DANDIES!

Thanks guys for the replies! Pond fishing for Gills is hard to beat. Jim: Yes sir, you are right on the money. Taking a bunch of those gills out would help the condition of that pond a lot. For what we can see there are very few predator fish there. As for the owner allowing any fish to leave? I guess I will just have to ask!

Nice Fish. Looks like you guys have one heck of a "honey hole"! I did a little checking up on the Georgia Giants and found out that they were produced from a fish farm in Georgia and they are under a patent. Some articles stated that the fish grows faster than the standard sunfish and crappie and they can get up to five to six pounds. I also read that the Georgia Giants have been stocked in numerous ponds,lakes,and rivers through out the United States. They seem to be a very interesting fish. Again those are some super fish. Good job guys.



Side Note: Chuck. You should PM me the location of that pond!

Caught this one today. Had another similar a couple weeks ago. Both on a senko!

Impressive size!

Nice ones "Fish&Coach". Those are HUGE! Also thanks "Fish&Coach and Curtis for the replies! Curtis: That is some good information. Based on what I have read and was told by other anglers the Georgia Giants are supposed to grow fast,and get big. Can you imagine catching 3 to 5 pound fish. They are also some super fighters.

Nice Fish "NDN98". Starting to love those Georgia Giants.




Side Note: I have caught Bluegill/Redear mix, Bluegill/Redbreast mix,and other hybrid sunfish. I have not caught a Bluegill/Green mix at least I don't think I have. I would love to see a stocked sunfish that can get up to 3 to 5 pounds. That would be awesome.

Keep in mind that 95% of the articles online about Georgia Giants were posted by the people who sell them - this has been widely observed not just by me but many others in the fish business. They present their posts as though random anglers had made them, but such is not the case. Also, there was a long discussion that went on over a good period of time on another forum frequented by some of the most knowledgeable bluegill experts in the country, and one of said experts had a very bad experience with these fish, actually posted photos of severely deformed fingerlings he had been sent as part of his order.

Another thing to consider is that they like any hybrid between two different species are subject to outbreeding depression, which can be summed up by saying that the first generation is the only one that has the exceptional genetic potential, and by the time you get to the third or fourth generation - and remember, bluegill spawn multiple times a year, and they can spawn at three inches, so that third generation can come around pretty quickly - most of the fish will have genes that are dramatically inferior to their grandparents, inferior even to a pure-strain stunted bluegill. The very worst pond I ever worked with in terms of trying to get the bluegill big in it, was a four-acre one that had these fish stocked in it a few years prior to my involvement, such that by the time I came along they were already overpopulated and the gene pool was pretty miserable. These inferior F-2s, F-3s, etc. will also spawn with the pure-strain bluegill in the pond, and more often than not it happens that the poorest genes of both parents predominate in the offspring. What you end up with is a pond full of 2-3" bluegill that wouldn't reach one pound, much less three or five, if you fed them twenty-four hours a day.

If you want outsized bluegill you're much better off with pure-strain coppernose. I have seen photos of many, many coppernose over three pounds; the California state record bluegill caught in 1998 was a coppernose that weighed 3-14. But I have never seen a hybrid bluegill, Georgia Giant or otherwise, over two pounds. I caught a hybrid that weighed right at two pounds in July of last year; but the owner of that pond caught a northern-strain bluegill a year earlier that he claims was 10" tall and 14" long (he didn't get a photo). And of course the world-record bluegill was a northern-strain, as were most of the state records over three pounds. Multiple studies have shown that hybrid bluegill grow faster than northern-strain initially, but eventually their growth plateaus and the northern-strain, under ideal conditions, catch and pass them.

Thanks TN Pond manager that is some good info.

There is so much to know about different spices of fish. For what I am learning there is a huge difference between a public water body and a private pond or lake. In a private water body the lake or pond can be managed by taking out a certain amount of fish each year where as a public water body the fish count would be hard to manage. I can see that if certain types of fish are stocked in a public water body they could have a very negative effect on that water body if not managed. Would love to see some more independent studies on the Georgia Giants. You are right "TN Pond Manager" there are few studies out there.

Great information TN Pond Manager. Thanks for sharing.

purebred greenies is the way to go if you want big ferocious sunfish imo. I'd love to have a pond of these guys with plenty 2+... they are pound for pound one of the most fun freshwater fish I've encountered, never mind the stunning looks!

Purebred green sunfish will not make it to two pounds. The IGFA world record for the species is only 2 lbs. 2 oz. The Texas record is 1 lb. 3.5 oz. In contrast, the IGFA record bluegill weighed 4 lbs. 12 oz.; the Texas record is 2.02 lbs. For my state, the green sunfish record is 1 lb. 4 oz., while the two record bluegill (they tied) weighed 3 lbs.

Oh, I was under the impression they got to the 2-3lb range in pure bred form... ah well. 4lb is nuts for a pure bluegill too, let alone nearly 5lb... gawwwwwdang!

I guess the Redear is going to have to be the giant of the big Sunfish (excluding the LMB).