RedTeamLeader (US)

 I had a great week fishing Bluegills and Bass, and a couple of Bounty Records fish mixed into the bunch.

It started a week ago Sunday night fishing with my good buddy LengthIsAlwaysGood, we had a blast pond hopping the afternoon and evening throwing inline spinners and top water baits.

The bite was hot and the fish where going nuts this night.

On the second cast at the last pond of the evening, I hooked the Bounty Record Bluegill at just over 11” on a large yellow metal flake inline spinner that this gill had no business inhaling.

The problem was that I had not downloaded the weekly Bounty Records Code before we went out fishing that day!

I snapped a couple of quick pictures of this Brute Gill and released her back to the pond.

Yes I could have kept this Giant Gill and returned home to print the Bounty Code and collect a check, but fish like this need to be returned to breed, the future of our fisheries count on anglers practicing selective harvest and CPR. I must admit that I had a tough time getting to sleep that night knowing that I had just released a $450 Bluegill. I would not even have thought twice 20 years ago about keeping a fish of this size, I probably would have just filet her for the fry pan, but not today, not after having spent the last 11 years teaching my son the lessons of conservation and “CPR” behind the controls of his trusty Muskie rig on Lake of the Woods.

This gill haunted me over the next week; I spent 4 evenings working that water looking for that gill. Rigging a slip bobber tipped with wax worms I must have caught 100 Bluegill but none came close to the brute I caught that night.

I Returned to the pond Sunday night with my buddy Length, we set up on the same shore line as we did a week prior, we worked the gills and they where slamming the wax worms. Length caught the first big gill that evening, and we both thought he landed the Bounty fish. But after setting the tape to her she measured at just over 10”, nice gill but not the Bounty.

About 10 minutes later I set the hook on what I know is a good fish, it takes some drag and I tell Length, the last time I had a fish take drag like this it was the big gill last week! Sure enough in comes this brute gill, a gill big enough to thumb lip. We put the tape to her and she measures at 11 ¼”, Nice, Bounty Record Bluegill Busted!

We quickly took photo's and released this giant gill.

It was kind of justice that I landed that gill, I would have been very happy for Length if he had tagged it, but some times doing the right thing pays back Big. Returning the brute a week prior because I didn’t have the code was the right thing to do, and working the water hard over the next week paid off.

I will be using the $475 this Bluegill brought me as part of my annual trip to Canada. My son and I spend 2 weeks each summer on Lake of the Wood together with our good friends at Witch Bay Camp.

This check may just help cover the added cost of fuel between this and last years trip.

So remember folks, practice selective harvest and CPR, and return those big breeders so we all can keep breaking the Bounty Records for years to come.

Tight lines,
Red Team Leader