Summer bluegills - NJFishing.com Your Best Online Source for Fishing Information in New Jersey

PAMonger · #1 07-12-2012, 07:11 PM

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 · #2 07-12-2012, 07:53 PM

right on! bluegills are one of my favorite fish

Eskimo · #3 07-12-2012, 09:06 PM

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.

dboyd101 · #4 07-13-2012, 12:46 AM

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

acabtp · #5 07-13-2012, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dboyd101

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

2nd

tycomps · #6 07-13-2012, 09:12 AM

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

Eskimo · #7 07-13-2012, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tycomps

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 · #8 07-13-2012, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tycomps

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 · #9 07-13-2012, 01:36 PM

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 · #10 07-13-2012, 04:59 PM

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.