bluegills
Give them a break this spring
(It will pay off!!)
Bluegills are our ally in fighting our lakes’ common carp infestation: Yes, Bluegills. We just need to let them do their work. Simply put: Carp spawn, then abandon their offspring. Bluegills eat the carp eggs! How can we help Bluegills thrive and eat many carp eggs?
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Two simple things:
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Don’t operate powered watercraft in shallow areas that may be hosting Bluegill spawning beds. Prop wash from powerboats operating in shallow water flushes tiny Bluegill eggs out of their protective nests - destroying the eggs, burying them deep in sediment, and/or making them vulnerable to consumption by predators.
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Practice "catch and release" in late spring and early summer to protect male bluegills that are protecting their nests. Bluegills build gravel and stone protective nests in the lake bottom. After depositing her eggs into the spaces between the gravel and stone within the nest, the female leaves the spawning area. The male stays near the nest to protect the fertilized eggs by hovering over the nest and aggressively chasing away predators seeking a meal consisting of Bluegill eggs. He also uses his tail to prevent sediment from accumulating on the fertilized eggs in his nest. As the protected Bluegill eggs mature in hatchlings, they eat also carp egg!!!!
Adult male Bluegills protecting their nests are highly vulnerable to being caught by recreational anglers. Unfortunately, the loss of the nest's protective male all but ensures that the Bluegill eggs in that nest will be consumed by predators or smothered by sediment. Catch and release please in late spring and early summer!!!!!!
As part of the Emerald-Sylvan Lakes Association’s efforts to combat our carp infestation, we ask that you join in our collective efforts to safeguard our Bluegills during their spawning season (late spring and early summer). Your considered actions will help ensure the continued existence of a healthy, diverse fishery in our beautiful lakes. Let’s support the Bluegills by letting them flourish and eat those yucky carp eggs.
To learn more about the several sunfish species in addition to bluegills that inhabit Michigan's inland lakes, to go: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/education/michigan-species/fish-species/sunfish
Based on an Article in Michigan Waterfront Alliance Update for Tuesday, April 15, 2025, by Scott Brown in MWA e-Newsletter Editor. Photos by Scott Brown.
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