Summer bluegills

[PAMonger]

So we all know that those sunnies are tasty and I have a couple of picnics coming up. I'm about to hit minsi lake in PA and was wondering if any of you target them. Also, if anyone wants to fish with me, I'd really enjoy it. In the summer, I know they're in the shallows. If you want to join up next weekend, let me know.

[acabtp]

right on! bluegills are one of my favorite fish

[Eskimo]

I'm glad I'm not alone in my appreciation for the delicate flavor of Sunfish fillets.

I usually catch them using small garden worms for bait. I don't have a real targeting strategy other than just paddling around until I see a bunch.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn38/Full_Stringer/OfftopicPics/Bluegill_fillet.jpg

[dboyd101]

fly rod from the kayak. do it. love it.

[acabtp]

fly rod from the kayak. do it. love it.
2nd

[tycomps]

never ate one but that filet looks tasty! easy to filet, boney?

[Eskimo]

never ate one but that filet looks tasty! easy to filet, boney?
Bluegills aren't dificult to fillet. It just gets tedious to fillet alot of them.
If they're filleted corectly, they are comletely boneless.

To get some good instructions on the best methods to fillet bluegill, do a search on Youtube and watch a couple of videos. There are several different methods described with some being better than others.

[Ol Pedro]

never ate one but that filet looks tasty! easy to filet, boney?
I have cut thousands of Sunfish (Crappie are my favorite) and all you have to worry about are the ribcage bones . Until you get good at filleting don't keep the little guys . When we were young we would just gut them and push a stick down their throats and roast them on an open fire , peel off the burnt skin and scales and pick the meat off the bones .

[Michael82929]

We have monster sunfish in our lake - thousands of em

My son caught 25 sunfish last week - total weight - 10lbs 10ozs..

Could have gotten great fillets on em

[tautog]

I would love to catch some monster bluegills. I used to have a friend with a small pond where half the bluegills were in the 8"-10" class. Used to catch them on 1/32oz jigs and 4lb test, big fun. Monmouth Reservoir down here has some nice ones during spawning season, but I am too old to go sneaking around through bushes.

[DDDman]

True about the fish in that reservoir. I miss those young and irresponsible days when trekking through the woods to unmolested fish was the highlight of my day.

[tautog]

I used to sneak out on that pipe at the Phalanx road bridge and catch crappies on almost every cast, some 16"ers, along with some big white perch and the occasional bass. One of the few good panfish spots down this way. Most other spots are dominated by dinks.