By Norman Latona

Two pound bluegill are rare. Heck, one pound bluegill are rare. But I've seen them; I've held them in my hands, weighed them on digital scales, photographed them, marveled at them and released them back into the water from whence they came. Where did I catch them, you ask. Well. I must admit, only occasionally was traditional fishing tackle involved. Electrofishing makes professional fishermen out of most anybody; electrofishing in ponds with feeders makes "catching" giant bluegill a relative cinch!

My first experience with feeding bluegill goes back a few years, to the mid 1980"s; my days in schools at Auburn. Dr. Bill Davies, fisheries professor and fellow pond enthusiast, taught "Management of Small Impoundments" and had been managing his own personal pond for years. He walked into class one day, carrying a small cooler. "I caught a few bream this morning," he said. "Ya'll come on up and take a look at them."

We all eagerly shuttled to the front of the classroom and peered down into Dr. Davies' cooler. Inside, on ice, were four of the largest bluegill I had ever seen. Every one of them males, there heads lit up with the distinctive bronze or copper color associated with the coppernose variety of bluegill, they looked almost abnormal. From head to tail, they had lumps and protrusions, nearly busting out of their skins; their bellies were impressive and each of them measured a full inch or more across the back.

I knew I was witnessing greatness. While I was quite certain they did not rival the state or world records (better than five pounds), I imagined that they all were much closer to that size range than any bluegill I had ever seen before; clearly "world-class" fish! As if reading our minds, Dr. Davies put us to the test:

"Tell me what they weigh." he said. "They are all within a few ounces of one another, and I want you to tell me what you think they weigh,"After much discussion it was decided that the largest among them weighed nearly three pounds (some thought definitely more!) and that the smallest weighed two pounds or better. Confidently, we settled on these weights, even being cocky enough to convert English weight to grams (one pound +454 grams), so as to impress our now grinning professor.

"Why leave any room for doubt?" asked Dr. Davies. "Weigh each one and write the weights on the board," he said, producing a scale from a cabinet. We all looked on in amazement, some more than others, as the weights of each of the giant coppernose bluegill were recorded. The largest of the four weighed 815 grams, roughly 1 pound 13 ounces; the smallest weighed just under a pound and a half. All four were well below the two and a half to three pounds we had guessed. Most of us just couldn't believe it. Surely something was wrong with the scale. We had all caught pound-plus bluegill before, right? None of them, at least none that I had ever caught, were even close to as big as the four fish I was looking at. How could this be?

Dr. Davies did his best to explain: "Pound-plus bluegill are rare animals. So rare in fact, are pound-plus bluegill," Dr. Davies preached, "That I would venture to guess that few of you have ever actually had your hands on one. And two pound bluegill. . .Well, I would be willing to bet that none of you have ever seen one. Truth is, I fished for over a week, trying my best to catch a bluegill over two pounds and this was the closest I could come. And these fish came from my pond. . .Believe me, I've got two pound-plus bluegill in my pond!" As we all sat humbled by the fact that we, a bunch of "fisheries" guys who supposedly knew a little something about freshwater gamefish, had been so conspicuously duped by Dr. Davies' "Experiment", he didn't make us ask the obvious question.

"These fish have been fed," Dr. Davies explained. "Not fed in the sense that you are used to thinking about, as in high density aquaculture operations, but fed a commercial ration specifically formulated as a supplemental ration for bluegill. Without feeding, I doubt any of this would be possible, even in a pond that is so carefully limed, fertilized and "balanced" through proper harvest. As for why you all thought they weighed much more than they do, you just taught yourself a lesson in the power of exaggeration, a subject fishermen across the world are quite famous for!"

Some 15 years; later, I've heard countless "tales" of two pound-plus bluegill and I've actually seen a few: but then again, I've done a bunch of electrofishing in some pretty fair ponds. And I do believe in the power of supplemental feeding! There is no question that producing world-class bluegill in ponds may be accomplished without supplemental feeding. The question is, why in heck would you even want to try? I cannot say for sure how many bluegill in excess of one pound that I have weighed over the years. I can say with certainty, however, that the vast majority of them came from ponds which practice supplemental feeding. And generally, ponds witch produce pound-plus bluegill, produce numbers of them, not just an occasional giant.

Bluegill are notoriously slow-growers. While bluegill may grow rapidly from juveniles to sexual maturity (sometimes within a few short months) and even grow to a "respectable" harvestable size within a year or so, it takes many years to grow a bluegill to true trophy size. Most bluegill which weigh over a pound are at least four years old. Bluegill which attain a size of two pounds or better are most definitely at least five years of age. Research suggests that bluegill in ponds do not routinely live beyond five to six years of age; this narrow window of growth opportunity allows little room for periods of flat or marginal growth. It is unlikely that, under "natural" conditions, the trend of growth required to produce these unusually large bluegill may be sustained essentially without interruption. It is precisely the sustained presence of a high quality diet that allows bluegill to attain remarkable weights. Conveniently, the practice of supplemental feeding accomplishes this.

And I don't mean to diminish the value of other common pond management practices such as liming, fertilizing and harvest. Quite the contrary, these inputs represent the cornerstone of proper pond management. Supplemental feeding is like value added; it is, pardon the cliche', like "icing on the cake." Other important pond management practices aside, however, here are a few suggestions as you consider implementing or modifying a supplemental feeding program:


Use Automated Feeders:
While it is theoretically possible to "Hand-feed" bluegill in a pond I have yet to see it done effectively. Bluegill will not consume much at once: they have relatively small stomachs and will eat only until they are satisfied. Automated feeders may be conveniently programmed to broadcast smaller amounts of feed throughout the day rather than larger amounts once or twice per day. In addition, although occasionally requiring a little maintenance automated feeders NEVER "forget", NEVER have to take the kids to a baseball game and NEVER mind feeding in the rain. Remember what I mentioned earlier, the key to producing huge bluegill is a sustained high quality diet. Automated feeders take care of the "sustained" part, all you have to do is keep them full. Hand-feed all you want, just make sure you "back yourself up" with automated feeders.

How many feeders do you need? If your objective is growing "trophy" size bluegill, I recommend at least one feeder for every 5-6 surface acres. I cannot support this recommendation with hard science, but I have dealt with a bunch of ponds and a bunch of feeding programs. Maybe it has something to do with spreading out the ration over a large areas; in some cases one or two feeders is not adequate to supply the feeding demands of the fish. Whatever the case, two feeders on a 25 acre lake never seems to be enough, while four always does the trick.

What type feeder is best? That depends on your need. Sweeney makes a great directional feeder. Moultrie manufactures an economical directional alternative. Remington brand feeders are gaining popularity. Some models are made to sit in the water, on floats. Others have "remote control" units which allow you to set them off from 100 feet away. Most are powered by rechargeable batteries and equipped with solar recharging panels. Call me, I'll give you my thoughts. The folks at Mark's Outdoors will do the same.

Feed 'Um What They'll Eat:
If you are new to supplemental feeding, you will soon realize that getting your fish to eat can be a trick in itself. Bluegill are naturally programmed to feed on the bottom. Despite the fact that wildlife artists almost always depict large bluegill "slurping" insects at the water's surface, in reality bluegill spend the majority of their feeding efforts foraging around in the mud for bugs and worms. It may take your fish a while to realize that those floating pellets you keep sending their way are actually high protein food and that you mean well. Typically, a few brave souls "get with the program" within a couple of weeks and show the rest their newfound treasure. Eventually, they will eat; I've yet to see a case where they refused to eat floating fish food. Sometimes, it does take a little while.

That being said, feed 'um what they'll eat. In other words, monitor consumption and adjust accordingly. Initially, program the feeders to distribute only a handful of feed several times per day. Ultimately, provide the fish what they will consume in roughly 15 minutes of feeding. Do not exceed a total daily feeding of 10 pounds/acre. This is particularly important in small ponds (less than 2-3 acres) but usually of no concern in larger lakes. Feeding in excess of 10 pounds/acre/day may lead to problems with the dissolved oxygen content in the water and can cause fish kills.

It will be necessary to adjust the feeding rates seasonally. Bluegill, like all fish, are cold-blooded. Their metabolisms are governed by the temperature of the water. During the severe heat of the summer and the extreme cold of the winter, feeding activity will be diminished. Peak feeding periods are typically spring, early summer and fall. I have frequently witnessed bluegill feeding voraciously in December and January, so do not be afraid to leave the feeds running in the winter. Put simply, feed them what they will eat!

Use the Right Kind Of Fish Food:
The nutritional content of the fish food you choose is much less important than the size and consistency of the material. Most commercially prepared catfish foods have more than adequate protein levels (32-36%) for feeding bluegill. Some however, are NOT ideally suited for flowing freely through automated feeders. Feeds with a high oil content, for example, tend to "clump" together, preventing free passage through many feeders. Other feeds are notorious for being too dry and may end up as powder before they make it to the pond.

Feed size, the diameter of the average size pellet, may be important. Again, feeds which are too large or to small may not work well in some feeders. In addition, large pellets may be ideal for adult catfish, but less than so for small bluegill.

For my money, I think Purina Game Fish Chow is the best. While it may not be the cheapest, the pellet size (1/8-1/4") is ideal and every bag is the same. If cost or availability are a problem, there are others that work; you'll just have to experiment.

Supplemental feeding of bluegill is an effective and rewarding management input. If you want to increase your odds of growing a true trophy, give it a try. By the way, I did finally get a chance to fish in Dr. Davies' pond; I never did catch that two-pounder!

Norman Latona may be reached at Southern Pond management, Inc.
His telephone number is 205-664-5596.