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It looks like a young boxer to me.


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It's no coonhoundello.


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That's for sure !! LOL. \:\)
















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I thought it might be a Boxer.


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Looks like a boxer to me also, with a brindle coloring


A little snow, Please!
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Copied from another thread.


"Actually Bill, I have had several ponds over the last four years that were all age-1 fish, and consequently I can drain a pond, then stock another, so that I'm watching these same fish over an entire growing season again. My best fish get easily 5-6 ounces during a calender year, but by the same token, I'll have other fish that get 1-2 ounces, and these fish are sent to other ponds to live out their lives in mediocrity just kidding--many of these fish end up as good quality one pounders with ample forage and artificial feeding. I think one of the keys is the ability to provide high quality natural forage during the winter months, so that a fish that gets 3 ounces during the optimal 4 months can squeek out another 2 ounces during the other eight months.

One of my best managed ponds was tested by biologists who officially weighed and aged the bluegill. The fish that were hovering around 1 pound were all 4-6 years old. I also know that the famed Pelican Lake (NE) bluegill sometimes reach 1.5 pounds in as little as 6-7 years. It takes special conditions, but it can be done.

Since the best age-1 fish go into their second growing season around 1-2 ounces, I think an ideal trophy Nebraska bluegill situation might go something like this.

Entering age-1 1 ounce
Entering age-2 6 ounces
Entering age-3 11 ounces
Entering age-4 16 ounces
Entering age-5 20 ounces
Entering age-6 24 ounces
Entering age-7 28 ounces
Entering age-8 32 ounces

This of course if for a premium genetic specimen with virtually unlimited natural forage supplemented with pelleted feed as needed.

My best fish are following this general template, as I do have documented fish that are age-4 that reach one pound".


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Bruce - Back on Nov 07 you showed us 17 wk old (4.2mo) BG that were 40g to 50g (1.3-1.6oz). At this growth rate, can we expect the select few to be 2oz to maybe 3 oz at one yr instead of 1 oz noted above? If so this would make the chances greater that the elusive 2 lb would be very feasable. We know that the first year's growth is very important in achieving trophy status.

When your BG are one pound, how close are they to 10.4"(the standard wt)?


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I'm just going by memory, and I can check for sure later, but my bluegill hit one pound at somewhere around 9 3/4 inches.

I made a phone call today to Nebraska Game and Parks Commission fisheries chief Don Gabelhouse and he said that the greatest expert on the unbelievable Pelican Lake bluegills is none other than Dr. Dave Willis. Don Gabelhouse said that he believed the two pound bluegill at Pelican were around age-7, give or take a year.

I completely agree with your assessment that the odds of reaching two pounds go up considerably when the fish are growing throughout the year, including the winter. Hopefully my fish will have that chance.


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Bruce
Sorry this may have already been stated and I have missed it since I have skimmed through the thread, but do you think that your BG will grow during the winter months? Are they in a outside pond or inside tank that is heated? Just curious becasue your weather will be cooler than mine typically. I am wondering if my fish will grow any during the cold months I think not.


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With ample natural forage, bluegill will grow a little during the winter months. It's very minimal, but in ideal conditions that can gain some weight in cold water. Yellow perch are also known to be able to gain some weight in the winter. I'm also raising bluegill indoors, and they have gained weight just in the last month, however the water is averaging about 54 degrees F., which is fairly warm for around here. My main ponds are around 42 degrees F.


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Please note Bill's Comment !!

"We know that the first year's growth is very important in achieving trophy status."

It applies to at least several species and is critical for trophies especially in fish who will get limited supp. feeding the rest of their lives. So make the most of the first year if possible.
















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I completely agree with Bill's comment and ewest added emphasis.

I think that this would be a good time to eventually have an archivable post that adresses what things we can do to our ponds to make for either "great fish" or "great fishing". Providing for optimal early growth of your fish is a virtual necessity for growing trophy game fish. Interestingly enough, some of the things we can do to allow for "great fishing" are at odds with what we can do to assure "great fish". I'd like to have somebody start a post that gives some of the very basic points in respect to this.


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Just adding a photo to this thread.


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WOW


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NICE...!!!
Weight and length? \:\)

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This fish was one of five that we caught that looked all about the same. I didn't weigh any except the first big one, and the others were quickly photographed with an estimated length of between 10 and 11 inches. I didn't document the photo vs. event, so this could even be the same one photographed earlier. I just liked this particular angle of the fish and know that a couple of the pondmeisters like such photos so I threw it on the thread. He is a beauty though, eh?


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This one goes into my MOJO Condello BG folder.
Guess 'ya know - y'all got me hooked on BG...
next to HSB of course \:D

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Shoulder pads, a helmet, and a breastplate - that's one BG ready for on-line RPGs.


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Nice fish. Was that today? BTW you will see that pic at the convention. \:D Excellent photo quality.
















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All of the big bloo-gies were caught in September, October, and early November. I actually have a little open water near the sweeper nozzle. I was tempted to fish today. ;\)


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I've been studying Bruce's photo and I believe that I have discoved Bruce's secret to raising such large BG.....

Everytime Bruce catches a BG he holds it above a cutting board as a reminder to what happens to BGs that don't grow to enormous proportions.

OH THE HORROR!!!!


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Kind of like the racehorse we bought when it was first in line at the rendering plant. To get it to go, instead of "giddy-up" you just hollered "NEXT!"


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 Quote:
Originally posted by Bruce Condello:
All of the big bloo-gies were caught in September, October, and early November. I actually have a little open water near the sweeper nozzle. I was tempted to fish today. ;\)
Bruce,

I've had several growers up this way say not to handle or stress bluegills or bass in that cold of water. Something about developing fungus. Do you concur?


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






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It totally makes sense to me, but when I handle bluegill in cold water it's usually with the specific intent to eat the fish--so I'm not sure.

You've got me thinking, though. I'll probably resist the temptation, because my ponds are going to be fishable this week 'cause it's gettin' warm out.


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Bruce,

Very nice fish! In your post you mentioned eating BG. With my mindset being that all your fish are true trophies, at what point do you decide to cull a fish??

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