Bluegill

Bluegill

(Lepomis macrochirus)
Other names: Bream, sunfish, blue bream, sun perch, blue sunfish, coppernose

Originally found in the eastern half of the United States and in northeastern Mexico, the bluegill is now found virtually everywhere and is the most popular panfish species in America. Other species of panfish that are similar to the bluegill include red eared sunfish, red breasted sunfish, pumpkinseed and green sunfish.

The bluegill has a very round profile and seems to be very dense for its size. Color patterns often vary among each fish in a population, but there are generally some vertical bars on the sides, a blue tinge to the bottom of the gill plates and a black spot on the back of the gill cover that is not tinged with any other color. It has a small mouth and eats bugs and small fish. The bluegill has also received a reputation as a very game fish, ounce for ounce. This is due mostly to the drag created when fish turn sideways and the angler is pulling against a large round surface area.

Bluegills thrive in warm to cool water rivers, creeks, reservoirs, lakes and ponds. Their ability to survive in a wide range of conditions attributes heavily to their prominence across the country. Bream will hang out on breaklines and points, near weedbeds and brushpiles, under docks or in deeper water on humps, channels and ditches.

They spawn on gravel, sand or silt surfaces from March to October with the heaviest activity taking place when water temperatures are around 70 degrees – generally April through July, depending upon location.

Bluegills can be caught with almost anything as long as it is small enough to fit in their mouths. Live-bait anglers in the South are likely to use crickets on a #8 to #12 hook, while anglers in the North and Midwest are more likely to use waxworms or maggots on a similarly sized hook. Red worms or pieces of nightcrawler are popular everywhere, but more popular for the other species of panfish. The most essential element in any setup for bream is the float, or cork. Though some fish will be caught no matter what, anglers refining their efforts for bream generally begin by trading in large traditional bobbers for porcupine quills or Thill Gold Medal Shy Bite or Mini-Shy Bite floats. These finesse floats provide a highly visible strike indicator that the fish don't feel when they eat the bait – a huge advantage for these small fish.

The next step bluegill anglers take when they get serious about targeting big 'gills is to fish with a jig under their cork instead of a plain hook. Little Nippers, Little Guppys and Quiver jigs are all good in the 1/32 oz. size, though sometimes a 1/64 oz is better for tipping with a maggot or piece of worm. The Crappie Queen is also very good when a bug hatch is happening as its larger profile attracts the big boys. Also, anglers are finding that using ice fishing lures in the open water – especially during the spawn – is very productive on large bream.