You’ve just caught the fish of a lifetime. It’s massive and the powerful fight exceeded that of a comparable-sized bass or trout. The humpheaded fish stretches from your index finger to just past your wristband and is too wide to grasp in one hand. Herculean bluegills are too rare to catch only once. This fish is every bit the trophy as those frontrunners that fuel the fishing economy with tournaments and travel.
For the past 40 years, much of my angling effort has been in chasing magnum bluegills and other sunfish species throughout the mid-Atlantic, from Maryland’s Deep Creek Lake to Virginia’s Tidewater region and the deep, clear impoundments of central Pennsylvania. The millponds of the Delmarva Peninsula have also produced memorable trips. More often, though, giants are found close to home, in lightly fished private and public waters where anglers overlook high-quality panfishing in favor of bass or trout.
Dimensions of trophy-class bluegills vary regionally, with southern waters yielding more giants than northern climes. True freaks—fish that approach and even exceed 2 pounds—can show up in any state but remain rare catches everywhere. More realistic trophy status are fish from 10 to 12 inches long and over a pound. Bluegills that size are rare, too, and require catch and release to sustain a fishery.
Over the years, I’ve caught and released nearly 400 bluegills, redears, and hybrid sunfish that exceeded 10 inches in length. But I’ve yet to catch that elusive 12-incher, a coveted true 2-pounder. Few anglers see such a panfish in their lifetime. Catching a 10-pound largemouth is far easier than landing a 2-pound bluegill. But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying.
Researching Locations
Bluegills don’t receive the research and effort from fishery biologists and anglers that other species do. Except for a few fish camps in Florida, bluegill guide trips are rare, so good information is critical if you plan to travel for Goliath ’gills. Perhaps the best way to find hawg ’gill waters is to check listings of local contest winners. Baitshops and word of mouth often lead to quality bluegills, as well.
Recently, while researching public lakes in the Tidewater area of Virginia, I found excellent information. On the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries website, vdgif.state.va.us, were reports on current fishery management strategies and population size structures, plus totals on citation catches.
The lake I fished as a child, Lake Prince, has remained a top producer of bluegills over 11 inches, minimum size for a Virginia state citation. This 946-acre lake, which drains two major cypress swamps, averages from 150 to 200 such fish a year and has yielded over 300. Other public waters of the tidewater region, such as Western Branch Reservoir, have produced as many as 800 fish a year exceeding 11 inches.
Certain factors contribute to these amazing totals. As water supply lakes for the Suffolk and Norfolk areas, several drain dense cypress swamps ranging from 200 to 1,200 acres. They can be classified as flatland impoundments, with large areas of water from 6 to 12 feet deep and with maximum depth around 35 feet. Although they’re public, access is limited by unimproved boat ramps, some of which are only dirt road entries with minimal parking. A 10hp restriction keeps out big craft, and daily or seasonal permits are required from local jurisdictions and agencies. These waters also offer excellent fishing for largemouths over 8 pounds, chain pickerel over 6, and slab-sized crappie.
