Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1950-05-12

'fornia and from mid-Canada to
Mexico. Although the ideal pond
fish is yet to be found, fish cultur-
lists would probably agree that the
bluegill is our most adaptable,
most successful pond-fish. Hence,
the introduction of this species
over most of the United States and
much of Canada.
Doubtless more people are IA
miliar with the bluegill than any
other one species; however, there
remains, and probably always will,
some confusion with other cousins
of the sunfish clan. Common names
are themselves confusing, for by
locality the bluegill becomes pond
perch, punkinseed, Dream, brim
and host of other misnomers.
Like most other sunfish, the blue
gill is much flattened vertically.
He is considerably rounded on his
topside, whereas the belly follows
somewhat straighter contour. Col
Grafton, like most other fish, de-
ponds great deal on the water it
inhabits. The back is almost al
ways a dark olive-green. Most of
the upper two-thirds of the body
and the head, excepting the lower
gill covers and ear flaps, shares
shades of olive-green. with a
sprinkling of violet, purple, and
lavender thrown in. The under
parts are usually painted a rich
yellow or yellowish-brown. The
throat area is often a strikingly
deep orange, bordered above by
pale blue gill covers. AS might
be expected, the ear, or gill flap, is
a deep blue-black.
In many states, bluegills spawn
from May to September. They are
colonial spawners, and numbers of
males may be seen guarding their
respective nests in spawning
area.
The nest, a small circular de-
preston on a gravel bottom or a
clean-swept area on clay or muck,
is constructed by the male some
time previous to spawning time
To the male also falls the chore of
tanning the eggs to keep them
aerated, free from silt, and to
prevent an ever-hungry horde of
scavengers from partaking of
free lunch.
Actual counts of the eggs taken
from female bluegills range from
5000 to as many as $4,000, de-
pending on the age, size, and phys
ical condition of the fish. Counts of
fry taken from nests range upward
to $1,000.
Since the young ordinarily be-
come spawners themselves during
their first year of life, the poten-
tial number of offspring from
few fish becomes enormous over
the span of few years. Therein
lies the reasoning behind the pres
ent bass-bluegill pond stocking
recommendations. Bluegills are
primarily insect feeders; whereas,
bass are predators, feeding largely
upon young and immature blue
gills. Nonetheless, there is danger
in such large-scale reproduction.
If balanced predator-prey relation
ships are disturbed by misman-
agement, overpopulation may
readily occur IN small bOdleS OF
water
AS previously mentioned, the
bluegill feeds largely on insects
and their larva but an occasional
minnow or small fish may be taken.
a 4 a
Don't "Horse" En-
The practice of "horsing" in a
fish - understandable under the
stress and excitement of landing a
big one-is probably the cause of
more lost fish than any other one
thing. The angler can avoid it by
keeping a fairly tight line, but
easing up bit when it appears the
fish wants to fight hard. Play the
fish until it is through fighting
and can be brought up close with