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| Whooaah Bubba'! That there's a goodun'! |
Well, what can I say...I have been fishing, just not posting as much. Been working on my first ever book effort about faith, family, fishing, friends and fun. Yup...all 'F' words, and for the good! But between typing and editing and doing other stuff, we have been bluegill and bass fishing all along the Mason Dixon Line the past month. Small public and private lakes are the targets and BULL BLUEGILL are the intended quarry. Nine inches is a quality gill anywhere, but a 10-inch fish is a pretty good benchmark for trophy class fish. This is turning out to be one of the very best seasons I have ever had on the 'tens', or, bull bluegills. As of today I am up to 87 gills that have surpassed the 10-inch standard. Here are a few of the most recent highlights...
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| This 4-acre public lake was our Fathers Day destination for bass and gills. |
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| Not a bull, but a 9 inch plus hen for Matt. |
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| A public venue with some 'just under' tens...cool! |
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| Longer and not as wide, these large males have lost some weight from rigors of the spawn. |
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| We picked up a few nice bass on our Dixie Crickets. |
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But one of the most pleasant surprises is a crop of 10-inch plus bulls from what had traditionally been our best 'big bass' pond. Check out these mombo-gills from a pond a whole 4 miles from the house...
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| High water conditions have forced us to 'wet wade' in these areas for spooky bulls. |
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| My new favorite method is to use a pole-n-line rig and dabble the shallows. |
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| Pole-n-line efforts put me on numerous 10 to 11 inch giants. |
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| My buddies James and Cole are all smiles with this 17 inch bass Cole caught on bluegill gear. Play nice, guys! |
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| Another bull at 10.75 inches! MuscleHead Gill! |
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And yet another pristine gem held many ten inch plus fish. This bluegill paradise is a whole 9 miles from the house. Ocassionally, we harvest some fish from this one and provide tasty fillets for the kind owner. It's the least we could do! Check out the body dynamics of some of these guys...and gals...
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| Many stud bluegills in this Mason Dixon gem of 4 acres. |
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| My fishin buddy Caden with his personal best bull at 10.5 inches...wow! |
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| Just outstanding fish! |
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| Caden and GrandPop Bill are diggin' the gillin'! |
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| Stunning dynamics on these trophy-class bulls! I'm a lucky man! |
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| Rookie BullHunter Caden with a nice bass. |
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So, without further ado, I have to admit that some of the best fishing for 'plus-sized' bluegills, literally anywhere in the nation, can be found in many of the small, fertile farm ponds and small public lakes just north and south of the Mason Dixon Line in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Some larger lakes in this region also have high-end bluegills. But much of the better fishing for trophy-class fish can be found in 'under the radar' venues. Just a few more, then I'm planning for my next trip, literally just out my door...!
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| PJ with a tanker pumpkinseed. |
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| I'm getting a replica of this 10.25 inch male pumpkinseed. |
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| This monster hen went 11 inches and ran plenty of drag...she still swims! |
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Yes, this has proven to be an exceptional year for huge bluegills and sunfish in our neighborhood. We didn't have to travel, look far and wide or even think about deep-south locations where platter-sized sunfish dwell in high numbers. Additionally, we have released all of these really big gills and kept just a few of the smaller guys for the pan. I'm hoping to put many friends and family on to fish like this for years to come.
And like the great fishing that is often right under our noses, there is also great joy right before our very eyes to observe and embrace everyday. It is called 'God's Creation' and it cannot be denied nor deformed...it is from Him, the Creator God of the universe. Like great fishing and natural beauty, peace and happiness, in the form of Jesus Christ, is also right before us. We don't have to travel far at all to enjoy His grace, love and salvation. I really like the peace and contentment that I feel when I read Psalm 96:11-13...
'Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord,...'
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| Psalm 96: 11-13 |
