Bluegill Facts

In consideration of summertime and all the local diving action happening, highlighting some commonly seen Nebraska fish species seems like a good idea. A couple of weeks ago we featured crappie. Today's species: bluegill.

Like crappie, bluegill are one of the top five sport fish. They're not difficult to catch and are great for young anglers and other novice fishermen to target. They're a schooling fish, and once you find a school, you can often catch multiple 'gills in that area. Fishermen use a variety of baits for bluegill, including crickets, worms, corn, and dry flies in various styles.

Bluegills are flat fish with fairly small mouths. The dark spot on the gill cover flap is a key identifying feature. Bluegills have darker vertical bands on their sides, as you can see in the picture here. The males have a noticeable patch of orange on the underside, while females are more yellowish. The adult size is anywhere from 6-10 inches, and the world record was a 4 pound, 12 ounce 'gill caught in 1950.

Bluegills' main source of food is insects, which they often catch on the surface. They also eat crustaceans, small fish, and snails. If food supplies are low they may even eat some algae.

In the spring, male bluegills make nests in the bottom of the lake or pond. The nest is a shallow, round depression. Bluegills make their nests in proximity to other bluegills' nests, and a group of nests is referred to as a spawning bed. After the female lays the eggs, the male guards the nest.

A member of the sunfish family, bluegills are often referred to as "sunnies." They're also sometimes called bream. They sometimes interbreed with green sunfish, making a green sunfish/bluegill hybrid. Click here for a picture of the two fish on the Nebraska Game and Parks Fish Identification page on their website.


This information comes from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Fish Identification page on their website, thejump.net/fishlist/bluegill.htm, OutdoorAlabama.com, and the Maryland DNR website.

Fishy Facts

While diving in a good old Nebraska sandpit this past weekend, I had the pleasure of hovering and watching some gargantuan crappie. It's the spawning season for these fish, and they were hunkered down around the Christmas trees and tire piles. Being an outdoorsy sort along with someone who's always interested in learning something new, I decided to do a little fact-checking and see what I could learn about crappie. Here's what I discovered:

Crappie, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's Fish Identification page on their website, are one of the top five sport fish. They're fun to catch and delicious to eat (try frying 'em in olive oil with salt, pepper, and garlic 'til they're golden brown and crispy).

There are two species of crappie, the white, pictured at left, and the black, pictured below on the right. White crappie are silvery with faint black vertical bars and 5-6 spines on the dorsal fin. Black crappie are silvery with black speckles and blotches. They usually have 7-8 spines on the dorsal fin. Males of both species become darker during the spawn, and white crappies may be mistaken for black crappies. Male black crappies can turn almost entirely black during the spawn.

The crappie is a member of the sunfish family, which includes bluegill, green sunfish, bluegill/green sunfish hybrid, largemouth bass, orangespotted sunfish, pumpkinseed, redear sunfish, rock bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass (all species found here in Nebraska).

Crappie depend heavily on sight, as opposed to smell, like some other fish species.

Both species of crappie eat small fish and aquatic insects. Largemouth bass, northerns, and walleye prey on crappie, but crappie also eat the young of these species.

The black crappie is more widely distributed than the white. Black crappies prefer deeper, cooler, clearer water than white crappies.

Crappies winter in deeper water and start moving up to shallower waters when the water temperature reaches 45-50 degrees. When surface temperatures reach the 62-65 degree range, crappie begin to spawn in shallower waters, often from 1-9 feet deep. During the summer, crappies move to deeper, cooler waters during the day, returning to shallower waters at dawn and dusk to feed.

During the spawn, crappies hold tight to structure like brush piles, shoreline riprap, docks, trees, and bridge pilings.

In southern Louisiana, the crappie is often called the Sac-a-lait, which is French for sack of milk. The name comes from the tasty white meat of this species.

Information for this article comes from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission website, the Minnesota DNR website, crappie.com, and jump.net/fishlist/crappie.htm.

February 1 Group Try Scuba

Husker Divers now has a group Try Scuba program on the first Sunday of each month. In January we had several members of the Omaha Hiking Club join us in the pool for an off-season adventure. On February 1st we had employees of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and their families in the pool. Our youngest participant was 10, and there were several high school-aged kids, as well as adults.

We're scheduling groups for Try Scuba opportunities in advance, so if you are in a group or know of some folks who'd like to experience scuba, please contact Husker Divers. This is a great event for church groups, corporate groups, team building, youth groups, families, book groups, family reunions - anybody who can get some people together and get to the pool!

In a Try Scuba session, the professional dive staff at Husker Divers will provide all the equipment and know-how. All you'll need to bring is a swimsuit and towel. We'll introduce you to the basics of scuba and show you how to breathe underwater! The minimum age is 10, and there is no upper age limit. Husker Divers uses a private pool located just west of Lincoln, Nebraska.

To register or for more information, please contact Husker Divers at 402-420-6338 or e-mail us at huskerdivers@prodigy.net.