What is a "keeper" gill or perch for you?

[Mich-Again]

That's a serious monster!  I bet I can go smaller 

[carpslayer93]

Here's to that!

(Image removed from quote.)

now that's a 8in gill.  LMAO :-)

[DasRottweiler]

Apparently, with all the back-biting going on, no-one has entertained the simple facts that some places grow bigger fish and even more importantly, some people are better fisherman than others. If your having difficulty puttin gills over 8" on the ice , you may need to fish elsewhere or maybe , just maybe , you are not the fisherman you feel you are. If you can`t fathom that and add something constructive to a simple question re: what size fish do you keep?, then why the negative comments? It is an opinionated question with a personal answer. Accept what other people keep for thier catch, answer the question yourself and keep your negative crap to yourself. Seriously , ya gonna question what size turd a guy drops next, what`s it to you? A simple question was all it was.

[smythe]

Are you sure we're talking about the size of bluegill, seems like we may be talking about the size of something else.....

[tommy-n]

When I fish in michigan gills have to be 7 1/2'' and larger when I fish in suthern new hampsha I keep then 6'' and above.

[damanfrgr]

TO EACH HIS OWN.......no comment

[slobhoy]

a gill should be as long as your hand with the fish laying flat in your palm i think and perch at least 8in

[pzoch]

I like my gils about 1 1/2"- 2 1/2" long,that way they cook fast and don't use much flour
and you can cook em with a bic lighter.Best of all I don't even notice the bones and no
scaling necessary.If you don't like it .....KISS MY BASS!!!!

[allcaughtup]

I find that there is not a whole lot more meat on a hog gill vs a 7-8 incher...just me?

[Mich-Again]

I find that there is not a whole lot more meat on a hog gill vs a 7-8 incher...just me?

Actually, I think there IS a lot more meat on the larger ones.  When I clean a small gill, I can almost see right through the entire fillet.  Larger ones are also easier to clean since there's more to hang on to.

I don't think I'm a very good fisherman.  On the other hand, I think most of the lakes around here are full of mostly dinks.  Even a bad fisherman such as myself should catch more "keepers" given how much time I've put in, all the spots I've tried, and how many little ones I do catch.

I agree that fish shrink on the way home.  "Deflate" is more like it.  They come out of the hole all puffed up and pissed off (wouldn't you?), then the air goes out of them.  This is really true with pike, which is why I don't keep pike under ~27".

[tommy-n]

I think alot depends on what lake you catch them on. Some lakes a 7 1/4'' is a fat plump fish and on other lakes theymay not have much going on besides a large rib cage till they get over 9''.

[SkeeterJeff]

Here is my minimum for perch.



Filet them with a magnifying glass and an exacto knife.

-Jeff

[Mich-Again]

   That's funny!  Must be just about actual size on the screen?  Yeah, sometimes I'll get one that's just too small to even use for pike bait 

[stumpjumper]

I cleaned a little over 50 and a little under 100 bluegills today, the smallest was 6 3/4 and the largest was 9" they averaged 7 1/2". I didn't count the redears measurements because we're talking about BLUEGILLS.. however the largest redear was 11".

 The ones 8" and over have much stiffer bones though, when I'm eating the smaller ones I never notice them but when I get to those big slabs I'm always picking them out of my mouth.

 As far as bluegill fishing, it's not really a science like some are making it out to be. It's more knowing the lake you are fishing and finding what they want to bite.. not a whole lot of skill involved. Or maybe I've just been fishing so long it just seems like it all comes naturally.

 I mean what's so tricky about it? Finding the color? Finding the fish? The presentation... that is probably the trickiest part of all of it but even my 6 year old can catch gills....

[Bulldog83]

Apparently, with all the back-biting going on, no-one has entertained the simple facts that some places grow bigger fish and even more importantly, some people are better fisherman than others. If your having difficulty puttin gills over 8" on the ice , you may need to fish elsewhere or maybe , just maybe , you are not the fisherman you feel you are. If you can`t fathom that and add something constructive to a simple question re: what size fish do you keep?, then why the negative comments? It is an opinionated question with a personal answer. Accept what other people keep for thier catch, answer the question yourself and keep your negative crap to yourself. Seriously , ya gonna question what size turd a guy drops next, what`s it to you? A simple question was all it was.

Just having a little fun, a little fun never hurt anybody. I like to keep 7" or better gills and 8" or better perch. And I'm the best...lol

[fishin machine]

I cleaned a little over 50 and a little under 100 bluegills today, the smallest was 6 3/4 and the largest was 9" they averaged 7 1/2". I didn't count the redears measurements because we're talking about BLUEGILLS.. however the largest redear was 11".

 The ones 8" and over have much stiffer bones though, when I'm eating the smaller ones I never notice them but when I get to those big slabs I'm always picking them out of my mouth.

 As far as bluegill fishing, it's not really a science like some are making it out to be. It's more knowing the lake you are fishing and finding what they want to bite.. not a whole lot of skill involved. Or maybe I've just been fishing so long it just seems like it all comes naturally.

 I mean what's so tricky about it? Finding the color? Finding the fish? The presentation... that is probably the trickiest part of all of it but even my 6 year old can catch gills....

If a 7 1/2 inch average is what a lake is capable of producing then that is a good day, however with 11" Redears, I doubt those Gils represent the best the lake has to offer.
Catching Gils IS so easy a 6 year old can do it, however consistently catching the bigger Gils in a lake is another story all together.
A great many fisherman are very happy with a day like you had, and that is great.
Some fisherman would rather take home a few really big Gils instead, and that is great also.
It really should be about personal satisfaction when it comes to fishing anyway shouldn't it?
As far as the bones in the bigger fish goes, It has nothing to do with size, but is directly related to how well they are cleaned.

[Rembrandt]

What I see here in Iowa is people find that 7" bluegill and catch 99.9 % of that year class. Then you hear the same people whine about the bluegills dont get any bigger in this lake....cant amagine why! I'm a crappie fisherman and this year I caught 7 9"+ gills fishing for crappies, thats the first time in 15 years I have caught more than one 9" gill on the Mississippi. People in different areas of the country have better fisherees for big bluegill. Iowa has a few lakes in the south part of the state that supposely has 9-10" gills....but People who say they are catching them seem to forget there camera all the time if you get my drift! So to answer the original question I have kept 7 bluegills this year! But like I said I'm a crappie fisherman   

[stumpjumper]

As far as the bones in the bigger fish goes, It has nothing to do with size, but is directly related to how well they are cleaned.

 Every thing else you said was very true. However, I know how to clean fish. There is one row of bones that stick off the rib bones that you have to cut through, they get left in the meat. If you can fillet a bluegill and get those bones out I'd like to see it. Maybe there's a trick I was never taught but I don't think so, it would be pretty time consuming getting those ones out.

 As far as the fish in the lake, the redears grow way bigger than the bluegills. I've been fishing the lake for 16 years and know it well. Nobody is going out there and pulling a LIMIT of 9"+ gills. you'll get the occasional 9" but that's a big one for the lake and there isn't so many of them that you would throw a 7" back in hopes for another 9" when you want to get a meal...

 An 11" redear is a trophy out there, or anywhere for that matter. I believe that would be a master angler fish. We usually get a couple every year. Still trying to get that 12" though.

 

[afishhawk]

You guys are funny....  This is the first time I have seen guys argue about
"who's got the smallest one"   .
Seriously Now.!!
What I can tell you is that several years ago we weighed the fillets off a 7" gill with those of an 8" gill.
We used a gram scale so I feel the accuracy was close.
The difference was double the weight. The 8" fillets weighed twice as much as the 7" ones. I also found that the smaller fillets required less "Shore Lunch" and cooked faster with more fillets in the fryer. Upon further review we found flavor to be very similar, with the smaller fillets scoring just a tad higher on the "Crunch" test.
HUH,.... Go figure...... whodda thought that !!

[afishhawk]

Stumpjumper,

Your right! It seems like those bones are not a problem until the fish is over that 9'+ size.
They seem to cook up on the smaller fillets. I have 6 grandchildren under 10 yrs old and they all
eat fish like crazy, even the 3 yr old. We never allow the kids to get the larger fillets because of that row of bones you speak of.

[wax_worm]

Stumpjumper,

Your right! It seems like those bones are not a problem until the fish is over that 9'+ size.
They seem to cook up on the smaller fillets. I have 6 grandchildren under 10 yrs old and they all
eat fish like crazy, even the 3 yr old. We never allow the kids to get the larger fillets because of that row of bones you speak of.

You are talking about the pin bones that attach to the top of the rib cage.  They only run back as far as the rib cage goes, so after you remove the fillet and skin make a quick, narrow V cut on both sides of the pin bones and they are gone.  If you knife is sharp it takes 2-3 seconds to remove them.  Once removed the fillet will look like a pair of wide leg pants and you don't have to worry about any bones no matter the size of the fish you started with.

[fishin machine]

Every thing else you said was very true. However, I know how to clean fish. There is one row of bones that stick off the rib bones that you have to cut through, they get left in the meat. If you can fillet a bluegill and get those bones out I'd like to see it. Maybe there's a trick I was never taught but I don't think so, it would be pretty time consuming getting those ones out.

 As far as the fish in the lake, the redears grow way bigger than the bluegills. I've been fishing the lake for 16 years and know it well. Nobody is going out there and pulling a LIMIT of 9"+ gills. you'll get the occasional 9" but that's a big one for the lake and there isn't so many of them that you would throw a 7" back in hopes for another 9" when you want to get a meal...

 An 11" redear is a trophy out there, or anywhere for that matter. I believe that would be a master angler fish. We usually get a couple every year. Still trying to get that 12" though.

 

I don't know what it is I do differently, but I rarely leave more than 1 or 2 of the bones you are talking about, and those are easy to pick out when cleaning.
Nothing turns me off eating fish faster than finding bones left in the fillet, so I know they are not there when I eat fish.
I have said numerous times I am happy with a few fish in my size range, not LIMITS, and I fish all year long so I am never depending on what I catch that day for my next fish meal.That's just me.
As for an 11" Redear, that is an awesome fish for sure, and I think they are an even better fighter than Bluegill.

[stumpjumper]

 Yeah I guess you can cut those bones out that way. I never thought of it lol.

[captain54]

I have no problem with bones in large gills over 8.5 inches( and I filleted over 450 this year),I use an electric knife and cut the ribs and small amount of belly meat away.I don't like the belly meat as is cooks uneven,its hard and dried out and the rest is cooked right.I like a cooked right fillet golden brown,with a moist inside not a fried hard piece of fish.As to ANYONE can catch gills your probable right.But true bulls might not fall into the ANYONE category.True bulls are old maybe as old as 10 years and not everbody going to get them. First off you need a big gill lake,here in Pa. they do a fish survey,elctro shocking most lakes with a good size average 7-8 inches as being big. I don't fish these lakes. Like I said I'm very lucky to fish a lake with fish of all sizes but true bulls to 10+ inches.

[fish4kitty]

if I can fillet it,its a keeper. 10"perch and 9" gill.

[slick2]

Here in MI. I try to keep it at; Gill's 7"+ Perch 8" but some days I back down on that.

[topher7694]

8" on the gills, 10" for perch...

[walleyesteve]

I have NEVER seen anybody throw a perch or gill off there plate because it was to small!!!!

2nd that-I've Never heard someone say, "This Perch Taste's Too Small"!!! LOL!!! Or Gill, for that matter.

[allcaughtup]

I have no problem with bones in large gills over 8.5 inches( and I filleted over 450 this year),I use an electric knife and cut the ribs and small amount of belly meat away.I don't like the belly meat as is cooks uneven,its hard and dried out and the rest is cooked right.I like a cooked right fillet golden brown,with a moist inside not a fried hard piece of fish.As to ANYONE can catch gills your probable right.But true bulls might not fall into the ANYONE category.True bulls are old maybe as old as 10 years and not everbody going to get them. First off you need a big gill lake,here in Pa. they do a fish survey,elctro shocking most lakes with a good size average 7-8 inches as being big. I don't fish these lakes. Like I said I'm very lucky to fish a lake with fish of all sizes but true bulls to 10+ inches.

If your not good at getting all the meat you wont have a problem...im not saying your no good at fileting...but you use a an ELECTRIC KNIFE...it doesnt do quite the job as buy hand...not sayinig its not faster and easier just doesnt get all the meat...which is good in this case because you dont get any bones in your biggins....THIS COULD BE THE ANSWER

[Hux]

I keep them if they have good shoulders at 7-7.5. Also I clean alot of gills  I just fillet up at the end of the skinning process and all the pin bones stay stuck to the skin, regardless of size just fillet up slightly.