Bluegill And Sunfish

The Bluegill also called Roach and Bream (pronounced "Brim"), and others of the Sunfish family are our most common panfish. These little battlers furnish many of us with our first fishing thrills, and even experienced anglers still find them fun to catch on the right tackle. They're not heavyweights -- ¼ pounders are average and one-pounders rare—but experts agree that pound-for-pound they fight harder on a hook-and-line than any other fish in existence! The Pickerel with his long, torpedo-like body may be the underwater speed champ but the flat, disk-shaped Sunfish is built not only for speed but also for wheeling and darting. Moreover, a plump butter-fried Bluegill will make any angler's mouth water.

The Sunfish species are even more numerous than Rock Bass and Crappie. They can be found in almost all waters from coast to coast, the exceptions being the very fast and cold Trout streams of the Northern states and those waters which contain other fish large enough to make a meal of the Sunfish, such as Black Bass and the Pickerel family. In recent years, Bluegill has become a favorite of owners of small homemade ponds. If you stock a one-acre pond with Bluegill and feed it and fish it enough, perhaps adding a few Black Bass to help keep down the Bluegill population, it will produce over 200 pounds of fish per year for your dinner table! In addition to all the fun, you'll have to catch them!

The origin of the Sunfish's name is interesting. It was chosen because all of these species do their courting and breeding only when the sun is shining brightly. At that time their colors are most brilliant. But even when they're not breeding, Sunfish are the most colorful of all the fresh-water fishes. Major color variations, and slight physical differences, designate their various species. Popularity winner and second in beauty is the largest Sunfish—the Bluegill (world record: 4 pounds, 12 ounces). He is dark green with darker green vertical sidebars, a brown-to-scarlet belly, and an overall purple iridescence. A jet-black tab projects from the end of each gill cover and his cheeks are an iridescent blue, which gives him his name. The top beauty is the Pumpkinseed, so-called because the orange spots that dot its sides resemble in color and shape the seeds of a pumpkin. He is a deeper purple than the Bluegill, his belly is orange and his cheeks an even brighter orange with a brilliant red spot on each gill cover. In addition to the Bluegill and Pumpkinseed, there are the Green Sunfish, which is colored like a Rock Bass; the Warmouth which looks like a Rock Bass but is slimmer and likes mud bottoms; the Shellcracker Sunfish with red-rimmed gill covers; the Yellowbelly Sunfish; the Long-eared Sunfish; and the brown Stumpknocker. And a few others. All of these species crossbreed, and the resulting young show quite confusing mixtures of colors which make their identity difficult. But Nature keeps the confusion from spreading further—the hybrids which result from this crossbreeding are incapable of producing young of their own.

Because Sunfish are so numerous, they must compete with each other for food and they're not choosey about their diet. They'll eat almost anything, although they have a special fondness for flies, grasshoppers, and crickets. And, of course, worms when they can get them. Therefore you'll find that the shallows around the edge of a pond or lake are favorite haunts of Sunfish because there the insects fall into the water from the shore bushes and trees. But the exposed shallows during daylight can be dangerous, too, as when a hungry kingfisher or duck flies overhead. And so while he waits, watching for his dinner, the Sunny likes to remain hidden in the underwater weeds, or under a convenient lily pad. And there's another logical reason, besides food, for his preference for the sun and shore shallows—no Black Bass. During the day this archenemy of all panfish is content to remain in the deeper, cooler water and to let the Sunny have his way. Only the largest Bluegills retreat to deep weed beds during very hot weather.
Sunfish are easiest to catch in spring and fall when the males are guarding their spawning beds which they've scooped out of the sand in the quiet waters near shore. Then they attack anything to drive it away, even a big Black Bass lure that happens along. Catching them under these conditions might seem to be taking an unfair advantage, but in most cases, the spawning bed survives without the parent's protection—sometimes even better since he isn't around to gobble up the tiny fry as soon as they hatch.

Small spinning lures are retrieved slowly, and both wet and dry Trout flies will almost always catch Sunfish. And any good-sized insect baited on a hook will be sure to bring a Sunny on the run. But for the most sport, and also for an opportunity to test your casting skill, take advantage of the Sunfish's lily-pad habit. Use a light fly rod (3 ounces or less), a leader that tapers to 2X, and a Trout fly or small imitation bug in fly-rod size. Cast the lure so that it lands directly on the lily pad. If you miss the pad and there's a Sunny hiding under it, he'll swim out and grab your offering. But it's more fun when you hit the pad. Then the Sunny will go crazy! You'll see him bump the pad with his nose, trying to shake off" the fly or bug. And when this doesn't succeed, he'll jump right on top of the pad to sink it. Sometimes his splashing will bring some unexpected action—from a big, hungry Pickerel lurking in the nearby reeds. Then it's every man for himself!