Santee Cooper by far. World record shellcracker came out of there and 2lb fish are common.
Santee Cooper by far. World record shellcracker came out of there and 2lb fish are common.
Mississippi. There is a great number of quality bluegill fisheries here. From large bodies to small ditches you can get 1 lb gills and 1 lb plus shellcrackers frequently..
Lake George, Florida
ncnat,
Apparently the best gator lake in Florida also! (see thread link below)
http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showthread.php?t=17754
Mississippi, I think we have the most hunting/fishing land in the country.
Santee Cooper, Stumphole area
You can't beat a Southern farm pond (3 - 20 acres) for numbers and size of bluegill. The big name reservoirs can't compete in either category if the pond is fertilized and the fish are fed. Just can't be beat. Warm climate, long growing season, good water quality (without livestock), and good nutrition.
I've never seen a public reservoir beat a good farm pond for bluegill. Ponds/lakes in the 3-20 acre range are the best and most prodictive to manage, and you can really get the numbers and sizes up if you fertilize it and feed the fish every day...all they will eat.
Don
In an earlier post I saw mention of Georgia Giant bluegill in a farm pond. Unless I am mistaken, these are a hybrid using a green sunfish. Green sunfish are bad for a pond, and again, if I remember correctly, the Georgia Giants are true for one generation and by the third you are back down to the green sunfish, which will ruin a pond.
The best I've found, on the whole, is the Florida strain bluegill. They are somewhat purple-ish, with fairly distinguishble stripes on the sides, and will easily get to a pound and more in a fertilzed pond, with feeding. The native bluegill is the prettiest, but the Florida strain seems to respond better to good habitat. I can't say the same for Florida strain bass. They were the craze for a while, but I don't think they lived up to it, in general. The "northern" strain is much better in my opinion, and get just as big.
I would strongly advise against the off-beat strains of experimental bluegill. They can ruin a pond/small lake. Florida strain and native Southern strain will do fine. Don't try for 3 pound true bluegill in a pond/small lake. A bluegill is a bluegill. The genetic structure can't be changed without a change to the specie itself, which usually results in a hybrid, and that can go all sorts of ways in time. Then all kinds of things can get out of whack. Get them up to a pound or a little more, and be happy catching all those you want.
Just my .02 worth.
Don