biggest gill

[TroutFishingBear]

Now for those 3.5lbers in Colorado that TFB catches all the time that fish would be approximately 16".  I was shocked by my 11" bluegill I caught in May this year and that was the biggest gill I have ever seen in almost 30 years of fishing so a 12" would be huge to me and most anybody else around these parts.  I would love to see a pic of that not to mention a legit 3.5lber that would be 16".   

Do I say I catch 3.5 lbers "all the time" No. Enough slander man. I have caught 2 this year that broke the magical 3 lb. mark and they were 14" and 14.25"
A 12" bluegill can be anywhere in the neigborhood of 1lb4oz to almost twice that weight. It all depends on how deep it is. Now the 2 lb. 9oz fish I will post was 12.5" but it was extremely deep.

[Jigwiggler]

That's a freakin monster jw.  You just don't see 12" bluegills unless you are lookin at state record categories.  The current Pa state record gill is 2lbs 9oz and the New York record is 2lbs 8oz so a 12" gill is pretty big.  Using weight estimation formulas for that fish which would be length x length x length divided by 1200 that fish would be approximately 1.44lbs and that's pretty big.  I guess to get to 2lbs 8oz you need a bluegill that measures approximately 15".  Can you imagine that a 15" bluegill.  Wow.  Now for those 3.5lbers in Colorado that TFB catches all the time that fish would be approximately 16".  I was shocked by my 11" bluegill I caught in May this year and that was the biggest gill I have ever seen in almost 30 years of fishing so a 12" would be huge to me and most anybody else around these parts.  I would love to see a pic of that not to mention a legit 3.5lber that would be 16".   

It was HUGE and the best part was it was caught by a little old lady.   I'll see her again on Sat. and see if she took a pic.  I caught about a dozen in the 10"+ range this spring and thought they were huge, her fish made mine look like bait!  Well, musky bait anyway. 

Do I say I catch 3.5 lbers "all the time" No. Enough slander man. I have caught 2 this year that broke the magical 3 lb. mark and they were 14" and 14.25"

TFB, getting a little wound up aren't you .  With out a pic and a tape beside it that is hard for most to believe.  I'm not calling you a liar, just post a pic and end all the questions.

[Fat Boy]

Slipbob, I did some research earlier on lengths of some of the state records and posted them in this thread earlier.  I think it's the girth that is the deciding factor.  I've quoted myself (seems weird ) but this may shed some light:

FYI, here are the state records across the U.S. 

http://www.landbigfish.com/staterecords/fishrecords.cfm?ID=14

Note that the CO record was only 11.5" long and weighed 2 pounds 4 ounces.  In Arizona, a 3 pound 5 oz. gill was only 13".  The world record was 5 pounds 4 ounces caught in a Birmingham, Alabama farm pond on a red worm. I seem to remember that one being 15" long. So, it's entirely possible.

So, these are all huge bluegills though.  Point being that if we do catch a gill that is 12" or larger and has that frying pan shape to it, we should probably weigh them because they just could be a record in your state.  IMO, TFB could very well be telling the truth and pics should confirm.  Even if he shows us a pic of a gill in the 12 to 13" range, look at the depth of the fish.  Those big ones would look real deformed.  And, I don't know if y'all have read the past banter on the bass threads, but ol' TFB and I have been know to disagree often!  So, it ain't like I'm buddying up to him!!!  Right TFB?   

[Mackdaddy21]

TFB is telling the truth. He has pics of several gills like this. I have caught several over three pounds from the same lake. Once he gets the last pic developed that should end the discussion. The bluegills in this lake, honestly, average about a pound and a half.

Tyler

[Mackdaddy21]

Now lets not get into  too much bickering here. I can understand the skepticism slipbob and others have. I didn't think they were that big till I started to fish there. But when the first gill I caught slammed a #5 shad rap for bass, I was hooked. This gill was about 14" long and weighed three pounds and 11 ounces, so close to four pounds. The gills in this lake average probably about 10", with 12 inchers common. I have never, ever seen a fishery like this.
Everywhere else, a 10" bluegill is a bigtime bull. But ten inchers are a dime a dozen here.
I can understand the skepticism. From now on, I will carry a camera and a ruler at all times fishing here. Then I will show you the pics. Then there will no longer be any skepticism.

Tyler

[Jigwiggler]

Sounds good Tyler, I love to see some pics of these gills you speak of after seeing that 12" fish the other day.

[TroutFishingBear]

I can understand the skepticism. From now on, I will carry a camera and a ruler at all times fishing here. Then I will show you the pics. Then there will no longer be any skepticism.

Tyler

Would've helped if you would have caught some last time like me jk tyler, but now I've showed you where to fish/ what to use there for the gills.

[TroutFishingBear]

I didn't take pictures but I can easily get a lot more around 3 lbs this summer and then take pictures. They break the state record but you can't keep them in this lake. Everyone breaks the state record when they go here every time.

Okay TFB or should I say BFB(bluegill fishing bear).  Where's the goods on the easy 3lbers?  I was being a nice guy and giving you all summer to produce photos of the state record gill and summer's almost over and still no pics   LOL!!     Your only excuse is that you have not fished the lake all summer because if you had you most certainly would have caught one.  Everybody catches the state record everytime they fish there.      Anyway just busting chops but let's not let the summer go by and still have this bluegill taking the honors for the biggest.  It's a measly 11 inches and probably only weighed a pound or so.
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I got that one beat easy even with this old fish slipbob
This is the only pic. I could find from one I caught in may. It is posted on this site somewhere else, but I forget where.  I have more pics coming of bigger gills but this one is the biggest anyone here has caught for the year.

I apologize in advance for the scanbed showing up, but I don't want to go through all my pics and start over the whole process.

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I have 2 different pics of bigger gills coming. This is just a smaller preview. enjoy

[TroutFishingBear]

This first one is a state record. Just for perspective, that's a 5" green senko in his mouth
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This second one is also a state record. Caught on a 5" white senko
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Enjoy!

[perchfisher]

i am now a believer

[TroutFishingBear]

Wish you could all come and catch some! They are a blast. I can't describe the site when you first see one of those out in the water, it is what fishing is all about.

There have gotta be other lakes like this one out there. Just put in your time and when you catch one of these puppies remember to release it fairly quickly  no matter how much it hurts!

Good luck everyone!

[FishDeepCreek]

My biggest gill is 11 inches, but i have caught many that were close to it. Heres my saying on big gills...Farm Ponds will grow big gills, and there pretty easy to catch there in my opinion. I fish a few were gills would smack texas rigged bas baits. My home lake is an impoundment in Maryland, just under 4000 acres. Gills there, as well as other panfish (yellow perch especially) grow large due to a high number of predatory fish, which keeps the population in check, and helps control stunted growth. While the numbers arent high like a farm pond, the quailty is good. Many 12 inches are caught in Deep Creek Lake, which is a huge gill in any part of the country. Our state record is only 13 inches but weight a whopping 3 lbs, and 7 ounces.Here is the pic of the state record, caught by Sarah Brenneman in 1998.

[rgfixit]

Fishdeepcreek,
Now THAT my friend is what a 3lb+ bluegill would look like...WOW!
RG

[Mackdaddy21]

I have caught three gills that size the girl has at Jerry Creek. The bluegills attack texas rigged bass baits, spinnerbaits, 3 inch poppers, and bass crankbaits. Most of the gills at Jerry Creek run about a pound and a half. Two pounders are fairly common. Three pounders are a reasonable shot in a summer of fishing. The three three pound plus ones I have caught there were the size of hubcaps.
Every gill from now on I'm going to photograph, next to a ruler. I know TFB is telling the truth about three pound gills, slipbob. I have seen them with my own eyes. I have seen rogue schools of 2 - 4 pounders. No joke. You would never believe it till you saw the lake.

Tyler

[TroutFishingBear]

That gill looks especially big because it was caught by a little girl. That is an amazing gill though, no doubt about it. If I held a gill up that big it wouldn't look a heck of a lot bigger than one of the ones I was holding (somewhat fatter, a 1/2" longer if that are the true dimensions) because I am so wide across the chest. Fish always look bigger when little people catch them because of that. It's perspective

I wonder what the world record looks like? I think it is 4 lbs. 10 oz.
Funnily enough I used to think the world record was only like 3 lbs and that I had broke it a fair amount of times. Now that I know my records I know thats false and I haven't broken it. But Colorado's state record is good enough for me.
( I mailed it in today for the catch and release state record)