost anything you put in front of them and i have personally caught them with bits of hot dogs, pieces of cheese, little chunks of bread and once even the top off of a dandelion. Some cousins to the blue gill are red ear, and war mouth. (There are many more. Some variations only exist in certain geographical locations.)


So now that we have discussed what they eat, where they are, and how healthy their population is lets look at what to do with them once you have caught them. While these fish are not the largest (usually ranging between 6-12 inches with 10-12 being big enough to keep) they are some of the best tasting in my opinion and with a bag limit of 25 per person, per day these fish can make a great meal.

For more intricate baits, fishing methods, fish behaviors, and tackle needed for blue gill fishing check out http://www.premier-fishing-tips.com/big-bluegill.html