Pretty Nice Bluegill--On Bamboo!

[JAWallace]

My first fish on my new cane rod, a 10" bluegill. The state record is 14" so no one's watching me but I have never even seen one this large and don't expect to get another like it. Gave the 6 wt. boo stick some major bendo. This, along with some nice bedding bass, came from Rancho Seco. Would strongly recommend giving it a shot if you like warm water fishing 'cause it is ON.

10495

[Ben J]

Nice fish. Maybe I'm wrong but it looks like a Redear.

[David Lee]

Nice fish. Maybe I'm wrong but it looks like a Redear.

Kobestopper for the win !!

A fine Redear -

D.~

[JAWallace]

I wasn't sure, and a few of the bankers had a look at the pics and said definitely bluegill. They could be wrong, but were looking for a red slash and it wasn't there. Either way it sure was fun and the best panfish I've ever caught.

[gene goss]

Nice Redear ....... on your cane.

[John Sv]

Sure it is not a pumpkin seed?

[hwchubb]

I know we used to call them pumpkinseeds back east, may be one and the same as redear. If. David Lee says it's a redear, I'll go with that.
Still, I recall them usually being smaller than bluegill, so WOW! What is the state record for redear / pumpkinseeds?

[JAWallace]

State record for a pumpkinseed is 1#, so probably not--or--I at least matched the state record ;-). It was identified on another forum as a bluegill by a guy who says he is a fish biologist, and I'm pretty sure it is. I caught several redear today and the red or orange slash and vertical markings are very apparent--didn't exist on this one.

I will say I think the redears are even better fighters, although I didn't get anything today approaching this size.

[David Lee]

It was identified on another forum as a bluegill by a guy who says he is a fish biologist, and I'm pretty sure it is.

Well , you can call it a Fried Chicken Leg or a cordless Drill , if you'd like . It doesn't change the fact that it is a Red Eared Sunfish AKA Shellcracker . Whenever there's a Lake or Pond with different Sunfish species (Rancho Seco has both Bluegill and Redear) , they will hybridize to various degrees . While your Fish is lacking the classic Red/Orange/Black Gillflap , I have NO DOUBT that it is mostly Redear . I'm not trying to be a weenie , I just know what I know .

BTW Seco is well known for large Redears - several in the 3+ pound range have been documented out of there in the past . Redears are rarely taken on the surface , they are bottom dwellers for the most part . Try a #12 Prince dropper in front of a #10 Black Leech on a type-3 head or line in there out of a boat . Work water in the 12-15 foot range .... you will find the giants there .

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D.~

[JAWallace]

Thanks, David. You're probably right, a hybrid. This one was caught in 3.5'-4' of water, and on a fast strip for trout. My assumption is that both species may nest in shallower water than they normally live? This weekend I caught a bunch of both in Waegell and used almost exactly the rig you described--bugger and a cooper john, type II. i was fishing in 6-12' and I got them throughout the water column, mostly close to the bottom. As I had said elsewhere, I got two bass, a 1# and a 3# and both took the copper john. I've never had that happen, and am guessing it's because that's what they have as their regular feed, not anything larger. Given the mostly small size and big numbers of the sunfish there, I would guess the lake will eventually become a sunfish lake without many/any bass. There's no indication of any small fish/crustaceans for bass feed, and they don't grow real quick or big dining on midges. I'm quite sure the Waegells don't manage the lake with chubs or other bass forage.