Here is a brief and belated report from last Friday, December 29.
I fished on the marina docks for about from about 3 to 6 p.m. that afternoon (with a permit), using redworms as bait. I eventually tried casting out with a water filled bobber and a long 2 pound leader on one pole, and had a bite on the first cast, around 4:30, but missed it. Around 5 p.m., I simply dropped the bait down from the left side of the dock, facing the shore, and my line moved to the left before it reached the bottom. (It slowly sinks with that set up). I set the hook and knew I had a fish on, but I didn't realize how big it was until I got it near the surface, when it really started peeling off line and I could see that it was a large Bluegill. I let out some line and managed to grab the net which was about 20 feet away since I didn't want to try lifting it with 2 pound line. (The net was well over on the other side of the docks so I couldn't just walk the fish over there.) I managed to land the fish and I must say this is probably the largest Bluegill I have caught in the winter, probably among my top 10 Bluegills all time. What a pleasant surprise to end the year, even if it was the only fish I caught that day. I weighed it and it came out to 1 pound, 2 ounces, a very good looking Florida strain Bluegill. It was tasty too.
Last edited by Natural Lefty; 01-05-2018 at 05:58 PM.