Gigmaster,
There are lots of bluegill and lots of gar. There are even a lot of alligator gar. But the fact remains that populations of large fish, be they bluegill or alligator gar, can be reduced dramitcally by over-fishing. In fact, the overall stocks in creeks and small rivers can be greatly reduced in a short time by overfishing. One of my local rivers has been pounded and in two years went from being a very good stream to a very marginal one. Larger bodies of water may be more resilent or may show it later than the smaller bodies of water, but large 'gills CAN be over-fished. I've seen it on streams. I know that my statement won't count as a scientific study, but that doesn't make it less true. It does make it less respected as an article of research, it is merely anecdotal, but I'm going by what I have seen. And that 7" bluegill that gave me such a spectacular jump is to be treated with the greatest care I can muster.
Regards.
Ed