Bigger Gill Quest

[angolajones]

Drilled a 13 inch hole.  I think a 12"er will fit through it.  I'm ready. 

P.S.  I didn't fish.  Just getting ready.

P.S.S.  Wish me luck.

Question:  Should I wear a belly harness in case I hook a 13"er? 

[A- BOMBS]

no but those rod butt add ons might help the ones the bass guys use

[Graygills22]

I didn't need a harness...just alot of skill...lol good luck out there...q

[sprkplug]

 This hybrid gill went 12". Two ounces short of two pounds, my biggest so far.

[sprkplug]

I'm just as guilty of skepticism as anyone else when it comes to stories of 13 inch gills. The state record was 13.5", and that record was set back in 72', and still stands! Honestly, there's a better chance of winning the lottery than there is of catching a 13" gill. Let alone numbers of such fish, like the op is suggesting. It is possible to catch such a fish obviously,  but in reality it doesn't happen.

Now what I think may account for some stories of big gills, are misidentified fish. Redear can attain much greater size than gills, and naturally occurring bluegill/redear hybrids are often caught as well....and they get quite large. But, they aren't bluegills. The other thread has a link to photos of large gills, and while I didn't look at all of the pics, the fish I saw was a red/gill hybrid.

[angolajones]

Wish I had a better pic of these hybrids I caught on a Zoom Super Fluke.


That is a 22 inch golden rule. 

[Graygills22]

The ONE I caught weighed 2.26 by length...record is 3.4lbs

[fishinator]

[quoteThe ONE I caught weighed 2.26 by length...record is 3.4lbs[/quote] what was the girth of this beast?

[sprkplug]

Actually the record is 3.25 lbs. That fish was 13.5" in length.  2.26 lbs is way light for a 13+" bluegill.

[sprkplug]

Very few photos of the Indiana record bluegill exist, here is one from my collection. The original mount used to hang in Sparky's Doghouse, in Newcastle. Don't know if that still holds true.

[walleye wil]

nice gills there jones!!!!1

[Graygills22]

3.4 lbs is record...check dnr site

[sprkplug]

3.4 lbs is record...check dnr site

It can be confusing sometimes. The record is 3.25 lbs.....that's 3 lbs, 4 ozs. Not 3.4 lbs.

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3588.htm

[wax_worm]

It can be confusing sometimes. The record is 3.25 lbs.....that's 3 lbs, 4 ozs. Not 3.4 lbs.

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3588.htm

Math is hard.  Lmao! 

[bottom bouncer]

All B.S. aside I am over 60 years young and have been chasing bluegills through the ice and soft water since I was a boy. We used to take a week every spring and fish what was, at one time, undoubtedly thee best big bluegill producer in the state Patoka reservoir. (Before the illegal shad stockings ruined the gill fishing) Also used to take an ice fishing trip every winter to Pelican Lake Orr Mn, one of the land of 10,000 lakes top bluegill lakes in search of slabs.   In all those years I have seen some big gills, the largest I have personally caught is on my wall at a touch under 12". That fish came from a small public lake in this state. I have seen many a bull bluegill in all those years and a 13" true bluegill is as rare as .................fill in the blank. Would love to see someone catch a new state record.
Mark
 

[Graygills22]

3.lbs 4 oz..not 3lbs 2.5 ounces

[sprkplug]

Decimal point Greygills............. ........       3.25 pounds = 3 and 25/100ths, which reduces to 3 1/4 pounds, otherwise known as 3 lbs 4 ozs.

[wax_worm]

Decimal point Greygills............. ........       3.25 pounds = 3 and 25/100ths, which reduces to 3 1/4 pounds, otherwise known as 3 lbs 4 ozs.

Hehe. . Can't do basic math yet claims he catches 13+ ,inch gills.   

[jr11888]

Wasn't that Mt. Summit sprkplug plug?

[marmooskapaul]

Wasn't that Mt. Summit sprkplug plug?

Ha..Sparky's Dog House is in Mt Summit...great ham sandwich or breaded tenderloin. I have seen the gill mount  before, but don't know if it's still there?? Summit Lake was not even built when that fish was caught.

Paul

[jr11888]

I haven't been to Sparky's in a long time either paul but that fish I believe was caught in Greene County is that correct?

[sprkplug]

Yes, the fish came from Greene Sullivan.

[Graygills22]

Michigan's state record is 2.75lbs...13.75 inches..all fish are different.

[sprkplug]

Very true, geographic location can have a huge impact on what size constitutes a trophy, or record fish. That's why a world record largemouth is unlikely to come from Minnesota. A 2.75lb bluegill that measured 13.75" is a big fish for sure, but still light when compared to a 13.5" that went 3.25 lbs. I see where that Michigan record has stood for 34 years now, further illustrating just how freakishly rare a 13"+ bluegill truly is.