Common Names: Bream, brim,sunfish,sun perch, prairie perch
Description: Has a small mouth and a short gill flap which is tinted black.  The lower portion of the gill cover is bluish.  A distinct black spot is at the posterior end of the dorsal fin.  The throat of the male may be colored orange.

     At Carlyle Lake, the best bluegill fishing is from May through mid-June when they are on spawning beds.  Later in the summer or early fall, bluegill hide in the rock rip-rap, under floating logs, undercut banks, in stickups, fallen trees, or brush wherever there is good cover offering shade and abundant food.

Spring Fishing

     The key to good spring or early summer fishing is to find where they are spawning.  Bluegill generally build nests in colonies in water two to five feet deep, where there is a hard mud or sand bottom.  Once these areas are located, an offering of a cricket, roach, grasshopper, grub, redworm, or small minnow is enough to bring on the action.  A cane or fiberglass pole or a fly rod rigged with monofilament line, a small split shot sinker,  a small bobber, and a small hook (#10 - #8) is all the tackle one needs.  If the water is clear, a fly rod with a small popper or a wet or dry fly can also work wonders.

Summer Fishing

     After spawning, the bluegill disperses to shady cover to spend the rest of the summer gorging on insects and their larvae.  This is the time to keep the fly rod and poppers or dry flies in action.  Bluegill fishermen look forward to the times they can find this species pimpling the water surface at dusk, feeding on an emerging insect hatch.

Ice Fishing For Bluegill

     Bluegill rate a big plus when it comes to ice fishing.  Equipped with standard ice fishing rods with light line, tiny bobbers and small ice fishing lures baited with tiny redworms, small minnows or the many kinds of insect larvae (mousies, wax worms, golden rod grub, corn borers, black-eyed susan grubs), a warmly dressed fisherman is ready to venture forth.  During winter months, bluegill are generally found in shallow water (2 to 6 feet deep) in and around brush; but they may move into deeper portions of the creek beds, bottomland lakes or bays at other times.  Once they are located, action generally begins with a little jigging of a properly presented bait.

Bluegill Recipes

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