Loch Lomond bluegill

So,

I went to pre-fish bass at loch lomond, however I was interupted in my drop-shotting with a bunch of annoying nibles.

It turns out that I had stumbled across a bluegill spawning bed.

I figured that I was going to fish once more before the tourney and bailed out on my bass fishing plans to catch some tacos.

Off to the bait shop and back with a container of redworms and night crawlers.  I spent the next few hours catching a bluegill on every cast (or at least a bait stealing nibbble).  I caught over 70 bluegill and kept 30 to take home for tacos.  I basically just decided to quit.  I could have caught bluegill off that bed all day long, fish a cast.

If you have kids, this is the place to be right now.  Easy fishing, beautiful fish, and tastey too.



They weren't huge, but the were a bunch of hand sized gills in the bunch.  Full spawning colors on the bulls, half of the females still had eggs in them.

The 30 gill's I filleted netted me about a pound and a half of meat.  Not too bad.  I am fired up for tacos.

MolBasser

Very cool.  Those guys are very agressive when spawning and will attack something if they think it will eat their eggs.  Poppers and rapalas work well in those conditions.

Way cool; but is there not a limit?

I think, pound for pound, bluegills put up a really good fight! I caught one at  Del Valle with a shad rap and it was BIG. I took it to the dock and had it weighed = 1 pound! It's biggest one one I caught but according to the Del Valle Bait shop, there have been two pounders caught before. 

I sometimes fish for 'em at a local pond in Belmont (catch and release) - slipt floats with nightcrawlers get 'em every time - and a few bass too 

When spawning, using like a 4 or 5 weight fly rod with a small popper is tons of fun.  Also, if you put a small nymph on a dropper, you can hook up with two bluegill at once.  Lots of fun on light fly tackle.

Good times...

Erik

Way cool; but is there not a limit?

In California, there is no limit on bluegills.

I could have taken 200 and the ranger would have shook my hand.  They want a bunch out.  The competition is too great and the fish get stunted.

All legal and on the up and up.

MolBasser

Just glad you went out.  At least its one way to hone your filleting skillz!

how deep were the bluegills?

Just glad you went out.  At least its one way to hone your filleting skillz!

Yep, after 30 bluegills I got it down pretty well.  Good practice.

I just had the tacos.  Deep fryed (salted and peppered) bluegill fillets in peanut oil.  About a minute and a half in the oil.

Tortilla, cabbage, salsa, cheese! 

Good to go!!!

The bluegills were spawning on a flat about 6-8 feet deep.  The bigger ones came from the edge of the tules that the flat abutted against.

There were literally thousands of fish on that flat.

MolBasser

Mol-

I know what you mean... my kids an I nailed them a couple of weeks ago. It was insane. The kids loved every second of it. My 2 year old is still going crazy about it. He sees my rods in the corner and instantly goes, "fishy, fishy..." I never had bluegill before. It just never sounded like it would be that tasty to me. Your taco recipe sure sounds good though.

Freddie

Bluegill is one of the best tasting fish in freshwater.  Seriously, it is my personall favorite, followed closely by crappie.

Try it.  It is a bit of work to get enough meat, but you will be very happy with the meat you get!!!

MolBasser

MolBasser,

Sounds like you got that lake scoped out! I'm betting on you to take that p15 home on sunday!  I'm not able to enter this tourney...So,Good luck man.

Well, if they count bluegill, then I am golden.

However, the bass eluded me yesterday, and I have already mentally commited to bass fishing for the tourney.

The two bass I caught on friday would not win a tournament in my opinion (biggest fish at least).

I have an idea as to where to go for the bass, but I could still get skunked.

I am going back tomorrow to find some more bass.

MolBasser

Mol you are the bass master but am I thinking a live bluegill could catch a whopper.

Bill, using bluegill for bait is a "big Bozo no-no"...

According to DFG:
 
South Central Districts.
Except as provided below, live or dead fin fish
shall not be used or possessed for use as bait
in the Valley or South Central District:
(a) Live or dead golden shiner, fathead minnow,
mosquitofish, longjaw mudsucker, and staghorn
sculpin, and dead threadfin shad, Mississippi
silverside and lamprey may be used in all Valley
and South Central District waters except those
listed in subsection (f) below.
(b) Red shiner may be used only in the Valley
District north of Interstate 580 and Highway
32.
(c) Yellowfin gobies may be used in the
Valley District only in those areas described in
subsections (d)( )-(3) below.
(d) In addition, except for trout and salmon,
fin fish lawfully taken in the following waters by
angling or with bait fish methods approved in
2
Section 4.05 may be used only in the waters
where taken:
( ) Carquinez Strait and Suisun Bay and their
tributaries and saltwater tributaries.
(2) Sacramento River and tidewater of
tributaries downstream from the Highway
32 bridge near Hamilton City, Feather River
downstream from the Oroville Hatchery Fish
Barrier Dam, Yuba River downstream from
Daguerre Point Dam, and American River
downstream from Nimbus Dam.
(3) San Joaquin River and tidewater of
tributaries downstream from Interstate 5
bridge.
(e) Live threadfin shad, Mississippi silverside
and lamprey may be used only at the location
where taken.
(f) Fin fish may not be used in Keller Lake
(Glenn Co.), Letts Lake (Colusa Co.), Merced
Lake (San Francisco Co.), Upper and Lower
Plaskett Meadow Ponds (Glenn Co.), Whale
Rock Reservoir (San Luis Obispo Co.).

Also, for Mol...

How is the water level and color?  I saw a report that said they had just treated it for an algae bloom and the visibility sucked...