May 15, 2015 - Your complete resource for Chicago fishing reports and information. Like many anglers in America, the very first fish I ever caught was a bluegill. In 1951, Ernest Hemingway set down at his typewriter, punching keys until he had produced the last major work … A five pound seven ounce fish was caught in 2003, but it was a bluegill/redear sunfish hybrid. The bluegill is most closely related to the orangespotted sunfish and the redear sunfish, but different in a distinct spot at or near the base of the soft dorsal fin. A near-record bluegill (2 pounds, 5 ounces) was caught recently by 13-year-old Joshua Thomas from a private pond near Tahlequah, Okla. Today they have been introduced to almost everywhere else in North America, and have also been introduced into Europe, South Africa, Zimbabwe,[8] Asia, South America, and Oceania. This fascinating tale centers on a pair of flooded quarries in Alabama known as the Ketona Lakes. 0 Comments by. You might think bluegill fishing is a kid’s sport but plenty of adult anglers know that these panfish can grow to monstrous proportions, relatively speaking. [14], The bluegill sunfish relies heavily on the flexibility of its fins to maintain maneuverability in response to fluid forces. (Photo courtesy of Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation) August 12, 2020 By Lynn Burkhead. For that reason, bluegill fishing holds a special place in my heart and nothing beats a frying pan filled with these tasty little fillets. The IGFA record is 4 pounds, 12 ounces. The largest bluegill ever caught was four pounds, 12 ounces in 1950. Male bluegill . biggest bluegill ever caught length. The current record is 2 pounds, 6.4 ounces. Considering the fact that bluegills are among the most-sought, most-caught sportfish in the United States, it seems strange that so few people are familiar with the story of the two biggest bluegills ever caught. Distribution and habitat.