Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 6

Secrets of
Solid Fishing for
Bruiser Bluegills
by Vic Attardo

This was not a gentle tap-tap-tap. The fish, which had
started as a thin red line on my sonar screen and quickly
expanded to a full red smear, pulled down my short
ice stick with such vehemence and weight that I found
myself setting the hook with extra oomph. Even beneath
a white divot, a Bluegill will spin around in circles to
escape the pull of line, and this Bluegill found a way to
increase the circumference of its fight even though the
drilled hole was only 6 inches across. It had to be lifted
not only with the turning of the small reel's handle but
my quick rise from a stooping to standing position,
wrenching it up the elevated distance. When I placed the
Bluegill on the ice, I saw why. It was over 8 inches long,
difficult to grasp and had the firmness of an ice ball.
This was a bruiser Bluegill.

6

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * January/February 2015

photos by the author

Not to be demeaning, but there are two types of
Bluegills-dinks and bruisers. I can't put dinks down,
because they often grow up to be bruisers. However,
you would like to catch the bruisers and not bother with
their brethren.
As many Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission
(PFBC) biologists and Waterways Conservation Officers
can attest, I go looking for bruisers each ice season.
They are my first stop on the ice information highway.
I have found PFBC personnel helpful, and you can
also find information on the Commission's website at
www.fishandboat.com under "Regional Reports." I
approach my fishing like a bass professional preparing
for an important tournament. First, I read everything I
can find about a body of water. I study maps and make
PFBC Facebook: PaFishandBoat



http://www.fishandboat.com

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015

Contents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - Cover1
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - Cover2
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 3
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 4
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - Contents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 6
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 7
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 8
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 9
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 10
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 11
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 12
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 13
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 14
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 15
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 16
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 17
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 18
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 19
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 20
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 21
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 22
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 23
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 24
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 25
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 26
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 27
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 28
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 29
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 30
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 31
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 32
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 33
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 28
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 34
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 35
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 36
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 37
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 38
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 39
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 40
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 41
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 42
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 43
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 44
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 45
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 47
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 49
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 50
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 57
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 58
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 59
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 60
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 61
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - 62
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - Cover3
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2015 - Cover4
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