The copper-nosed bluegill also goes by the names bream, brim, or simply bluegill. It is a freshwater fish that is part of the sunfish family. Its scientific names mean “scaly gill cover” and “large hand”, which refers to the shape of its body, somewhat like the shape of a hand when the fingers are held flat together. It is called a bluegill because it has a bright blue color on its gills.
It lives in states east of the Rocky Mountains, as far south as Florida, and as far north as Minnesota. Just as alien species introduced to United States waters can become invasive, bluegills introduced to other parts of the world have become invasive as far away as Germany and Japan.
Bluegills, or copper bluegills, range in size from four to 12 inches. Its maximum size is slightly over 16 inches. The largest bluegill ever caught weighed in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces. Identification markings include a dark spot at the base of its dorsal fin and on the edge of its gills. It may also have 5 to 9 vertical bars on the sides, but these may not be noticeable. The abdomen and chest are yellowish, although in breeding males it may be bright orange.
Copper-nosed bluegills prefer shallow water in lakes and ponds, and also the slow-moving water of small rivers and streams. They forage in the weedy beds of aquatic plants. They also spawn in these areas. In the summer, full-grown adults move to deeper open water where they feed on aquatic foods just below the surface. They prefer 60 to 80 degree F water. They like warmth, but not direct sunlight. As the day warms up, they will go into deeper water. They are usually found swimming in schools of ten to twenty fish.
Young fish eat water fleas. Adults eat insect larvae, crayfish, snails, leeches, and small fish. They will also go for night crawlers on fishermen’s hooks. They sometimes eat aquatic vegetation, even channeling their own eggs or young, if food is scarce. Insects and dead flies are also part of their diet. While they can eat at any time of the day, they peak in the morning and especially in the evening hours. To capture their food, they suck a small amount of water from the prey, which means they must get close to the prey to capture it.
Bluegill, or coppernose bluegill, become food for larger fish species such as bass, catfish, yellow perch, northern pike, and also turtles. They are fast and can change direction quickly. They are flat and thin and this provides less resistance to water and allows them to move quickly. All this helps them escape from predators. Although they have receptors that allow them to recognize changes in vibration and pressure, they rely on their eyesight, especially for feeding.
When spawning, male bluegills make the spawning bed by digging a spot in sand or gravel. The female’s eggs are fertilized externally and it is the male who watches over the nest. He continues to watch the nest until the larvae hatch and can swim away on their own.
Bluegills or bluegills are caught with a variety of baits, such as worms, grasshoppers, flies, crickets, small frogs, bread or corn chips, or American cheese. Once caught, they usually end up fried in a pan, hence the name “pan fish”.
