What is the best Trophy Redear, and Bluegill Lake in America ?
There are tons of great lakes in this country for Bluegill, and Redear fishing, but what about for Trophy Bluegill and Redear fishing ?
I like the 57,000 acre Barkley Lake, and I also like my home lake of Kentucky Lake.
Bluegill - Okeechobee
Shellcracker - Santee Cooper
Who could have predicted that?Quote:
Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake
Have not heard much mention of Merritts Mill Pond in a while, anyone know what happened there? I have also heard that the lakes in Bienville Plantation has some seriuos Bream in it.
Has to be one of those private plantation ponds down south. Saw a couple shows where they had 13" bluegills and the redears were even bigger.
I posted public lakes open to everybody, but I agree. I have fished some private ponds here in GA that are just awesome for big bluegill. Callaway Gardens, near Columbus GA, has incredible bluegill fishing. You have to hire a guide to fish those ponds, though, and it's strictly catch-and-release.Quote:
Originally Posted by chaunc
Just checked the Bienville site and it can cost about $500 a day to fish there with a guide and you can keep 25 panfish. Just a little too steep for me.:dono
$500 a day for bluegill??????:yikes I dont think any inshore fishing is worth that much.Quote:
Originally Posted by chaunc
I like KY lake for shellcracker. Seems like you always catcha bunch with some real nice ones thrown in.
It's a little steep for me, too. Callaway is much cheaper, but you can't keep fish.Quote:
Originally Posted by chaunc
Thats why I never fished there.
MAN! Callaway Gardens!! Used to fish there when i was a kid with the family..Great gills!! Back 35-40 years ago you did'nt need a guide!!Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
It appears that Lake Havasu in Arizona is probably the best Shellcracker lake in the entire country. Actually, if you google the Colorado River, they've got several lakes impounded along that river system that qualify as trophy redear fisheries because of the invasive mussels the redear have to feed on. Havasu just produced the world record redear last year by a bassfisherman. I've read reports on the internet that show biologists have shocked up tons of two and three pound redear in those Western Lakes.
For the Eastern half of the country, you've got Barkley and Kentucky Lake, Seminole, Okachobee in Florida, Santee Cooper and many others. I've fished the Merrit Mill Pond when I was a boy and we caught two large redear that day, one was close to 2lbs and the other was 2.75lbs...my uncle caught them both. That was in the heyday for that pond, around 1988 or so. The water was VERY clear and you could look down and see large musselshell craters where the shellcracker nested.
Santee Cooper for crackers. ANYWHERE if Florida for gills
Lake perris Ca for gills
for true trophy fish...
Shellcracker Santee Cooper
Bluegill Richmond Mill
Check out this link, watch past the 4:30 minute mark
2lb bluegill, 2 1/2lb bluegill - YouTube
If you're ever up Iowa way make a stop in at Lake Belva Deer in southeast Iowa. The lakes only been around about 10 years but it wouldnt be uncommon to get into 11-13 in gills everytime you go out. Also horsed a few 15" plus crappie out of there. Its only about 200 acres
Very true, there are a lot of great Redear, and Bluegill lakes in America.
StickMarsh/Farm 13 south of Melborne Fl.
could try kingfisher society nc. But bring lots of cash
How about Caney Lake in Louisiana, lots of big fish caught there.
Here are the top 10 REDEAR SUNFISH (Chinquapin, Shellcracker) from Louisiana:
Rank Weight Where Caught Date Caught
*1. 2.87 Caney Lake August 1998 (1998 Fish of the Year)
*2. 2.55 Caney Lake March 2003
*3. 2.53 Caney Lake May 1999
*4 2.25 Spring Bayou May 2002
*5. 2.21 Caney Lake April 1997
*6. 1.81 Pearl River November 2010
*6. 1.81 Caney Lake March 2003
*8. 1.78 Caney Lake August 1998
*9. 1.76 Caney Lake January 2003
*10. 1.64 Caney Lake April 2002
Here are the top 10 BLUEGILL from Louisiana:
Rank Weight Where Caught Date Caught
*1. 1.63 Old River July 2008
*2. 1.61 Yucatan August 1999
*3. 1.53 Caney Lake July 2001
*4. 1.47 D’Arbonne Bar Pit July 1998
*5. 1.44 Caney Lake July 2001
*6. 1.33 Caney Lake July 2001
*7. 1.28 Corney Lake April 2009
*8. 1.26 Caney Lake September 1998
*9. 1.25 Big Bayou Blue May 2004
*10. 1.14 D’Arbonne Bayou May 2002
12 of the top 20 bream from Caney.
Take Care
Totally Agree
Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Have caught alot of very nice gills in this lake. When they are not on the beds there, they are holding deep in the standing timber, and are VERY boat leary! I've not been to it in several years though. Another Iowa lake, which I go to more often for Red Ear, is Lake Geode. It's not as good as it once was, but still can get them in the 1 - 2lb range. The Yellow Bass in there are really beginning to dominate that lake though which is detracting from the 'Gill fishing. I am positive that the state record for Yellow Bass is surely swimming in Geode right now!Quote:
Originally Posted by hammann_13
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Reelfoot Lake in Northwestern Tennessee for bluegill. It is an AWESOME bluegill lake and has high numbers of large, quality fish.
You also have to keep in mind, when discussing bluegill, that there's a real difference in hybrid bluegill and just regular ole gills. I have a friend who has caught 2lb hybrid gills from his small private lake.....but to me, that's not the same as catching bluegill that have not been beefed up on chemicals and "steroids."
I think it is Lake Pervis in California that has huge Red Ear and Bluegill....have not fished but know those that have....and the pics they show and number of fish is quite awesome. By the way ...a hybrid Bluegill is a cross between Bluegill and Green Sunfish. No steroids or chemicals are involved. They do grow quite large but they will breed...contrary to myth...and when they do you will have a pond...lake....full of small sunfish.
Regards
We will be passing through there the first week of May. Might that be a good time for the 'gills?Quote:
Originally Posted by kyfishman
This thread is five years old, and kyfishman hasn't logged on in three months. So, you might not get an answer anytime soon.Quote:
Originally Posted by klyross
I suggest you post your question on the Tennessee board.
wow, that's a name from the past. 30+ years ago I lived in Crestview and fished Merritt's Mill pond a few times. We always did better at another lake that was west of Crestview, Hurricane lake maybe? I don't remember for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by huntinslabs
I was a poor Airman First Class, but I had a trolling motor. My buddy had an old Jon boat and we split the cost of a battery. That rig accounted for a lot of fish, mostly shell crackers. Good times.
Can't give you current conditions, but one of the best days of bluegill fishing in my life came on a May day at Reelfoot. My one and only trip there where we focused on bream (the few other trips I've made up there were for crappie), me and a friend went down a grass bank up around where the old Airpark Inn was located fishing crickets tight to the grass line on the shore. Must have caught a hundred good bluegill that day and kept about 40 since that was all I cared to clean. Ancient history though - would have been around 1988 or so.Quote:
Originally Posted by klyross
LOL - next time I'll look at the month and yearQuote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Thanks ...
Does it really matter how old the post is? Any old or new information to me on fishing is a good thing.
The problem in responding to old threads is you're talking to people who may not be active members any more. Not long ago, a ten-year-old thread was bumped in the Fly Fishing forum. Several of the people who had posted in the thread hadn't logged on in years. One poster had been banned --- ten years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by BluegillHunter
If you see an old thread that's interesting, start a new thread about the subject. Talk to the people who are members now. :)
I'm only talking to the people that's reading it now when I post something.
Understood, but klyross asked a question of a specific member who hasn't even logged on in three months.Quote:
Originally Posted by BluegillHunter
I've seen other threads where someone was selling jigs (five years ago.) Another member, not noticing how old the thread was, posted and asked if the jigs were still for sale. Well, of course not. They were sold five years ago, and the seller is not even a member any more.
Good point