Coppernose Bluegill and Georgia Giant Bream

[Festus_Haggen]

Alright, the lakes and rivers are too muddy and high around here, they'll drop 5 or 6 feet, then rise again, so I've been fishing 3 ponds. Today I caught 58 fish, mostly buck bass from 9" to 14", then changed to another pond downstream and got 4 or 5 pounder. Anyway, I noticed I catch a BIG sunfish about as often as I do a bass. I looked it over, first thought it was a greenie sunfish, but the average size for this pond is way over 6 inches, did a little net research, and am convinced this is a Georgia Giant. This pond was stocked with catfish, bass, and the owner says, "Coppernose Bluegill." It was stocked only once, around 1991. These fish are definitely not bluegill, they're mouth is too big, and the markings are wrong. Every time I ever saw a green sunfish, they'd be lucky to be 4" or 5" long. There is also bluegill in this pond, they are larger than normal size, but nowhere near the size of these monsters. I caught one exactly a foot long, didn't have the scales with me. They were hitting bass spinnerbaits, 2-3 inch crankbaits, plastic worms, 4-1/2" Rapalas, well any bass baits I threw out here. There for a while I got into them and probably caught one 8" or better on 9 or 10 straight casts on a 6" plastic worm.

I hear the Georgia Giant might get 5 lbs. If a lot of the hype that says the GA Giant might revert back to a green sunfish or bluegill, I don't understand why, this pond was stocked only once as I said before-18 years ago, they can't be a nuisance fish, right? If so, whoever planned this pond is a genius, it's 6 acres and 20' deep in spots. Plenty of bass 5+ pounds, not sure if the catfish are still there, but there's 7 grass carp in there about 30 lbs. apiece. It's gonna be hard to go back to crappie, striper, and white bass fishing after the day I had today. Sorry, I don't have photos, we're lucky to get a cell phone to work here.

[Pat]

WOW ! sure would like some photos of those bigguns

[Festus_Haggen]

WOW ! sure would like some photos of those bigguns

I have a few pictures on my cell phone, but it's not set up to text or email photos yet, and it's WAY too expensive. I'm gonna have to take my girlfriend's digital camera with me to get some pictures.

One more thing-one of my friends fished this pond when it was 3 or 4 years ago, and he couldn't find a bait these GA Giants wouldn't hit. He even put a rubber band on a hook and was catching fish. THEY ARE AGGRESSIVE!

[blairarnold]

Every one I know who stocked Georgia Giants or other hybrids had very good success the first few years, but they bred back to normal green sunfish for the most part after they spawned a few times or generations. Must be an exceptional pond.

[Festus_Haggen]

These are too big to be green sunfish. I was told it was stocked only once, when it was built or soon afterward. I catch a full breed bluegill every now and then, but not often. At first I thought they were shellcrackers, but their mouth is too big. They almost look like a cross between a shellcracker, bluegill, and warmouth bass. The markings are wrong for these three species, and they're definitely not rock bass. I don't remember seeing a bream quite like this, but they must be common in the county the pond is located. This same bream is also on farms adjacent to this property.

Today they weren't hitting like they were Friday. Went from 7:30 am till 2:30 pm and only caught about a dozen small largemouths, one was about 13" and several of these bream, one was 10-1/2", most were 6" to 8". Last Friday you could see the bream and bass around the shoreline, today we had a cold front and everything was caught deeper. Didn't even see the big old grass carps today.

[Illinoisgiller]

A quick Google of Hybrid Bluegill Myth will bring up an extensive study done by the state of MO. on the hybrids. They do not stock hybrids except in a few small public ponds designated for kids only.
I and the wife got on some large Greenies in our local canal . They fight like the dickens and hit aggressivly.
I it sure neat you got on a pond where the Giants have worked out well. It is the exception rather than the rule. ole Mike

[Festus_Haggen]

I asked someone who knows more about this pond, and they also say the pond was stocked only once-around 1991 with only coppernose bluegills, bass, catfish, and tuffie minnows. Whatever these other fish are can't be green sunfish, and the owner insists they are coppernose bluegill, but I know better. I will eventually get a picture, but I won't be going back for a couple of weeks.