I just started fishing for bluegill this summer and so far most of the fish that I catch seem to be juveniles in the 3" to 5" range. Last weekend I got into some fish in the 5" to 7" range that seem to be mature in shape and color. Is this normal?
Greg - Sorry, can’t resist…
donald
Average is about 8 inches for me. But I do get runt gills that are a lot smaller in the 3 to 7 inch range and large ones in the 9 to 11 inch range.
I don’t know if your results are normal or not. Probably depends on where you live or the waters you fish. My guess would be that average sizes will vary by region or state, same for maturity rates.
Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL
“Flip a fly”
I fish farm ponds almost exclusively for gills/redears, & the fish in the 2 ponds I most often fish yield mostly 8-9" fish with more 9-10 inchers thrown in than undersized gills. A lot depends on the waters you fish. I am fortunate in that the ponds I fish are managed to yield larger panfish. I also seldom keep gills, & when I do, I prefer keeping at around 7"…the larger gills are released.
Mike
You can call me Mike & you can call me Mikey…Just remember that this site’s about sharing!
Greg,
I think that you’ll find that the folks that live in the southern ranges of the U.S. will have larger “average” sized bluegill than our neighbors to the north. Like any other species, it depends on the lakes/ponds you fish and if the majority of people practise C&R or C&E. It takes around 9-10 years to grow a really nice bluegill and heavy fishing pressure can thin the the trophy fish out pretty quickly. I happen to live on a nice 50 acre lake that has minimal fishing pressure and the majority of that is fishing for bass. While I certainly catch my share of little guys in the 5-6 inch range, the majority of the fish I catch are in the 9-10 inch range with some 12+ inches thrown in almost every trip. If I fish a different lake/pond where the fish run smaller, I simply switch down to my one wt rod and still have a blast.
Jim Smith
Georgia
You have stumbled on one half of the greatest question ever to vex fishermen. Why is it easy to catch Bluegill, (second half) and so hard to catch BIG bluegill? I think the first step to answering that is to get the book, “Bluegill, Fly Fishing & Flies” by Terry & Roxanne Wilson. Read it thoroughly front to back and skip about 5 to 10 years of learning on your own.
That being said, the answer to your question is “Maybe”. Like all fish there are so many factors involved in the growth of size and numbers that it would take years of research to answer the question for one area and all that data would be questionable if you moved your area of interest a very small distance. Living where I live, West Kentucky, the Bluegill is my fish of choice. Both size and number are available, almost year-round and sometimes (but not usually) at the same pond or lake and time. While my normal quest is numbers I will often go for the larger of the breed. My biggest to date is 15". That fish still swims in my upper pond. Unfortuneatly it did not come on a fly rod. My biggest on a flyrod is over 13". Big fish are fun, but I’m with Jim. When they run small, I pull out the 2wt and a bucket and have a ball. If your pond is small enough you can make a difference in the size of the fish you catch by removing the smaller and leaving the larger to breed bigger each year. I have the luxury of two ponds and the smaller ones are relegated to the lower of the two while the upper pond is where I like to keep my larger (braggin’ size) fish.
Be very careful as Bluegills can become obsesive and take up all your time (not that that is a bad thing).
Clint – Bluegill Budd
Greg,
You don’t mention what type of water you are fishing. If the fish have access to deep water, the big guys will tend to move out as the water gets warmer or even hot as it does here in SC. The little guys will be left hugging the shore for protection and this is what you will likely be catching with a fly rod unless you work at getting deeper. Try to find the deeper water and then fish it with beadheads and even sinking lines. 8T
You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it’s a real short camping season.
Thanks everybody for all of the helpful information. I have been fishing waters from 1 to 40 acres with the larger fish coming from the larger and deeper waters. This was a recent discovery.
The flies I’ve been using are a mixed bad of the classics. Poppers, clousers, mini buggers, BHGRHE, spiders, etc. I bought a 5wt Eagle Claw Featherweight 6’ fiberglass rod that casts dry’s to heavy streamers and poppers and is as flexble as a willow branch on top with asturdy but section which makes catching panfish and small bass a blast.
Thanks again everybody.
Greg
My gills vary greatly in size depending on where I go. At the ponds just outside the door of my apartment, typically the average is about 5" (too many gills in those ponds). Now, if I fish with my stepdad at a private pond at a research facility owned by the company he works for, the gills average 8 or 9 inches, with many much larger than that. I’ve pulled a few 12 or 13 inchers out of there. Decent bass in that pond as well.
Jake
I bought a 5wt Eagle Claw Featherweight 6’ fiberglass rod that casts dry’s to heavy streamers and poppers and is as flexble as a willow branch on top with asturdy but section which makes catching panfish and small bass a blast.
Great fly rod :D. I have an EC Featherlight also but in an 8ft. 7wt. When the wind is too strong for my 6.5ft. 4wt. graphite, I use the 7wt. Sometimes I switch between the two.
I believe I broke my all time personal record for a bluegill, a 1 1/2" fish which hit on a sz.10 hare’s ear fly. But my average bluegill usually runs anywhere from 5" to 7" although some very nice sized ones have been showing up this year in the 9" thru 11" size.
Hobo, I’m right there with you: mostly I catch 5-to-7 inchers. At least I think so. I’m terrible about not measuring fish.
If I’m in the C&R mood they all get thrown back except the really big ones that I might measure before releasing. That’s if I think about it in time.
If I’m in the mood for keeping them for a meal, 5-to-7 inchers do me just fine. Numberwise that size range fish falls prey to my presentations more often than bigger 'gills.
Joe
“Better small than not at all.”
I’m like Joe… I throw them all back and never measure a single one. 
I could just about bet the average size is about the same as Joe’s, too. 5-7 inches and maybe pushing 8-10 inch bulls during the spawn.
Gotta love them 'gills!!! 
.
The average size of the BG I’m catching depends almost entirely on the lake I’m fishing. I’m lucky in that I have a huge # of lakes available within an hour or so of the city. The picture I posted at the beginning is somewhat typical of one lake I fish - but it warms up late [it has a 90’ deep basin]. I have a 15a lake that is not over 10-12’ deep that warms us very early. But because of the shallow depth it freezes out every few years. A large gill there is 7" with a lot of 5-6" fish. However, I can fish it several weeks before the “big fish” lake. I find that after a winter of not flyfishing the small lakes BGs are just fine. Just use a light rod and enjoy!
donald
I figure 6 to 8 inches is the average size of bluegills/pumpkinseed/redbreast and green sunfish I catch in the local creek I fish. I’m usually fishing for smallmouth with sliders, poppers, gurglers tied on various size 6 and 4 hooks. I don’t catch as many as I use to with smaller flies but the quality is better. If I want quantity then I switch to smaller sizes, and I’ll pick up all those 3 to 5 inch fish that can’t get their mouths on the bigger flies. Sometimes I get more or a kick watching the smaller ones blow up the fly than actually hooking them.
The gills around here are about 3 to 5 inches long…nothing too big or too small…They are among some other species that dont get too big…sunny’s, bass get ok size (we have more smallies then largemouth…like 12 to 1 ratio) But carp and steelhead get huge.