Most productive bluegill lake in USA?

[DaleDor]

Hi guys.

Sunfish/bream (bluegills, shellcrackers, etc.) are a fun little fish for kids to catch (big kids too, on a fly rod!)

My question is: nationwide, what’s the very best lake/pond for sunfish fishing, in your opinion?

Let’s limit this discussion to waterways with either “larger” or “normal-sized” sunfish, and not ones with only “real tiny” sunfish.

Thanks!

Dale D.

[ 09-07-2002, 04:43 PM: Message edited by: DaleDor ]

[hawgcatcher]

I used to fish a lake up near Spokane called Chapman Lake. Had lots of nice fish in it. Fun to catch and some big ones. I loved it.

The biggest ones that I have caught were actually from the Willamette above the falls at Oregon City. Don't know if there still are that many or not. Some of the back waters had some ones over a pound. Fun place to grow up at.

[BuKuBass]

As a kid, I thot it was Copeland's pond. But "nationwide"?? how could you ascertain such a thing? :whazzup:

[GutshotApe]

Don't know about nationally but the largest bluegills I've seen came from Conradi's Pond in Cowlitz County, Wash. near Silver Lake (which is full of tons of small bluegills). Conradi had 9 inchers :grin: .

[rebell]

Maybe not qaulity, but qaunity Tenmile is tough to beat. 100 fish on a fly rod using small black popppers is not uncomen. on a 5 weight fly rod, its nothing short of a blast.

[bassfishingnw]

Swafford Pond, near Riffe lake in Mossyrock Washington always hold big numbers and decent size!!!

:cheers:

[willametteriveroutlaw]

When I was a small kid me and my dad went to Pelican Lake in norther mn. Atleast at that time it was considered the premier bluegill lake in the U.S. I think I still have some pictures of me with about 10 or 10-12 inchers.

[tag-a-long]

Cataract lake in Owen county indiana. best sunfish around. crickets are the ticket. :cool:

[lor]

As a child, I can remember catching bluegill in Tx, we called them bream or perch, they never got any bigger than 4 ". Only children and little old ladies fished for them.

However, when I moved to Madison, WI,
and fished lake Mendota, I saw bluegill caught 9-12" long. People in that part of the country buy bass boats just to fish for sunfish.

[happybrew]

As a kid I fished Lopez Lake in California, and caught quite a few really big bluegill. Average size was 7 inches, but I caught quite a few from 9 to 13 inches, plus crappy averaging 12 inches. A yellow wooly worm was the ticket for the big ones, fished just outside the weeds in the spring.

happybrew

[Whopper Stopper]

Close to home, I used to fish Skookum lake near Newburg, in the spring before the algae bloom. They were nice 7-8" fish and an occasional Bass just for fun. It was a private lake that you stuffed an envelope with $2 into a slot in the owner garage to drive though their field down to the lake. I haven't been there in ten years. Anyone have an update?

[Born to Fish]

Up until about two years ago I'd have to say it was a small body of water outside Boise, Idaho. Indian Creek Reservoir is right off I-84, just 15 miles east of town. A person could go there and routinely catch big 'gills from 9-11" and I heard folks talk about catching them up to about 13-14" [never saw that but had some whoppers easily break off my ultra-lite tackle]. Unfortunately this honey-hole is completely dried up now due to the extended drought. The creek stopped flowing into the reservoir about 3-4 years ago. A real shame, not only because of the 'gill fishery loss, but also the bass. The state was managing it for trophy fishery - couldn't keep any between 12-16" in size. Yeh, guess what?!? At its peak, about 3-4 years ago, you could go out there and easily catch 60-100+ on a good day in that 12-16" range. But alas, now it is only a memory. Bummer! :whazzup:

[SailCat]

Whopper Stopper-

We used to have a great time at Skookum catching large crappies and good-sized yellow perch. A buddy of mine did well targeting bass (while his wife rowed the boat!) and the bullheads were some of the largest I've seen anywhere.

A few years ago, the house which offered access changed hands and they no longer allow people to cross the land to the lake.

If anyone has information with regard to another access point to this body of water, *please* Email me. I'd love to try it in the spring!

~MT
The Guide's Forecast (http://theguidesforecast.com)

[DaleDor]

Good info, guys!

[Whopper Stopper]

I wonder if a harmless guy like me could introduce myself to the new owners and gain access to these fisherman-less bonanzas. We all dream of getting a place like that to ourselves. Also I haven't heard anyone talk about Barnes Butte Lake over by Prineville. It's a pay to fish lake that for years was the place to go for huge bluegill. Image paying to catch bluegill... that tells you the quality of the fishing. Now they bill themselves as a trophy trout pay-to-fish place. Anyone have any experiance there? graemlins/idea.gif

[BassMan]

I read on this messages board a couple of months ago that skookem pond had changed owners and the new owners dont allow public fishing there! :depressed:

[Big Smizz]

A buddy of mine and I had heard of Skookum Lake and nearby Horseshoe Lake (2 miles west of St. Paul). Not knowing both were closed, we attempted, on Tuesday, to head up to the area from Salem and fish these ponds for bass. Horseshoe lake looks like a SWEET bass fishing hole and the information I had (Fishing in Oregon Vol. 4) said that it was open for a small fee. We got to Horseshoe and found that it was posted everywhere No Trespassing and it was privat property surrounding the whole lake. So we decided to drive to Skookum and were prepared to pay a fee to access the lake. The only road going in the Skookum was posted and we saw no place to pay, so I assume it is now closed as well. This is the most recent, up to date information as of Tues, 9/10/02. Anyone know how to access these lakes? They look like great fishing holes.

-Mike

[ 09-12-2002, 01:20 PM: Message edited by: Big Smizz ]

[Plugcutter]

Samuel Calvin, author of "Bluegill on a Bobber" and "Ultimate Crappie" spoke in March at an Oregon Bass and Panfish meeting. He had a mounted Bluegill that you'd find hard to believe. It must have weighted 2 1/2 lbs (two and one half pounds)!!! He had photos of the fish he caught when he got this prize form some lake in Montana. Contact Oregon Bass and Panfish President Herb Doumitt, Jr. at 503-844-8844 or Information Director Jack Webster at 503-282-2852 for information on the author.

Join the Club for more information. You can't go wrong if you're into panfish.

I've caught Blugill to 9 1/4" in Henry Hagg Lk.

[willametteriveroutlaw]

OFC has acess to Skookum atleast part of the year now.

[DaleDor]

I've read that Okeechobee in Florida and Toledo Bend in Texas are probably the two best sunfish lakes in the country.

I also caught a ton of them last month at Moses Lake in central Washington...some decent size to some of them, too.

I've heard Silver Lake by Mt. St. Helens has lots, but are very small.

Any further thoughts on these or other lakes, guys!?

[Threemuch]

There are thousands of lakes in northern Wisconsin, UP Michigan and Minnesota loaded with 10-14" sunfish, plus rock bass and monsterous yellow perch. Makes for good ice fishing.

[Ex-military]

I grew up in St Paul and we used to fish Skookum a lot. Used to be you could drive up from the north along the west side of the outlet creek. I don't know if that farm road is still open tho so no gurantees.

[Plugcutter]

I guess that I should change my post from the 15th. I've now caught Bluegill to 9 3/4" in Hagg Lk. My Honey caught one on the same day that was 9 1/2 inches.