Nebraskaland

38 Nebraskaland • May 2023 ound for pound, or perhaps more accurately, ounce for ounce, bluegills put up a fi ght as good as any other fi sh swimming in Nebraska's waters. Their abundance, the ease at which they are caught, and their quality as table fare make them one of the most sought-after fi sh we have. Creel surveys have shown that many anglers looking for fresh fi sh for dinner often have a self-imposed minimum length limit of around 8 inches. Which begs the question: how long does it take to grow an 8-inch bluegill? That depends on many factors, including water quality, water body type, the other types of fi sh in the lake and even genetics. In the right circumstances, it can be fast. Sandhills lakes, some of the most fertile in the state, produce 8-inch bluegills in four to fi ve years. At Lake Wanahoo, some fi sh reached a whopping 10 inches four years after the initial stocking. A Nebraska Game and Parks Commission study completed last year found that in southeastern Nebraska fl ood control reservoirs, it could take four to six years for bluegills to reach that length. During their regular spring sampling using trap nets in 2021 and 2022, fi sheries biologists collected fi ve bluegills in every 10-millimeter length category from four fl ood control reservoirs that have been built or renovated within the past seven years — Conestoga, Duck Creek, Flanagan and Stagecoach — and four other established fi sheries — Czechland, Olive Creek, Swan 67 and Walnut Creek. In the lab, they determined their age by looking at the fi sh's scales and their otolith, or ear bones, which both have annual growth rings. The results weren't surprising, but it did give a more precise breakdown in the diff erences in growth rates between new and established waters. "At age 2, it's about the same," Matthew Perrion, the Game and Parks biologist who led the study, said of the growth in new versus old lakes. "At age 3 and 4, the fi sh in recently renovated lakes are growing faster." That faster growth meant that at age 4, bluegills in new reservoirs were nearly 8 inches long, compared to 7 inches in older reservoirs. "That's important," Perrion said. The similarities in growth during the fi rst two years could be related to fi sh density. Those fi sh live primarily on zooplankton, and there is only so much to go around. Bluegill Growth Rates Story and photos by Eric Fowler Game and Parks fi sheries biologists sampled fi ve age classes of bluegills when they surveyed Stagecoach Lake in May 2022. The fi sh ranged in length from 3 to 9 inches. P How long does it take to grow an 8-inch bluegill?

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