Hard fighting bluegill abundant during summer months

Mike Tolar with a bluegill he hooked while fishing on Stockton Lake.

Ken White/Special to the Daily Mail

Bluegills and kids go together.

Usually, the first fish many youngsters catch are either bluegills or sunfish. These summer months are a great time to fish for them in ponds, lakes or streams.

Many anglers still experience a great fishing trip by going after these fine eating, hard fighting fish. They hit and fight hard especially when using ultralight gear; when one hits, you will think you had a big bass on your line. They aren’t picky, anyone can catch them. It’s an excellent way to make fishermen out of young sons or daughters.

Cast a cricket over a suspected brush bed and let it drift along; if the fish are there, you will soon know it. For some fantastic fishing, arm yourself with a can of worms or crickets using a light rod with bobber and float it along the shoreline. When the fish hit your bobber will disappear and the fight is on.

Tom Davis, of Springfield, said, “My first fish was a big bluegill from a farm pond; when I caught that little fighter I was hooked on bluegill fishing.

“Back then I was using a worm for bait, but since then I have caught bluegills on everything from crickets to small jigs. They will hit nearly everything you throw at them. There has been many a day the bluegills have kept me from going home fishless. They would get my vote for the state fish of Missouri.”

Missouri is home to more than 200 species of fishes, that’s more than most other states. Fish in the Show Me state range in size from the pygmy sunfish, which when mature is only one inch or shorter — all the way to paddlefish and catfish that weigh in excess of a hundred pounds. Few of the 200 plus species have the range of the bluegill.

Catching bluegill on a fly rod offers a good fight.

Ken White/Special to the Daily Mail

Many anglers like Bob Gordon have found how much fun it is to catch bluegill by using a fly rod. When fly fishing is mentioned the image created in the mind’s eye is of a pristine mountain stream and trout. For a variety of reasons, it’s not always accurate. Fortunately, today’s fly rod anglers are as versatile as their plug-slinging counterparts and many are learning the joy of practicing their art on bluegill that occupy our nearly endless supply of farm ponds.

Gordon is one of these anglers. Using a small popping bug, Gordon has caught plenty of big bluegill in some of the ponds within a mile of his home.

“I would just as soon catch bluegill on a fly rod than a trout,” noted Gordon. “It doesn’t matter what time of day you get to fish, the bluegill will hit and, a big plus for me is the fact there won’t be a lot of other anglers to compete with.”

Gordon continued: “I usually concentrate on fishing for bluegill during the heat of the day when most anglers are looking for shade. It stands to reason that when the insects are busy, the bluegill will be waiting for them.

“Last week, I was watching bugs falling into a pond; as soon as they hit the water, a bluegill was there to suck them in. I picked up my fly rod, put on a small popping bug and ended up with a nice bunch of bluegill in a matter of minutes.”

Back in 1963, Mike Giovanina caught the state record bluegill while fishing in a farm pond. The world record bluegill, according to the National Freshwater Hall of Fame, was a fish that weighed four pounds 12 ounces. That bluegill was caught back in 1950 in Alabama. More recently, a bluegill over two pounds was taken from Blue Springs Lake and another from Table Rock.

There are plenty of reasons to fish for bluegill. They are easy to locate and catch, and you can use anything from jigs to crickets. Nearly every one of our area lakes, streams or ponds contain sizable populations of them and they make for some fine dining.

What more can you ask from a fish?