Sunfish

I have an appreciation for sunfish that I didn’t have going into this summer.   I don’t usually target them, but as a child I did, and my children fish for them too.

I think if any freshwater fish were to get an award for introducing the most people to fishing, it would have to be the sunfish. (Bluegills, pumpkinseeds, and the like)

When I started fishing a few years back, I loved catching bluegills, and they were usually happy to oblige.  As long as they were biting, my kids and I were happy.   You don’t even need anything more than a little wormskin on your hook and they will almost fight each other for it!

Last summer was when I began to view them as a pest when fishing.  I was learning how to fish for Largemouth bass and enjoyed Texas rigging a live nightcrawler.  Unfortunately, the sunfish enjoyed them too.  SO, I learned how to fish soft plastics.

This winter, I didn’t get to fish for four months.  I was even fantasizing about rigging up a teeny tiny hook and fishing for my Beta fish….  To look at him close up, he resembles a real small colorful Bass.  Bob survived the fishing blues that I was having though, and still swims happily in his tank along with three leftover bait minnows.

I did get out in February and go fly-fishing.  I caught a nice Brown trout, and it sure felt good.  The next time that I went out fishing was late April, I think.  My first fish to catch in the local pond, was a three-inch bluegill, and I was ecstatic to see it in my hand!

That was when I realized just how important sunfish are to us.  I am not a pan-fisherman, but to me, sunfish are one of the most important fish we have.  They are great for children to catch, they feed many of the more popular gamefish out there, and they can break the monotony of a skunked fishing trip.

You know what else?  I did some research on them, and the big males are called Bull Bluegills.  Have you ever seen a bull bluegill?  What a tough looking fish!  I caught a small bull bluegill this spring, and if I had access to more and bigger ones, I’d make pan fish trips!  Oh yeah!

~ FisherMOM ~ Mother of two, married to my best friend, nature photographer,and fishing fanatic! S&K Guides’ Woman Angler of the Year ’04 Visit www.thefishermom.com to learn more about me and my fishing adventures.