# Some NICE gills



## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

Spent a few hours on my favorite pond today & didn't do too badly...I "estimate" over 15 gills that qualify for "Fish Ohio" (9" & over), including 2 10 inchers & the "big boy"...11 1/4" long & 6" from belly to dorsal. Here are just a few of them...all but 1 shot by me so pics could be better. All fish caught on either a size 12 yellow woolly worm (including the largest) or a yellow gurgler. All were released unharmed. I fished the woolly worm on my 3wt & the gurgler on the 5wt.



































Mike


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## Buckeye Mike (Jan 4, 2007)

NICE / VERY NICE, nothing like a double hander gill to make the day.


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## Master Angler (May 26, 2004)

Awesome catch and great to see c&r on such trophies. Too many on here slaughter trophy size panfish and think nothing of it. A 10" gill is 10 yrs old around here. I would rather catch a 11"+ gill than a fish ohio bass - alot rarer and tougher to find and catch. Great pics


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## big_fish (Dec 21, 2004)

I hit a local pond yesterday at about 10 30 am I ended up with 13 largemouth sizing from dink to 3 lber most on a olive wolly bugger a few on a streamer (light clouser) I need to find out how to get pics off of my cam phone


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

wow those are some monster gills!! glad ya let um go so they can get even bigger for another angler to try to catch.


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## Utard (Dec 10, 2006)

Really nice gills Mike.
Thanks for sharing the pictures, I think they look great.


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## jkurtz7 (Jan 17, 2008)

Mike those are some sweet fish, I wish they grew that big here at home.

J.


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

Master Angler said:


> Awesome catch and great to see c&r on such trophies. Too many on here slaughter trophy size panfish and think nothing of it. A 10" gill is 10 yrs old around here. I would rather catch a 11"+ gill than a fish ohio bass - alot rarer and tougher to find and catch. Great pics


One of the guys at work got all over me for releasing all those gills. My answer was in the form of a question..."How many ponds have YOU fished, keeping all your gills, & seen any this size?" He just didn't get it, so I saved the lecture. One thing I will say is that he will NEVER fish that pond with me. I have never run into any other fishermen or women there, so I figure I'm pretty fortunate & that I must be doing something right to still be fishing it 9 years after I first started.
Mike


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## BennyLovesSaugeyes (May 1, 2008)

geez Mike!!! Those are some Sammy Sosa looking Gills there!!! 

Pond I fish doesn't have them that size. Since it's so over stocked, and has been for many years, almost all gills are around the 6-8 size. If I ever get any lunkers, I will use your advice and toss them back!!!


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## sevenx (Apr 21, 2005)

Nice Gills Mike. That two hander looks like he could put a hurt on 3wt. S


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## mikeschmidt (May 6, 2008)

Great stuff Mike! Gills have some serious heart once they realize they are on the business end of a hook


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

S...My 3wt is an 8' 2 piece pre-IPC St Croix Legend Ultra & it is FANTASTIC fun with those big gills. It was a WAR with that big boy!

Benny.....In that pond, you may want to release the 8 inchers, but keep ALL other gills. Release all bass. Good luck. If you fish it HARD, you can see an inch or more average increase in one year.

Thanks for the comments. Looks like this gill is the one for the "trophy painting" by wildlife artist Bruce Bunch. I won it at the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival this spring. It's valued at $400.00 & he will paint the gill from my picture & measurements--it will be painted "actual size". I am also sending him the actual fly I used & he will put that in a small shadowbox on the frame. I plan to try to call Bruce this weekend & see if he will paint it being held in my hands. I think that will be a great looking painting.....any thoughts from you folks?
Mike


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## Flyfish Dog (Nov 6, 2007)

Nice fishing Mike and it sure will look great for the painting.


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

Flyfish Dog said:


> Nice fishing Mike and it sure will look great for the painting.


I want to see if Bruce (the artist) will include my hands (and part of my arms) in the painting. I think that would look good.
Thanks for the kind words.
Mike


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## the weav (Mar 22, 2007)

Some of my best fishing as a kid was catching huge bull gills off the bed with a fly rod.They fight like no other,good job!


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