Blue Bluegill!

[fishmounter]

This is not really a fishing report, but more of just an interesting photo of the color of some of the Bluegill that can be caught at my local lake here in southern California. Lake Perris was stocked with Florida "coppernose" Bluegill back in the mid 1970s, after the dam was completed and the lake began to fill. Not only are there some very big Bluegill in the lake, but for some reason, there are Bluegill of various color phases, including this beautiful blue coloration. Some of the large spawning males are almost a purple-black, and I have also caught light-colored fish with dark bars and dark-colored fish with light barring on their sides. Makes fishing very interesting.

 

[fishmounter]

Here's another one with light bars on a dark body, which is just the opposite of most Bluegill coloration.

 

[fishmounter]

A big dark-purple/black:

 

[fishmounter]

And here's a pink version, but to be honest, this one was not from Lake Perris. But still, it's a PINK Bluegill!

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

Awsome pics

 

[HANGEYE]

I have caught a lot of blue gills in my 59+ years but I have never seen anything like that. I would love to have some of those mounted to hang on the wall. I guarentee I would get a lot of questions about them. I would have to vidio the actual catch to get people to believe me. Thanks for posting fishmounter.

 

[fishmounter]

A couple more blue/purples from Lake Perris:

 

[Brine]

Not only are those gills colorful, they are pigs!

Thanks for sharing!

What is your favorite way to catch them?

 

[Captain Ahab]

Great colors - 'gill almost always have cool colors, we get them with bright orange on their fins to almost all black

 

[mangelcc]

Nice pics, thanks for sharing them with us. Almost like tropical fish.

 

[Lennyg3]

those are by far the prettiest bluegills I have ever seen...

 

[BassGeek54]

Just wanted to add my thanks for posting those. Love those colors...beautiful fish and a darn nice size too!

 

[fishmounter]

You know, I think more fishermen would appreciate their catch, if after catching a fish, just pause for a short moment to hold the fish in the sunlight and concentrate on it's beautiful colors. A quick catch, unhook and a toss back or into the live well,... you just won't see the beauty that each individual fish has.

 

[jojo]

Those are awesome!

 

[dallas1]

those are the pretty est gills i ever seen. Thank you very much for the pics.

 

[jmed999]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[PitFishin']

those are great gills!

 

[shamoo]

Great Colors, that one has the colors of a perch, thanks for shareing

 

[Butthead]

WOW! That third gill is a PIG!
Awesome pics!

 

[catman529]

Awesome looking fish... Coppernose come in a lot of colors. I've seen a bunch with orange and even red eyes. I have yet to find me a good pond full of monsters though.