The Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a species
of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper
nose. It is a member of the sunfish family (family Centrarchidae)
of order Perciformes. It is native to a wide area of North America,
from Québec to northern Mexico, and has been widely transplanted to
stock game fish for anglers. It is commonly fished in Minnesota and
Wisconsin, but it is the state fish of the U.S. state of Illinois.
It is renowned as an excellent tasting fish on par with
Walleye.
Of tropical sunfish body shape, the bluegill's
most notable feature is the blue or black "ear", actually an
extension of the gill cover called the opercular flap. Its name,
however, comes from the bright blue edging visible on its gill
rakers. It can be distinguished from similar species by the (not
always pronounced) vertical bars along its flanks. The bluegill
grows to a maximum overall length of approximately 40 cm (16
in).
Bluegills are popular game fish, caught with
live bait, flies, hot dogs, raw chicken or other lures, chiefly at
dawn and dusk. One of the easiest baits to use for them is white
bread or a corn kernel. Another efficient bait would be redworms or
waxworms on ice jigs. They are noted for seeking out underwater
vegetation for cover; their natural diet consists largely of small
invertebrates and very small fish. The Bluegill itself is also
occasionally used as bait for larger game fish species such as blue
catfish and largemouth bass. The bluegill is a schooling fish with
schools of 20–30 individuals. These fish spawn in June in
nests in the shallows. During this period males assume a very bold
coloration, as they are guarding their nests. An interesting piece
of their biology is that some males assume the coloration of the
female fish so that the nest guarding males won't show aggression
towards them. Then these "sneaker" males enter nests and spawn.
Because of their size and the method of cooking them, bluegills are
often called panfish. Bluegill are also commonly referred to as
bream. Bluegills are excellent fish to teach children angling. They
are notorious for their nibbling or pecking style of feeding and
commonly steal bait off a fisherman's hook. They hit hard for their
size.(making it easy to tell when the angler has one on the line)
Adult channel catfish, largemouth bass, and turtles prey upon
bluegill.
In some locations where it has been
transplanted, it is considered a pest: trade in the species is
prohibited in Germany and Japan. In the case of Japan, bluegill
were presented to the crown prince, Akihito in 1960 as a gift by
Richard J. Daley, mayor of Chicago. The prince, in turn, donated
the fish to fishery research agencies in Japan from which they
escaped, becoming an invasive species which has wreaked havoc with
native species. The emperor has apologized.[1] The specific
epithet, macrochirus, derives from the Greek µa???? (long) and ?e??
(hand).
Busse Lake is located S. of Higgins Rd. between
Interstate 290 (Rt. 53) and Arlington Heights Rd. Total area 590
acres. Depths to 14 feet. Three separate bodies of water: North
Pool (25 acres); South Pool (146 acres); Main Pool (419 acres).
Sailboats, canoes, and rowboats are permitted on the Main Lake and
on the South Pool. Wheelchair ramps from parking lots to the
fishing walls. Fishes stocked are: Largemouth bass, bluegill,
bullhead, northern pike, walleye, sunfishes, crappie and channel
catfish. Boat rental available. Bass size limit — 14 inches.
Walleye size limit — 18 inches.
Warning: If you are planning on hunting this
series with your own boat, please be sure that you do not
have a Gas Motor on your boat, Electric motors are
allowed. Also, certain inflatables are allowed, you
may want to check the restrictions on
inflatables
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