ELECTED FOR A REASON
Bluegill may not be giants, but they serve Illinois well
Mike McClelland made me laugh when I asked if he was on board with bluegill as our state fish. “I will certainly have to say I agree with bluegill as the state fish — I remember voting for it when I was in my youth!’’ Illinois’ fisheries chief emailed.
Bluegill was selected by Illinois school children and became the state fish in 1986 — a smart move.
Ounce for ounce, bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) are one of the best fighting freshwater fish. They’re active feeders, meaning they will bite. And, as McClelland noted, “We could probably find a good bluegill lake or pond in close proximity throughout the state.”
That’s useful truth when it comes to a holiday week around Independence Day. Families will be picnicking and casting at lakes and ponds. Bluegill will be kings and queens.
There’s another good reason for bluegill being a favorite, as outlined by McClelland: “I’ve never caught a bluegill over 9 or 10 inches. I’ve caught several in that range. I do remember fishing for bluegill and redear with my grandpa when I was little, then bringing a mess back and being taught how to fillet fish by my grandmother. That’s one of my favorite memories.”
In our area, a thick 8-inch bluegill is a good catch, a 9-incher special and a 10-incher a near trophy. If you have a pond or lake that produces bluegill of that quality, enjoy something special.
If you’re taking kids fishing during the holiday week, I think the weed growth will be strong enough that it’s best to target the weed pockets first, then either inner or outer weed lines. If the bite is easy, about anything will work under a small float (the most common mistake in fishing bluegill is floats or bobbers that are too big) with red worms, wax worms, spikes, earthworms, jigs, flies or beetle spins. If the bite is tough, downsize to a tungsten ice jig with a single spike.
My favorite public sites for bluegill are
the east bank of LaSalle Lake and the 200-plus lakes of Mazonia State Fish and Wildlife Area.
The Illinois record for bluegill (3 pounds, 8 ounces) has stood since May 10, 1987, when Darren May caught it from a farm pond in Jasper County.
Most of us are not going to see a bluegill even remotely close to that.
I caught my first 11-inch bluegill as a kid at church camp. I was disappointed when it wasn’t a big largemouth bass. I didn’t see another bluegill that size until 45 years later while ice fishing at Giant Goose Ranch near Canton, Illinois, with Bruce and Bobby Bergren and onholiday Capt. Ralph Steiger.
In memory
Howard Bass described Croslene Kettle as “one of the city’s finest people and among the greatest shore fisherman. He pulled incredible fish from that pier.” Kettle, 64, died last week while swimming near Pratt Pier.
“It was his ritual to take a swim while fishing,” Bass emailed.
Wild things
Steve Statland and I usually go back and forth on the first firefly of the year. He emailed that he saw his first fireflies last week. We beat him by a few days when my wife spotted the first while puttering in her garden . . . . Blackberries, raspberries and mulberries are all ripe for the eating, a thought if rambling around during the holiday.
Stray cast
I can’t shake the feeling that Craig Kimbrel on the mound looks like a grouse hen on a mountain road in the early spring.