Identification

• There are a number of species of sunfish in Pennsylvania, so differentiating bluegill from the others can be challenging. The fish gets its name from the blueish color of its bottom jaw and gill cover. The bluegill is a round, deep-bodied fish that generally has a brownish or olive-colored back with bluish vertical bars down its sides; the belly is coppery orange to white. The flap on the end of its gill is black with no red spot, which distinguishes the bluegill from other sunfish, and it usually has a dark blotch on its pectoral fin.
  
  

Location

• The bluegill exists in waterways across Pennsylvania and can be caught in almost every major body of water in the state. The fish prefer still or slow-moving water with lots of vegetation and a variety of depths. Smaller bluegills can be found in shallow water during the warmer months of the year; larger bluegills like deeper areas near shallows. Bluegills abound in and around aquatic vegetation and other cover, often sharing habitat with largemouth bass.
  
  

Best times to catch

• Although bluegill can be caught year-round, spring and summer are the most productive times for bluegill fishing in Pennsylvania. Bluegills move into shallow water to spawn in May, when the water temperature reaches 67 degrees Fahrenheit. They can reliably be found in shallow water until August. They often move deeper during fall, and can be caught through the ice in winter, when they tend to congregate in areas that have green vegetation throughout the cold months.
  
  

Tactics

• A simple nightcrawler on a hook is a time-honored technique for catching bluegills. Worms can be suspended under a bobber or fished on bottom, weighed down with a few split-shot sinkers. Other live bait such as wax worms, crickets and meal worms work, as do a number of artificial baits. Bluegill feed on invertebrates and tiny underwater organisms, so small soft plastic baits that imitate them are effective when fished on an ultralight rod and reel. Flies and poppers are also an option.
  
  

Regulations

• A number of the best bluegill waters in Pennsylvania are under panfish enhancement special regulations, which means a minimum length limit of 7 inches and a daily limit of 20 bluegill, or 50 total panfish when species are combined. A list of the regulated waters can be found on the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission's website. In non-regulated waters, there are no size restrictions. Fishing for bluegill is open year-round, but a Pennsylvania fishing license is required; these can be purchased at most bait shops and sporting goods stores across the state.
  
  

State record

• The Pennsylvania state record bluegill weighed 2 pounds and 9 ounces. It was caught in Keystone Lake by Tom Twincheck in 1983.