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Author Topic: bluegills through the ice  (Read 3517 times)

Offline lingslayer

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bluegills through the ice
« on: Feb 03, 2008, 03:37 PM »
has anyone everever caught any bluegills through the ice?and if so where is a good place to try and what are some good baits or jigs to try.any info is greatly appreciated. :) :) :)

Offline allenca

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #1 on: Feb 03, 2008, 10:48 PM »
catch  lots of gills every year! just a jig and a wax worm thats it ;D

Offline Walltrout

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #2 on: Feb 04, 2008, 11:02 AM »
Might try the bluegill section of this web site if you havn't yet. Lots of info there.

"Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." - Henry David Thoreau

"If people don't occasionally walk away from you shaking their heads, you're doing something wrong."  John Giera

Offline wingnutty

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #3 on: Feb 04, 2008, 11:10 AM »
There are very few gills in MT, so I don't know where you'd got to target um ???  Tongue river res?  I think that res near Pablo has some and also I know a pond near coalstrip has some in it.  Other than that I'm not sure where else has um?  I'm sure there are a few more spots, but not many.

Gills are great through the ice.  Fish small genz worms and ice jigs with waxies.  Use spring bobbers as often times they bite very soft, especially the big bull gills!  An 8" gill puts up a heck of a fight, pound for pound they are one of the hardest fighting fish.  People say smallies fight like hell, and they do, but I think gills put up an even bigger fight for their size.  Also lots of meat on an 8" gill, much more than on an 8" perch.

If you can find a good population of nice gills you'll have a ball.  Look for them associated with some structure, (weedbeds, fish cribs, ect).

Offline Hardcore_Fisherman

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #4 on: Feb 05, 2008, 01:11 PM »
I have only got into the gills once in Montana.  That was at Seeley Lake.  I was fishing from shore at the canoe launch at the ranger station.  They were really nice gills.  I would imagine that you could catch them through the ice there too.  I was just using a worm on a plain hook.

Offline hunterdan1

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #5 on: Feb 05, 2008, 09:02 PM »
Gills bit best right at dark in the winter.Small tear drop wax worm 2 to 4 pound line.You can find them from the bottom to a foot below the ice.

Offline Hardcore_Fisherman

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #6 on: Feb 07, 2008, 01:07 PM »
Frenchtown pond near missoula has a lot of gills but they are mostly really small.

Offline MNDuck

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #7 on: Feb 07, 2008, 10:31 PM »
I have tried Frenchtown in the past and it really isn't worth your time.  I had fun cause I just bought a new camera, but if you're looking for good sized sunnies, that is not the spot.  I would love to tell you where there are some, but I have been chasing rumors for two years myself trying to find some.  I haven't tried Seeley before, but will probably now.  I am from the midwest though and big gills are everywhere around--spoiled I guess. 

If I make it to Seeley, I will be sure and post the results.

Offline Walltrout

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #8 on: Feb 08, 2008, 09:20 AM »
I remember snorkeling Seeley when I was a kid and seeing lots of blue gills.  They are there. Have fun finding them. I also heard there is a pond in Bozeman that has them.  There is a pond in Helena that has pumkin seeds in it but they are pretty small.

"Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." - Henry David Thoreau

"If people don't occasionally walk away from you shaking their heads, you're doing something wrong."  John Giera

Offline PyroZuki

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #9 on: Dec 22, 2010, 08:32 AM »
I've been told there are pumpkinseeds in Beavertail Pond, but haven't iced any, yet!


Pyro
I live in MT, so when I ain't huntin, I'm fishin!
Boy the way Glenn Miller played
Songs that made the hit parade.
Guys like us we had it made,
Those were the days.

And you knew who you were then,
Girls were girls and men were men,
Mister we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again.

Didn't need no welfare state,
Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee our old LaSalle ran great.
Those were the days

Offline i c

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #10 on: Dec 22, 2010, 11:10 AM »
there used to be some in beavertail pond but havent saw any there in years.so who knows.

Offline grizinidaho

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #11 on: Dec 22, 2010, 11:25 AM »
I remember snorkeling Seeley when I was a kid and seeing lots of blue gills.  They are there. Have fun finding them. I also heard there is a pond in Bozeman that has them.  There is a pond in Helena that has pumkin seeds in it but they are pretty small.

The mall pond in Bozeman has them, but they aren't that big, good place to go with kids, plus FWP dumps monster rainbows in there for the kids derby they have and I have caught some around 5 lbs while wasting a day where I couldn't make it to Canyon Ferry and back. 

Offline frozen lovemuscle

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #12 on: Dec 22, 2010, 11:50 AM »
i have caught a few on placid.

Offline gregv17

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #13 on: Dec 22, 2010, 04:45 PM »
I've caught a few out of Blanchard near Whitefish.

Offline Papa John

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #14 on: Dec 22, 2010, 07:53 PM »
Those out of Blanchard............ were they bluegills or red eared sunfish??? There are some crappies in Blanchard as well, but all I've seen out of there are sunny's.

Offline tom1234505

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #15 on: Dec 22, 2010, 08:05 PM »
I've been told there are pumpkinseeds in Beavertail Pond, but haven't iced any, yet!


Pyro

I caught some there this summer, along with some tiny perch. they're in there, but very few and very small, but where there are small ones, there are big ones too.
"to succeed you must first learn to fail"

Offline Papa John

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #16 on: Dec 22, 2010, 08:54 PM »

EXCELLENT NEWS!!! I'll spend somemore time looking for them this winter. There are good perch as well and some nice pike if you can get them to take a dead fish. The crappies are growing. If I can find the 'gills, I'll post it.

Offline MTviking

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #17 on: Dec 23, 2010, 11:40 PM »
Actually the sunfish you guys are catching out of Frenchtown pond, seeley, placid and other lakes in the Missoula area are not Bluegills but rather pumpkinseeds.  Frenchtown is chocked full and stunted.  Placid has some good sized ones but far less numerous.  But Pumkinseeds don't get nearly as big as bluegill, but you can still find some good ones in some lakes.

Offline PyroZuki

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #18 on: Dec 24, 2010, 12:21 PM »
Hopefully this will clear up some confusion. It seems like most fishermen I've met in Montana don't know the difference between these fish. Here is a little chart that makes it a bit easier to ID these tasty little buggers!

These are jigs, but the fish look legit.




Pyro
I live in MT, so when I ain't huntin, I'm fishin!
Boy the way Glenn Miller played
Songs that made the hit parade.
Guys like us we had it made,
Those were the days.

And you knew who you were then,
Girls were girls and men were men,
Mister we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again.

Didn't need no welfare state,
Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee our old LaSalle ran great.
Those were the days

Offline heine

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #19 on: Dec 26, 2010, 07:18 PM »
I've caught a few out of Blanchard near Whitefish.
are you sure?????????????????????????????????????????

Offline gregv17

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #20 on: Dec 26, 2010, 07:26 PM »
are you sure?????????????????????????????????????????
Yes. Not a common occurence but get a few once in awhile. They are the pumpkinseeds I guess and not technically bluegills but there are a few in there.

Offline Papa John

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #21 on: Dec 26, 2010, 10:15 PM »
Ya, there are pumpkinseeds in Blanchard. Black crappie as well.

Offline wingnutty

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Re: bluegills through the ice
« Reply #22 on: Dec 28, 2010, 08:13 PM »
There are a lot of pumpkin seeds in MT, (seeley, ronan, lots of ponds, pretty common really), but they don't get nearly as big as bluegill, at least I've never seen them get very big anywhere.  There are some bluegills in MT, but not very widespread.  Not really in any 'common' lakes that I know of, but I would bet there are probably some in Fort Peck somewhere along with every other fish species in the Northwest.  I know of some stock reservoirs in Eastern MT that have them and caught them last summer.  But I can't get to those spots this winter due to the large amount of snow we have this year. 

 



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