Bluegill

Weight:  4 pounds

Length: 16 inches

Diet:   Small fish, Invertebrates

Also known as bream, sun perch, pond perch, perch or sunfish, bluegill prefer shallow, slow moving water in off-channel habitat, such as oxbow lakes, sloughs, chutes and tributaries.

A good time to catch bluegill is during their spawning season, which runs from mid-May (water temperature nearing 68 degrees) through mid-June. Bluegill use their tail fins to "fan out" saucer-shaped nests over sand or gravel in shallow water (2- to 4-feet deep). Male bluegills constantly guard their nests and a small artificial lure cast close to a nest will often catch them.

After spawning, bluegill move to deep water with cover (for example, submerged stumpfields, sunken trees, grapevines) where they remain until the river freezes. Experienced ice anglers also fish these areas. Bluegill bite on a variety of natural baits, such as earthworms, crickets, grasshoppers, wax worms and meal worms. A variety of artificial lures, including small popping bugs