Lots of good questions. I hope none of them become political or controversial. If they do, I'll take them back, or ask the other moderators to do what they feel is necessary.
Cleaning BG
As for BG dinners -- a number of years ago I volunteered to put on a filleting workshop at a Pond Boss conference. Cecil Baird, Bruce Condello, and maybe even a few others of us crazies had a for-fun filleting competition. I think I came in third, but that was at about a minute to fillet and skin a bluegill.
I've since adopted new techniques that don't get quite as much meat off a fish, but it is even faster. So, I know that with just a little practice, a lot of bluegill can be filleted and skinned in a pretty short time.
Cast Nets
I have three cast nets. One at 4' diameter. One at 8' diameter. And, one at 12' foot diameter.
Catching eating-size bluegill, in any quantity, using a cast net is not going to be easy. Bluegill are fast. When in schools, they still keep a fairly long distance from each other. The 4-foot net might bring in one dumb and slow BG of edible size. Same with the 12 foot net. A 12 foot net sinks a lot slower than a 12 foot net, and they can get out from under it before they get caught.
I find that the cast nets work well where I have plenty of open and flat area, and where there are a lot of fish per square foot. They work well from a boat in deep water, where there are large schools of very tightly packed fish per square foot, and you can yank the bottom closed really fast after throwing the net.
But, they don't work worth a darn in a pond for adult Bluegill, Bass, Catfish, etc. They have meager efficiency for getting fingerlings.
A seine could work.
BG Size/Number per Person
The number of bluegill per person really depends on how the fish are prepared. We host a lot of bluegill parties at our house/ponds. We find that it takes approximately 2-1/2 bluegill (8-9 inches) is enough if we batter and fry them. In this case, we fillet them and cut each fillet into 3-4 pieces, each a little bigger than an inch square.
If we poach BG fillets for 8 minutes in something like fresh chopped tomato/tomatillo/onion/jalapeno/garlic/cilantro salsa, it takes about one, to about one-and-a-half fillets, plus side dishes.
All Natural
This is where I worry that the train could go off the tracks.
I received one of the very first "Master Gardener" certificates back in the mid-1970s. I was young. And, I was kind of controversial in the program because I insisted on using only non-synthesized and non-chemical solutions to home garden problems. I'm still about 95% there for home production. I'm not so there for commercial production.
When it comes to feed, whether for warm blooded animals, fish, or even vegetables, IMO we have to look at how these feeds and procedures affect our bodies and our environment.
If we are depleting non-sustainable populations for these feeds, that is a problem. If these feeds, or what they are feeding, are seriously affecting our environment, including our ground water supplies, that is a problem.
As I mentioned above, look at what we feed our pets. When I was a kid, we fed the dogs and cats our left-overs. I think my dogs and cats are now a lot more healthy eating food designed especially for them.
I have some concern over fish food We go through ups and downs of fish meal sources, like menhaden. As we learn at conferences and workshops, the major fish feed companies, like Purina and Cargill keep looking at ways to minimize depletion, while improving nutrition.
Ken
