I’ve gotten several 9 inch plus fish but have never been able to hit the 10 inch mark. I have had the good luck to catch a 13 1/2 inch Redear Sunfish, locally known as a Shellcracker.
I’ll bet some of you folks from South Ga. and Fl. get into some good ones.
Just how big is big?
Tom
Hi Doublewide,
My biggest bluegill is about 9 inches, or a bit bigger. The biggest sunfish was a green sunfish about 10 inches maybe.
Regards,
Gandolf
I caught several this size They appear to be 9 1/2" to 10" The tape on my apron may or may not be accurate. These are about my personal best. Jim
I didn’t get this one to the apron. Had a hard time getting my hand around it.
My personal best was a 14" redear but I took my son in the canoe with me one day when he was 3 and he landed a 13 1/2 bluegill on bobber and worm after he cast right where I had been dragging out 9-10 inchers with a small popper. Absolutely the biggest gill I have ever seen big enough that it almost looked unatural.
Steve
I am fortunate enough to live on a small (50 acre) lake that gets very light fishing pressure and has a very good bass and bream population. I caught my largest bluegill of 11 1/2" and my largest Red Ear of 15" last spring, both on the same pattern; an all black seal fur leach with a red plastic beadhead. I know the routine of if there’s no picture, it really didn’t happen, but I’m not ready to bring my digital camera out in the kayak with me. Besides, if you saw the photos I take, it wouldn’t prove anything. They look like the shots of alien spacecraft, big foot and the Lochness Monster, only not quite as focused.
Jim Smith
I have been lucky enough to chatch three over 12" and lots of 9-10s, all in private ponds.
Bluegill 11"
Shellcracker 12"
I broke 12" once, 11" once, get a few in the 10" range each year and a lot of 8’s and 9’s. There’s a lot of good gill fishing around here because everybody’s chasing the crappie, cats, and bass instead, so the little guys get a chance to grow up.
Biggest bluegill for me so far on a fly rod as been 9 1/2".
Biggest for me is 9 1/2" thanks to the generosity of Ohiotuber and an invite to fish with him on one of his ponds.
My largest Bluegill to date on a fly is about 10" and about an 11 1/2" Redear Sunfish and Warmouth. All on public lakes with enormous fishing pressure.
Greg
My best was a bluegill 13.5 inches. I get a few over 12 inches every year. They go back into the pond.
Rick
This was my biggest to date. 10" or so, from the Au Sable in 2007…and taken on a deer hair mouse of all things:eek:
Steve
Biggest I’ve ever measured & taken a picture of is this 11 1/4" gill. As MAC in NEOhio alluded to, large (9" plus) gills are real common in a couple ponds I am privileged to fish.
Mike
I was corrected on the species of fish in my photos. Didn’t mean that those were my biggest just a few nice ones from my last trip. (better Tim?)(kidding)
Some of our lakes have fairly large bluegill. 9 to 13" bluegill are not unusual and on one of my favorite lakes it is not uncommon to catch 10 to 20 10-13 inch gills in a day during the spring. Most of the local lake records for bluegill are over 2lbs, with two local records over 3lbs. I have had monster gill’s inhale 5" long deceivers that I was casting for bass. I have also caught them on spinnerbaits, plastic worms, and crank baits. My personal best on the fly, a hare’s ear nymph, is one that was a bit over 2 lbs. Some of the biggest we catch during late summer mixed in with schools of bass chasing threadfin shad.
While I don’t have any specific measurements to contribute, how long does it take to grow a panfish to that size? I know that food availability and water temp has to play a part in it, but are these fish 2 or 3 year olds or do you think that they are 10 year olds?
Is that one of the famous “Saltwater Bluegills?”:p:p Where’s Paul when you need him…?
FYI. Mike is a midget, and the spread across his fingers is only 2.75". My best guess is that fish is probably 7-8" at best.
“FYI. Mike is a midget, and the spread across his fingers is only 2.75”. My best guess is that fish is probably 7-8" at best. "
Thanks to you Joe, I have to clean coffee off my monitor screen!!!:D:D
