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| Big bluegill fillets ready for a hot oil bath! |
One of the best things about panfishing is that you can have your fish, and eat 'em, too! We caught over 3,000 bluegills, crappies and perch last year, keeping only 150 for the pan. With that here are a few of the highlights from 2014...
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| Pre-spawn chubbers from a local pond. |
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| May 2014...Ken Smith with a huge Pymatuning black crappie. |
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| My best crappie in 2014 ...almost 15 inches. |
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| Dan Dannenmueller with a 15 inch Shenango Lake white crappie. |
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| Trophy class pumpkinseeds from a local, public lake. |
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| Pumpkingills, bluegill X punpkinseed hybrids, were abundant in 2014. |
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| Another monster P-Gill! |
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| Pond crappie at 13.5 inches on one of my jigs...cool! |
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| Best hybrid sunfish of the year at 1 pound and 14 ounces. |
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| Beautiful male bluegill! |
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| Matts' 12.25 inch 1 pound 10 ounce hybrid...a true trophy! |
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| Throw in a slab whitey! |
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| 12 5/8 inch and 1 pound 13 ounces. Whoa bubba'! |
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| Primrose gill and plastics! |
The best of the best from 2014. Since I had my back operation on Jan 19. 2015 I have been tying a ton of jigs and started my very first book, which I hope to have available by the end of 2015. It is a book about faith, family, fishing and friends...the four most important things in my life. But for now, let's check out some more of the highlight reel from 2014...
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| BRUISER-SIZED YELLOW PERCH AT MARBURG LAKE |
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| 10.5 inch ice gill from local pond in February. |
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| I was pleased to do this seminar at the Baltimore BPS. |
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| First crappie of the year, 3 days after ice out. |
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| Matt with some late March gills to 10 inches. | | | | | | | |
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Here are a few more of the panfish gang in 2014...
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| One of my favorites...Elena and I fishing for gills! |
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| Fresh caught pumpkingill hybrid...wow! |
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| Matt with some serious gillage! |
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| November bulls! |
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| In the pan and on the plate...I love it! |
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| Toad! |
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| Matt with some November piggies! |
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| Paul with a near citation Red ear! |
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| Matts replica of his 12 inch hybrid. |
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Looking back, I can't complain a bit about our panfishing in 2014. Lots of big fish, fun with kids and several nice fish frys to boot. Yes, God was good to us, and most of these fish came from waters very close to home. I really like this brief passage from Proverbs 30:8...
'...give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.'
Kind of says it all, doesn't it? Indeed, daily bread is a good, good thing. Be happy with what you have, and not bitter about things you don't have. Bless you all!
