Author Topic: Keepers? (Read 4798 times)

fishunlimited(fu) · « **on:** Feb 03, 2012, 06:34 PM »

Whats the averge size you guy keep on bluegills? wondering about some of these bluegills i caught..they were really fat but not so long.

Minnowhead · « **Reply #1 on:** Feb 03, 2012, 06:44 PM »

I keep 8" and up on gills. Usually go minimum 10" on crappies. A perch is a different story, seems to be alot of meat on a perch.

Swift · « **Reply #2 on:** Feb 03, 2012, 09:04 PM »

Worth cleaning and eating, keep it. Have a couple lakes where a 6 1/2"-7" Gill will have more usable meat on them than some 8"ers do from a lake a couple miles down the road. Your trip, your stuff, your lake, your call

jeffro9023 · « **Reply #3 on:** Feb 04, 2012, 08:08 AM »

anything over 7" goes in my bucket unless I'm fishing a lake where they run bigger...but the lakes I fish normally 8" is a bruiser...stunted maybe? Idk but its just the way it is

Townie · « **Reply #4 on:** Feb 05, 2012, 09:47 AM »

Gotta leave the 10"s & up in the lake. I can get a decent fillet off the 8"s

bubbagill · « **Reply #5 on:** Feb 05, 2012, 10:07 AM »

My general rule of thumb is 8"s is a keeper, but i may round out a mess with a few smaller fish, nothing under 7" tho.

ryno · « **Reply #6 on:** Feb 05, 2012, 06:04 PM »

Quote from: Townie on Feb 05, 2012, 09:47 AM

Gotta leave the 10"s & up in the lake. I can get a decent fillet off the 8"s

Agreed Townie!
This year I moved my slot down....only keep 8-9 1/2 inchers. I have actually made a few trips where all of em went back. If you want to help your lakes kick back the biggest yr class in the lake....if its 9" throw them back n bring home the eights. If you take your time you can get a decent fillet off of 7n half'ers.

Van_Cleaver · « **Reply #7 on:** Feb 06, 2012, 04:33 PM »

I'm with you guys; I usually keep at eight but like to put the biggest ones back when possible. Usually I am looking for two meals, and bag will often include perch and crappie. (usually look for 10") You should base you limit on the lake you are fishing. You can always do this if it isn't two cold. I was going to share with my brother, but decided since he was a lazy a## I may as well let these 9'' gills go. A bunch of others got put back too, great late ice day! I'm praying this lake will be good by Sat.

Mixed bag I kept; some of the gills smaller than those I released

Gills-only · « **Reply #8 on:** Feb 06, 2012, 04:38 PM »

Minium 8 " for the gills

Townie · « **Reply #9 on:** Feb 06, 2012, 04:40 PM »

Nice nines VC!

captain54 · « **Reply #10 on:** Feb 06, 2012, 04:48 PM »

My go to lake has huge gill from 8 -10 plus inches. I'll keep chunky 8 1/2 inch fish all day and throw back really huge fish.I only kill 3-4 10 inch fish a year.I get so many fish over 9-91/2 inches but they never seem to grow into 10's.

Van_Cleaver · « **Reply #11 on:** Feb 06, 2012, 07:21 PM »

Townie, thanks, they were biting so well anyone could have caught them

To cap 54; this lake is similar to yours in that most days the gills average right around 9'' but the 10'' plus fish are few and far between, I think I've only caught two, and seen a couple more. Maybe there are too many others, and the ten in. fish typically lose the race. Another odd thing is there are crappie in the lake but it is rare to catch them even if they are your target fish. I've only landed a handful, but all ten or better. The one pictured was the only one I caught that day, though I missed another brute in the same hole.

michlw39 · « **Reply #12 on:** Feb 07, 2012, 06:21 PM »

Depends on the lake. One place I hit occasionally they run pretty small and there's a lot of them. I might keep enough 6-8 inchers there to make a pot of chowder. Another lake I fish about half hour from the first they tend to run bigger. I'll add an inch or two there before I'd keep them.

nurmimn · « **Reply #13 on:** Feb 27, 2012, 11:16 PM »

hand size for gills

CrappieVermonter · « **Reply #14 on:** Feb 29, 2012, 07:02 PM »

8" is a good size up here. depends on the lake

Bull Giller · « **Reply #15 on:** Aug 29, 2012, 07:49 PM »

I keep 8 and throw back the rest.

panfisherman · « **Reply #16 on:** Aug 30, 2012, 05:06 PM »

If it aint eight it aint ate! Fish On!

OldSailor · « **Reply #17 on:** Aug 30, 2012, 05:16 PM »

Quote from: panfisherman on Aug 30, 2012, 05:06 PM

If it aint eight it aint ate! Fish On!

icemanwoody · « **Reply #18 on:** Sep 16, 2012, 08:04 PM »

these were all keepers for me!

bart · « **Reply #19 on:** Sep 16, 2012, 08:18 PM »

For me usually 8"+ on gills. On Crappies 9"min. per NY regs.

ULking · « **Reply #20 on:** Sep 16, 2012, 08:25 PM »

8" gills and 10" crappie...fat perch

Gopher on Ice · « **Reply #21 on:** Sep 25, 2012, 07:40 PM »

Dad used to tell me if they barely fit in his hand he will keep them and we would fry them up that night. I don't have a solid length for you but we usually just took the gills who had the length and the width.

TeeBugg · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 23, 2013, 10:28 PM »

Hand size works for me!

mt.redneck · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 24, 2013, 08:52 PM »

the lake I fish a 6-7 inch gill is a big fish. I'll keep 5-6 inch gills all day long. the lake has a bad stunted population and the fwp put tiger muskies in to help the carp and sucker population but they are helping to sunfish and crappie population also.

quivira kid · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 24, 2013, 10:06 PM »

If my fingers can touch, they go back in. If they are big enough my fingers don't touch, they go in the bucket. That typically means a 7.5" or so minimum.

Crappies are 10" minimum for me, unless one of the self-imposed "crappie police" is watching..... then the borderline ones go in the bucket just to ruffle feathers.

fiesty · « **Reply #25 on:** Jan 25, 2013, 06:37 PM »

hand size here....lot of medium and big gills in our area, usually eat the smaller ones...depends on how many people are gonna be around for dinner....

bigbuckmiddaugh · « **Reply #26 on:** Jan 26, 2013, 11:02 AM »

try to keep 8 inch and above (never caught one over 10) Once in a while i'll keep little over 7 incher, if its thick.

66birdman · « **Reply #27 on:** Jan 27, 2013, 02:51 AM »

It really depends on the lake. If I am fishing a lake with a stunted population I like to keep as many smallish ones as possible and let any big guys go. Then on the other hand if I am fishing a lake with no problems I limit myself to a size slot of 7 1/2 - 9 1/2 inches. Idaho has no size or creel limits on bluegills but i always limit my creel of bulls to 10 or so. The small stunted guys I will keep by the bucket full to try and get some of them out of the lake.

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Author Topic: Keepers? (Read 4798 times)