Overview
Bluegill are normally managed by recreational fishing regulations that include creel, season, and size limits. They are a popular sport ?sh and stocked in many lakes and ponds for this purpose. Conservation, restoration, and preservation of prime bluegill habitat is another way of sustaining healthy, sustainable bluegill populations. The bluegill is a common host fish for freshwater mussels. The fish provides the mussel with a place to live (usually on their gills) for the first part of its life.
Bluegill have also been called bream, brim, sunny, or copper nose or generically called “perch” in some localities. In actuality, the bluegill is not a perch at all since perch belong to a separate family of fish not related to bluegill.
Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Physical Characteristics
The namebluegill comes from the bluish region on the cheek and gill cover. They are a deep, slab-sided (tall and flat) fish with a small mouth.
The common length for bluegill is 7.5 inches (19.1 centimeters) with the maximum reported length being 16 inches (41 centimeters).
The heaviest published weight for a bluegill is 4 pounds 12 ounces (2.2 kilograms).
Life Cycle
Bluegill are prolific breeders and normally spawn in late spring through and early summer when water temperatures rise within the range of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 26 degrees Celsius). A male bluegill will sweep or fan out a 6 to 12 inch diameter dish-shaped nests. Once the bluegill nest has been established, the female will enter the nest and deposit her eggs, which is where the male fertilizes her eggs with his milt (sperm). The male bluegill will aggressively defend their nests against any intruders that come near the nest. Bluegill are considered colony spawners, meaning 50 or more males may construct their nest in one location.
Bluegill can live up to 11 years with average lifespan of 5 to 8 years.
Geography
Bluegill range in North America extends from Canada to northern Mexico.