Bream heaven.

I've always had a soft spot for bream fishing since I grew up chasing them throughout the tiny creeks behind my house as a kid. But I was able to experience the greatest bream fishing trip of my life last Sunday while out with Waco_kid. I have never seen so many monster bream come out of the water in one day. I don't mean monster as in your average large fish but we caught many many fish over 10" and the fish I usually consider keepers all went back in the water since they obviously had some growing to do compared to their brothers and sisters. It would be a dishonor to yourself to not take this man up on one of his guided trips.

Nice Haul! Good job.





Side Note: Getting hungry for some Bluegill!

Nice Catch. Fish fry coming soon!

We only caught 500 or so. They should be fine. All kidding aside, I sure hope the number of fish we harvested didn't have a negative impact on this body of water. Especially since we didn't concentrate in one area very long and also came no where near fishing 1% of the area in this lake. Many species were caught which should decrease the chances of damage. However, if we have impacted this body of water I'm sure there's some pretty well educated individuals not far away that can rectify this situation. Say, we did keep even the smaller fish, would we have further impacted the general sunfish population by over fishing? I'm not sure where this line may be or by which manner I should walk it in order to be a positive impact for the habitat. I always try to do my best to respect nature and the animals that live there. If there is truly a problem here please enlighten me further and I will definitely keep that in mind when I return.

Tn while in part I agree with you . That being said I believe that happens on ponds and small lakes . I think certain lakes have what it takes to produce big fish in big quantities for many years . I have seen a few great lakes ruined from over harvesting . I do not think this is the case on this particular body of water . IMHO

I'm no avid bluegill fisherman. I fish maybe 5 times a year and this is the first time I've caught bluegill like this in my life. Not to mention the other four trips are always for crappie but that a whole different lecture. I kept so many because my family and I enjoy nothing more than a big mess of fried bluegill. None will go to waste in any way unless there's a spare piece of two after the meal of which my dogs will thoroughly enjoy. I have no shame in this situation and I will most likely repeat this trip next year. Respectfully, I honestly don't care how you feel about this situation. Good luck in growing your bluegill to enormous sizes and then watching them die a natural death so the turtles can feed on their corpse. I prefer to see them soaked in grease.

I find it baffling that some people feel the need to [censored] all over the way that other people live their lives.

As long as what the OP did was within his or her legal right, why do you feel the need to disparage him/her? If you feel that passionately about it, work to change the laws. There is plenty of precedent with slot limits. If you are afraid that the bluegill fishery in TX (or any other state) will be severely impacted by keeping the keeping and cleaning of large bluegills, then what have you done to get the laws changed?

Also, the articles that you posted have no actual data in them, just some anecdotal comments from the writers that their favorite bluegill places no longer have "big panfish". And in regards to the study that was conducted 25 years ago in a Canadian lake, all they did was prove that nature works. Of course if you remove the larger fish that tends the nest, a smaller one will come in an fertilize the eggs. What they didn't do is figure how the reproductive cycle works in Southern lakes where the growing seasons are a lot longer and some fish go through two spawns per season. I would be interested to see this same study done in a Southern reservoir studying the strains of bluegill (greenies, redears, etc) that are prevalent down here where the lakes don't ice over in the winter.

To the OP. Great catch and I hope you had a blast!

I for one agree with TN. There is really no excuse for keeping a large cooler of fish. I used to think you could not hurt the population of a large lake with a rod and reel, but I have changed my mind over a fishing career spanning 7 decades. Keeping a dozen or two for a meal is one thing. Keeping a cooler full is another.

The same applies to other fish. I hate to see pictures posted of the back of a pickup or boat filled with crappie, catfish, or sand bass. At least the TPWD imposed limits somewhat protect those species.

No excuse huh? For what reason do I need an excuse, I'm confused. All I can tell you two highly opinionated gentleman is get your butts out there and get in on the fun before I catch every last one out of the lake.

Ignore the troll and it will go away. As for the topic at hand all I can say is this. I've been catching and keeping buckets full of BIG Bream from that lake sense 1985 and guess what THEY'RE STILL THERE!!! It is an 1800 acre lake, not some community pond. TN book a trip with me and I'll prove it. I have this Sunday open...

If Tpw does not impose a creel limit then I can not see why people should not have a choice on amount kept . They argue about keeping a lot of bass or crappie . There is a creel limit . If you kept more you are in violation of a law . If and when there is an imposed creel limit of panfish I will obey it . Til then to each their own . This was a fun topic meant to let people know about a great place with a great guide . Live and let live

+1

One thing to consider in those studies is fishing pressure. The lakes in Illinois and Wisconsin (30+yrs resident) have a lot more people that fish for gills. I'd be willing to bet that when the gills are spawning almost 90% of the people on those lakes are fishing for gills. I have found that to be the exact opposite down here. My last 2 times on this lake I found hardly anyone fishing for them.

Doubt me? Just look to see how many people look at the bluegill section on this forum, usually there are more people looking at the rough fish section...

Here we go again. We all see what bass fishing has become, Lord, please don't let someone say they ate one. And the catfish elites are working hard to make it shameful to take a few home to eat. But now the gills. Getting slamed for taking a bunch home to eat. How freaking stupid can it get.

Nobody gets grief over keeping some fish to eat, bass or other wise. Look in the recipe section, lots of bass eating fans. Nobody is throwing a fit about people eating catfish either.

It's going out and intentionally targeting the biggest specimens for the table that people don't like...... It's no different than running trotlines on twok during the winter and keeping 25 blues over 50lbs. Perfectly legal but shouldn't be.

That's your opinion. And I disagree. Go look at the posts slamming someone for cleaning bass at a cleaning station. It's there, you just look past it.

I will keep the big gills all day long.

Comparing a fish that on average lives 6-8 years (11 if it's lucky) with a 30+yr old catfish is simply dumb.

Also don't forget that gills can start spawning at 4 months of age. Add that to the fact that they spawn 2 to 3 times a year in Texas.

There is a reason Texas doesn't have them listed as a game fish...

Did they have to stop cleaning it? No, they ate it, just like I will if I wanted to. Just like the owner of this thread, gonna be eating big gill fillets for a while. Might offend but not illegal. I'm not worried about bass guys getting pizzy if I eat a bass anymore than the trotliners are worried about me when leaving with a truck load full of giant cats.

Limits on big gill at Athens wouldn't hurt a thing. Just like the one over 30" rule for catfish wouldn't hurt anybody. Too many people freak out over new regs before thinking about what they could help.

What exactly would it help??

I would think that the lake right next to the Texas freshwater fishery center is already managed pretty well.

Now if the number of people fishing for gills increases to numbers like in Wisconsin , well then I would agree on a limit.

Nice Haul! I usually let the 10 plus inch fish go for breeding purposes. If I do keep Sunfish they are usually the 7 to 8 inch ones. This is just me. For each their own as long as it's legal! Again nice mess of fish. Good job.

in the immortal words of TO: Get your popcorn ready!

The way to insure a good fishery is to harvest it. I manage a couple of small lakes and the hardest part is keeping the right balance of predators versus prey. Too many small bass means too few bluegills have a chance to grow. I love it when the bluegills are big because that almost guarantees that there will be BIG bass. Bluegills are fast breeders and in most cases they are more likely to over populate a lake and be over fished. The big ones are your breeders and removing them helps the balance. Bull Bream are SMART. You seldom catch many in one trip. When you do it means that there are too many around. LOL, there is no way that this sort of harvest is going to be a regular thing and it has little effect on the general population. The absolute worst situation is when they over populate and get so thin you can read a paper through them. I often take a hundred bass in a single outing. I don't do it often and I usually don't keep the 16" to 22" fish. The hogs I measure and mark and release but that is so the owners can catch them and mount them.

I suspect that they are mostly just jealous. I've had the same response to a few pictures that I've shown of my big harvests. They just can't understand what it takes to make a great fishery.

Those are a bunch of trophies!

My , I believe culling is important, but I also believe there is no need to keep multiple dozens of 9-11" gills unless you are feeding 50 people, but that probably only happens to a few people a few times a year. This topic gets brought up all the time, for all different species. People have there own ways and beliefs and thats what makes the world great. Keep it legal and it's all good in my book.

I was also raised to leave a place cleaner than when I showed up so I try to remove trash when it's reasonable to do.

There is a certain internal satisfaction of being a good steward to fisheries and environment. I've seen people watch me pick up old cans or whatever and then see them do it.

You can also bet reports like this will put more pressure on the lake. There are lots of lurkers in all the sections that don't post, just read reports looking for the easy way to find spots. Examples include Tawak for Blues, Stripers, hybrids-- Hubbard for Hybrids/Sandies and LM,-- Texoma for Stripers,-- Fork for LM and so on. Some people blurry out the background cause after a report the next day there are 10-20 boats in that area or a bank is covered up in people.

So, back to the OP.

Nice fish....Bet you had a blast. You had a great day of fishing and it brought back memories from your youth.

Just what the great outdoors is all about. Enjoy....

Second hand smoke and fishing, really? That's worse than your catfish vs gills comparison.

Complain to the state. Or just keep

Don't hate the player hate the game!! We took 35 keepers off of 8 spots... You want a slot/creel then lobby!!! I have no prob w/that!!! I was raised in the MS Delta.. It is apparent you have very little experience with BIG TIME GILL FISHING!!!!!! SEE YA!!!!

That cooler full of bream look like the ones I use to catch out of Brandywine on the Ark side of the Miss. Awesome job and I know it was a Blast! Moving to the Waco area from south alabama where I fished Eufaula/Chattahoochee to the the gulf on the Apalachicola. You know what hurt this areas gills and shellcrackers populations... was Flatheads. (Texas loves Flatheads..they don't here) I have been lurking for a month or so learning and reading about the lakes within a hour or so. Fish populations ebbs and flows. You stay in the rules.. no problem from me.

I grew up fishing & hunting on Brandywine outstanding spot. I think it's up for sale? I did noticed they are offering Deer & Duck Hunts this year 2015/2016

Seriously? Someone is getting grief about catching a bunch of bream? The last 3 trips I've been out on I cleaned 125, 215 and 275. This over a 2 year period. I don't go very often so when I do we make it count. The kids love it and they are great to eat and they are prolific spawners. I've never heard a Texas lake being over fished for bream. Maybe I'm wrong.

To the OP great job and no problem keeping them to clean.

Bluegill are a prolific breeding fish. I've fished private lakes around the Athens-Tyler corridor back in the '80's and I can tell ya, out there, there's enough bream to shingle your house and your neighbor's with in a couple weekend's worth of fishing.

Scott

Wow, some people biatch about anything. I've been on bream fishing trips to Fork and Sandlin with my FIL and brought back 350-400 bream a trip. The funny thing we did it year after year. Mentioning the blurring out thing, that's stupid too. Some people honestly believe they "own" certain areas of a "public" lake. I've never heard anyone complain about a bag limit of bream except here on the TFF. I didn't see the criticizing post, I guess it was deleted. Tear them up kingcarl, did I miss what lake you were accused of stealing bream?

Let me say first of all I'm no biologist with several degrees but I'm just an old man who has fished for 60+ years and I've seen those times when there were not many limits on the amount of fish you could catch.
White bass for instance are as prolific spawners next to the bluegills that you can get, and the best part is there were no limits on the lakes and rivers I fished in south Texas.
I'm guessing here, but it was back in the early 70's just before someone decided that there were just too many white bass ((sand bass) being caught and that we needed limits placed on them.
Now let me say that it was not uncommon to go out just about any time during the spawn and catch 300+ when conditions were right, and it was year, after year, after year with no let up.
Nature has a way, and removing fish makes more room for more fish to fill the void. You let the fish over populate and nature takes over and limits the populations for you.
Now back to my point! Immediately after the state put the limits on the white bass the amount of fish you caught began to dwindle. Now instead of catching over 300 a day you started seeing a rapid decline, and it soon became a struggle as it is today to consistently catch a limit of 25 per person.
You can do it easily when things are just right but overall it's nowhere like it was before the limits were put in place.
Call me just a crazy old man, but I know what I've observed, and I'm not going to buy into the old, "well there are more people fishing now than back then!"
There are actually fewer people fishing that same river I fished then back in the day, simply because they can't catch a limit!
So go ahead and put a limit on bream and see what happens, but just remember these days, because they will be the "good old days!" and it will all end if they put a limit on them. Mark my words!

With all due respect, rainfall and flow have more to do with white bass proliferation than anything else short of GA or some other water born illness or bloom.

To the OP, I'm glad you got out there and had a load of fun. Since you say you are not an avid bluegill man, let me pass on a little info I have learned from a bunch of avid bluegill folk who have in turn made me a lifelong bluegill man. Bluegill are not unlike anything else that passes along its genes. Big bluegill make big bluegill; small bluegill make small bluegill. The more big bluegill you take out of any body of water the less big bluegill will get made, and consequently, more small bluegill will be spawn. Not only that, but there have been studies done in the past that have stated that larger bluegill with superior genes bully smaller bluegill off of nest and out of prime spawning areas, especially during prime spawning times. While I can't supply these studies here right now, I'm sure you'd agree that we see this behavior throughout nature and across many different species. This is the reason that a lot of dyed in the wool bluegill guys have turned to selective harvest in the same way northern crappie guys, pond and small lake guys and trophy game management folk have. That's what all the hubbub and lively debate is about.

I can also tell you that most professional and respected guides do everything they can to manage whatever resource they are making a living off of no matter what their field of expertise is. They do not just take. They pay attention to what they and their clients take and they pay attention to long term fishing patterns and long term harvest patterns amongst other factors that can make or break their home water/s, because that can make or break their business. I couldn't tell you if that describes Waco Kid or not. What I know about him are just what I read from his posts. Just a little food for thought.