Go ahead, pick one. It doesn't even matter if you've been there:) .
Go ahead, pick one. It doesn't even matter if you've been there:) .
Florida, lake Iamonnia. Bream average a pound or better.
Florida---Lake George and the St Johns River.
For quantities of big Bluegill, I love Reelfoot Lake.
There is a small state lake back home in KY. called Corinth Lake. This has the biggest Shellcrackers I have ever seen.
Mississippi has some good fishing as well. Many of the oxbow lakes are great with little pressure. Lake Chotard is a good one. Also north Mississippi has a small state lake- Lake Lamar Bruce- that has great bream fishing in both size and quantity.
i second drillers opinion lake george, we stay at georgetown marina about 5 times a year usually limit out before our stay is up.
North Carolina without a doubt. No need to travel for numbers or large fish, we got it all right here in our own backyards. Which, if you think about it so does everyone else... hmm... still say NC:)
I have seen a sign that said Wisconson was the Sunfish Capital of the world. But I'll take the lakes around Suffolk, Va any day. :D
My uncle has a pond full of 3 plus pound georgia giants in southern indiana does that count?
I'll take the Suffolk lakes in Va. Lots of big ones there.
I know its not where I live.....
Thats a good one! LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by Blue Duck
Alabama without a doubt, use to catch them by the hundreds daily when they were bedding.
Wilson and Guntersville lakes in north Alabama produce some big Bream and Shellcrackers.
Thats right crappie top. We catch alot on Guntersville. When I was a kid we use to wade over at south sauty and strattle the bream beds with our legs real slow and catch bream from between our feet. It was so fun.
I have to throw in a vote for Louisiana. Just about any water you fish has large quantities of bream and some places have some really large ones. We fish a bayou that feeds Lake Pontchartrain and the salt water doesn't seem to affect them. Tenacious little devils.
Sante Cooper is by far the best in the Southeast.
I have fished em all.
i don,t catch a great number of wall hangers but the ocmulgee river in ga is maybe not the best but it is still fun to drift and fish great for relaxing the mind and getting away from the rushed lifestyle
Don't count Louisiana out, because there are some huge panfish in some areas down here, especially the rivers.
Actually the best brim fishing in the world is in two states....West Louisiana and East Texas around Shreveport, La. and Longview Tx.
Smackover
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