The bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) undergoes several habitat shifts between the littoral and pelagic zones of small lakes during its life history. After hatching in the littoral zone, bluegill ...

The bluegill is in the sunfish family, known as Centrarchidae, while piranhas are in the Serrasalmidea family. The two species might have a vaguely similar body shape and are both freshwater fish ...

Bluegill harvest concerns generally center on the size of fish available to anglers as bluegills tend to be abundant in lakes that have favorable bluegill habitat.

We southern Idahoans are blessed with lots of quality bluegill habitat. They are a fixture in local ponds, although they do have a tendency to overpopulate and stunt in many small fisheries.

For the next few weeks many anglers will turn attention to bluegill for a practical reason: The tasty panfish typically begin spawning action in May, making them easy to find and fun to catch.

Bluegill are being caught everywhere in 4 feet of water or less on crickets and worms in pads and buggy whips. Specks are slow except at night with lights trolling with minnows.

To grow and maintain big bluegill, Jones said that too much habitat is counterproductive. "Twenty to 40% cover leads to better fishing overall," he said. "Most managers for bluegill lean toward ...