So.IL.PanMan Loc: West Frankfort, Illinois, (Southern Illinois)

Some of our better days

flyguy Loc: Lake Onalaska, Sunfish Capitol of the World!

Thanks for sharing, Jake.

EasternOZ Loc: Kansas City Metro

Thanks a lot.

What did ya catch them on?

So.IL.PanMan Loc: West Frankfort, Illinois, (Southern Illinois)

I’ve been having luck with the crappie with smaller jigs, anything with chartreuse in it. The bluegill and red ear were all caught with either crickets or wax worms on a wire hook size 6 or 8, made specifically for crickets. Basically the hooks are just wire but have longer shanks. Most on weighted bobber some of the bigger red ear caught fishing on the bottom.

EasternOZ Loc: Kansas City Metro

Thanks.

I have caught redear, along with wipers on chicken livers while fishing for catfish.

Rob March Loc: Baltimore md.

Nice pics . thanks for sharing

Graywulff Loc: Cortez,Co.

Great pics Jake, thanks for sharing and welcome. Keep it up.👍😃

JohnC Loc: Columbia, MD

Some beautiful Bluegills. Well done!!!

Ron620DVS Loc: Guntersville Alabama

What time of the year did you catch the BlueGills? Him many of the fish that you have in the pictures were caught South of Rend Lake in the small ponds and creeks/rivers!

So.IL.PanMan Loc: West Frankfort, Illinois, (Southern Illinois)

We caught the gills pretty regular from late april to late August. We tried to fish when moon rise/set was with in an hour or two of sun rise/set. We also had great days a couple days before and after full moon. Oddly the day of or the day after full moon we had bad luck. The big redear and some of the gills were caught at DuQuoin lake/reservoir. If you have never been there you should go. You can get a day pass for $3 at town hall or a year pass for $35. 90% of the shore line is Lilly pads from bank to around 30 feet out. We would just troll straight into the pads on points or necks about 5-8 feet. Sit for 5 minutes and let the water settle. Then jig off the boat as far as our poles would reach without casting or flipping. We used 12 ft crappie rods a few times. Most of the gills were sitting at 4-7 ft deep depending on how hot it was. Hotter the deeper. The redear would pluck the jigs off the bottom. We would put two jigs on one line. A red and chartreuse about 3 ft from the end and a black and chartreuse on the end. Sometimes we would tip with wax worms or meal worms. We would normally be in 8-10 ft of water. A few times we would sit for a bit then feel the hit and would have a redear on bottom and a gill on top. The redear would usually just sit with it after picking it up.

We caught the big load of gills at cedar lake south of Carbondale in makanda. Just need a day pass from federal conservation place on 148 $5 or year for $20. They are a little tougher to locate there but once you found them you could catch 25-30 in one spot.

The biggest gills around here are in devils kitchen. It’s a 9.9 lake, super deep. Over 90 ft in the channel. One end is super clear water, you can see 10 ft down off the dock. The other end that is a giant Y is full of stumps. I once helped a couple guys who put a 9.9 on a canoe. They were scooting across the middle in about 65 ft of water and hit a tree and flipped the canoe and it sunk. The guy thought it was a suspended tree/stump and conservation marked it with a buoy cause its a little outside where most of the trees are but it hasn’t moved in two years. Both ends have great fish but the end without trees is pressured more. Bluegills and green sunfish can be good on the right day. Especially early May and first spawn. However there is a 25 per person limit on all sunfish and they have to be 8” or more. Found that out the hard way. We usually keep anything 6-7” and we had 80 or so, with just me and my brother. We both got a $500 fine. I’ve caught lake trout there early May and a few perch but they run small. I haven’t bass fished much since my son started fishing a few years ago but I’ve heard of the yearly 8-9 pounder caught out there.

Literally just down the road is Little Grassy. Bluegills aren’t quite as big but way more abundant. Average in the 7” range with a few 8”-9”. Great for crappie and catfish too.

A few miles east is Lake of Egypt. Known mostly for crappie and bass but I have caught some nice gills and catfish there.

My most fished lake is our own West Frankfort Old Lake. It’s five minutes from my driveway East on 149 exit 65 off of I57. Bluegills and crappie all day from March to October. Not real long but pretty thick for both. I’ve fished there a couple hundred times. I feel like I could guide that lake. Their are some huge redear there but I’ve never caught more than two in a day. I’ve also caught quite a few 4-5 lb channel cats while fishing for gills a few feet from the bank.

I notice you are from Alabama, have you ever ventured up to Reel Foot? It’s in Tennessee. I’ve only been three times on weekend trips but the bluegills there are unreal. They call them coppernose or bream but same thing. We usually go with 6 or 8 guys and do nothing but fish the entire time. The Blue Bank resort is where we stay. Boat, cabin, unlimited bait and ice for $275 per person fri-sun or mon-Thur. It’s an amazing place. Supposedly it just formed after an earthquake in the 1800s. It has tons of cypress trees all over. When we were there 3 years ago a 9 year old girl caught a 1lb-11oz bluegill. It barely even looked like a bluegill.

But yes I’ve fished tons of other private ponds and creeks. The big muddy or the little muddy both have good gills and catfish. If anyone is ever Southern Illinois way and wants to fish I could help them out a bunch with the local bite. Maybe even go fish with them. Currently I have a 17’ tracker with a 9.9 but hopefully next year I’ll have a 20 ft pontoon made specifically for fishing four people at once.

Fishin Fool 69 Loc: Etowah, TN

Welcome to the forum pan Man, some very good looking fish there. I have only been fishing crappie once and had a great day fishing. The bite is starting to come on again, so we will be going again soon. Tight lines.

bigbarneycars Loc: Wilmington,NC

Welcome too, And tell me more about hooks made especially for crickets Pix to Pahleez, Jer

EasternOZ Loc: Kansas City Metro

bugeye Loc: North of the gnat line in Georgia

So.Il.PanMan
I grew up just south of Vienna, and after having fished coast to coast, I have to say that Southern Illinois has the best fishing in the country.
Great pictures BTW.

bassman57 Loc: Kinston, NC

Welcome Panman, from the looks of it you don't need any help fishing!! I'm sure you'll be able to help out others. Great pictures, really nice fish!