Tag Archives: Bluegill

It’s hot. It’s humid. Whew! Yeah, it’s summer alright. Hey, has your fishing success slowed with the conditions? I though so. Well, one fish leads the way with lots of action for anglers in the good, old summertime — bluegill. A male bluegill stands guard on its nest in a southern Nebraska pond. Underwater photo courtesy of NEBRASKAland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Maybe it’s the kid in me, I don’t know. But, at 61 years of age (approaching 62), …

Bluegills are one of the most widespread and common fish in Nebraska. They are also one of the most interesting. This time of year most anglers know it is not hard to find colonies of spawning bluegills.  A patient person can catch some of those fish.  Patience is required because the males guarding the nest are much more interested in guarding and herding a willing female onto the nest than they are in biting.  Nonetheless, if you can hover a …

Calendar says it is the end of May.  Our Great Plains weather does not necessarily follow the calendar, but it is safe to say “spring” is coming to an end. It has been a great one! I may not necessarily blog about my adventures as often during the spring as I do at other times.  The reason for that is spring only lasts so long and I am busy trying to spend as much time as possible in the field.  …

Fish identification can be a challenge.  There are a hundred some species of fish in Nebraska.  Anglers may catch maybe forty-some of those species.  That does not seem too daunting, but it gets complicated by the fact that any species of fish can come in a variety of sizes and coloration is highly variable.  For that reason, it is useful to know identification characteristics other than coloration or “looks”.  However, it is true that we learn different species simply by …

If you have read my blog for a while, you know that I get side-tracked from fishing every year when the turkeys are gobbling.  Spring is a great time in Nebraska’s outdoors except for one thing:  There is so much to do and so little time!  Once I finally satisfy my spring turkey addiction for a while, I wander around picking mushrooms: I did not have a good mushroom year.  I think it has been too dry. Then, as I …

The May issue of Nebraskaland magazine has a short article on bluegill growth rates.  You will want to check it out. Right now you can see the full issue HERE. Or, here are the two pages: Over-harvest of panfish, bluegills and crappies, is a real problem on a lot of waters.  No, those populations are not harvested to the point where there are not enough fish to reproduce and maintain the population.  They are over-harvested to the point where they …

Quick blog post today; just want to give a little report on what I have been seeing on the ice.  Yes, ice fishing 2023 has been good, have been on the ice quite a bit so far this season.  Mostly I have been fishing small waters, pits and ponds.  There is no real reason for that, no real strategy.  It has just worked out that those are the waters I have fished the most.  Actually, my new year did start …

If you have followed my blog for a while, you know that my first day on the ice each year is a day to be celebrated!  In fact, I proclaim that day each year as “New Year’s Day”.  It is the first day of the new ice season, first day of the next year’s season. I celebrated New Year’s Day 2023 on “black Friday”. Yes, I know that was a couple of weeks ago.  I did not blog about it …

I have continued to be “out of the office” with some frequency the past few weeks.  Have continued to get around the state and dry off a few while I was at it.  Time for a report. . . . How far have I been?  Well, far enough to see some sights! Caught some fish while I was out there! Thanks for sharing your fishing spot with us, Robby! Then I met up with my kids for a few days …

My son and I do not get to fish together all the time.  Still it is nice knowing that even though we are separated by miles, we are on the water.  Maybe apart for now, but still on the water.  In fact it is interesting how often we are doing the same things even though we are fishing individually. For example, each winter we target big bluegills, 10-inches and larger, just like we get after muskies in open water.  At …