bluegill skeleton fishing planet in michigan

Lepomis gibbosus - scientific name Identification:ĭark, rigid gill flaps similar to bluegills. Average life-span of these fish is 5 to 6 years. Sexual maturity occurs at 2 to 3 years for males and 3 to 4 years for females. The average adult bluegill is 6 to 8 inches long, although some reach 10 inches. Males build nesting colonies in gravel, sand or mud and will guard the eggs and newly hatched fry until they reach the swimming stage. The bluegill spawns in the shallows in the late spring or early summer when the water temperature reaches 65 degrees F. The males then fertilize and guard the eggs and the newly hatched young. That is, the males scoop out a depression where one or more females deposit eggs. The sunfish family generally prefer warm water, and are nesting fishes.

The bluegill feeds off the surface of the water the midwaters and the bottom, where it can be a serious competitor with other bottom feeding fish. As they grow larger, bluegills add small fish, aquatic insects and some plant matter to their diet. Review Fishing Guide for current rules and regulations » Diet: This fish also provides good winter sport since it remains active all winter long. They usually stay in relatively shallow water, but as temperatures rise in the summer, large bluegills will head for deeper water.

Bluegills favor warm waters (64 to 70 degrees F) with plenty of cover such as weed beds, submerged logs, or drop-offs. Many a young angler boasts the delicious bluegill as a first catch, while seasoned anglers using light tackle find it a valiant fighter.

This fish enjoys a well-deserved popularity with anglers. Hybridization with other sunfish species (i.e., pumpkinseed sunfish, green sunfish) occurs, with resulting offspring exhibiting intermediate characteristics. (Native Fish) Two broadly-joined dorsal fins with spinous and soft-rayed portions united to give the impression of a single dorsal fin, small mouth, long pointed pectoral fins, faint black spot toward the rear of the soft-rayed part of dorsal fin separates the bluegill from other sunfish, which lack this dorsal coloration. Lepomis macrochirus - scientific name Identifying characteristics:

Bluegill skeleton fishing planet in michigan