Mike,

Have you considered hybridizing some pumpkinseed with your bluegills? I was told by Dr. Phillips of Illinois Natural History he has studied in Canada a phenomemom where male F1 hybrids of these two species can get quite large. I am presently mounting one that is 1 lb. 6 oz. from Indiana. It's over 11 inches.

I always thought a cross between a pumpkinseed and a bluegill was inferior in size to the bluegill but apparently not the males.

If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.