Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

ngt

ngt

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I was at this lake and saw a guy and his kids catching and keeping blue gill for a fish tank. Wasn't sure if that was legal or not.
 
scipper77

scipper77

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

I'm sure it varies from state to state but I will say that the local bait shop here has a tank with a perch, bass, bluegill, and a couple other fish in it. I actually think it's an awesome looking tank with the local sport fish in it.

I wonder what is the best way to feed them?? Tropical flakes probably won't cut it.

I'd do the same with mt 55 gallon tank if it wasn't already populated. I'm not into killing fish so the current tropicals get a reprieve.
 
scipper77

scipper77

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

Also this is a case where if you were to include your location in your profile it would help you to get a response.
 
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BUDDY123

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

You would have to check with local fish commission. Here in PA I was fishing a canal which had been stocked with trout for a minors fishing tourney. Since there was no water flow the trout were going to die due to water temp & lack of oxygen. Me and my buddy were catching them and putting them in a fast running creek less than 25yds away. Fishwarden came by and told us this was illegal, because we were transporting live fish from one location to another. After he left moved another 25 nice size trout, one week later we saw at least 15 of them belly up in the canal. Go figure.
 
gonefishie

gonefishie

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

In most places, it is illegal to keep gamefish caught from public water for aquarium purpose. If you do and then decide to release them later, do not release them into public water. Native fish or not, it is considered illegal stocking and you will be in deep doo doo.
 
gonefishie

gonefishie

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

BUDDY123 said:
You would have to check with local fish commission. Here in PA I was fishing a canal which had been stocked with trout for a minors fishing tourney. Since there was no water flow the trout were going to die due to water temp & lack of oxygen. Me and my buddy were catching them and putting them in a fast running creek less than 25yds away. Fishwarden came by and told us this was illegal, because we were transporting live fish from one location to another. After he left moved another 25 nice size trout, one week later we saw at least 15 of them belly up in the canal. Go figure.
Click to expand...

Your Honor, we have the confession right here.
 
avenger79

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

BUDDY123 said:
You would have to check with local fish commission. Here in PA I was fishing a canal which had been stocked with trout for a minors fishing tourney. Since there was no water flow the trout were going to die due to water temp & lack of oxygen. Me and my buddy were catching them and putting them in a fast running creek less than 25yds away. Fishwarden came by and told us this was illegal, because we were transporting live fish from one location to another. After he left moved another 25 nice size trout, one week later we saw at least 15 of them belly up in the canal. Go figure.
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different water conditions probably shocked their system and killed them.


in wis you can do it if you have a legal fishing license and if you take them into account of your daily possession limit. another word if your allowed to possess 50 fish total and you have 5 swimming you better not have more then 45 in your freezer.
usually not a problem with bluegill but bass and what not you can be over limit fast.
it's generally not ideal for the fish although it can be done.
easiest way to stay legal here anyways is to order the fish from canada then there are no "bag limits" on them. keep your receipt though.
people here always want to try and keep musky which is too fast growing or trout which needs very cold clean water. neither one is easy to house.
 
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Al-53

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

if the fish is not considered a game fish u can keep in a tank..but not move to another body of water.....by law your not even suppose to release live bait into a body of water.....it varies from state to state...but some laws pertain to all states.....no introduction of fish from one body of water to another....

we have lakes here where bowfin and pike were not native to and then started to be caught....it had a impact on the trout and salmon.....

but to answer your question if the sunfish are not a game fish with regulations..u may take them for a tank....as long as not released later in a different body of water....but they cant be transported over a state line

Al
 
T

TerryMSU

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

Can't speak to legality, but many years ago, a good friend had several 'gills and similar fish in a tank, along with a crawfish or two. The gills were a beautiful green and he actually had one trained to come to the surface and take a crawler out of his hand. Awesome! The crawfish was not trainable, but it was still cool to watch it eat. He fed it some sort of pellets. Don't recall what he fed the gills. We lived right next to the lake and I know he tried to keep other fish (like bass and also perch) Neither of those survived if I remember correctly. Of course, the bass would have been sub-legal size.

Also, if you go to a Cabelas or BassPro store, they have all sorts of large game fish in a huge aquarium in the store.

TerryMSU
 
avenger79

avenger79

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

TerryMSU said:
Also, if you go to a Cabelas or BassPro store, they have all sorts of large game fish in a huge aquarium in the store.

TerryMSU
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cabelas and basspro and what not buy their fish from breeders. they can have all they want then.
 
ngt

ngt

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

scipper77 said:
Also this is a case where if you were to include your location in your profile it would help you to get a response.
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nor cal
 
CN Spots

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

Bream are easy to keep in an aquarium if you catch them when they're small or they come from a pond/lake where they are being fed pellets. I raised several from about quarter sized to about 4 inches. After that I threw them back in our pond. I fed mine the small pellet food usually used for oscars.

Tried several times to keep largemouth but I never could get them to eat anything other than feeder guppies and that cost too much. Those things would swim around w/guppies sticking out of their mouths trying to catch more.
 
gonefishie

gonefishie

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

You can train the LM just like the gills Spot. It has to be done very early when they're fry and start to feed on something other then tiny stuff, insect larvae, etc. Fish farm that raises LM for food train them that way.
 
CN Spots

CN Spots

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

I guess I lost patience w/them too early. Maybe mine were just stubborn. I even tried tiny pieces of raw fish meat and jigging it around in front of them on a piece of thread to no avail.

I caught a pumpkinseed several years ago and desperately tried to get it home alive to put in my aquarium but it didn't make it.:( As far as native fish go, that's probably one of the prettiest (colorwise) that we have. They can hold their own w/any tropical fish imo.

orangespotted_sunfish.jpg
 
scipper77

scipper77

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

CN Spots said:
They can hold their own w/any tropical fish imo.

orangespotted_sunfish.jpg
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Agreed! I think there size helps out a lot. Most freshwater tropicals are plain. Salt water fish are beautiful but the hide 90% of the time.
 
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mommicked

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

My roomates and I put a small 8"+/- bass in an aquarium for a while it was great fun to watch him devour crappie minnows almost every 10 mins or so.it was interesting to see the minnows would bunch up when he was about to feed,like they sensed impending doom!we could never figure out what they noticed about its behavior to make them nervous.after feeding on a few,the minnows would swim all over the tank and right in front of him safely.also if he wounded or killed one w/out swallowing it he would not eat it even if it was still struggeling before it expired.we had to constantly remove dead minnows from the tank till we got a crayfish.but he ate him too not long after they were introduced!we released him because we were going broke buying minnows on our measily budgets!
 
A

a70eliminator

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Re: Can you catch and keep blue gill in a tank?

I tried to keep largemouth bass about 4", it would eat as many minnows as it could get in it's mouth! Once in a while it would just go nuts and start jumping and banging the lid stirring up the tank, I found him one day hanging by it's gills out of the tank near the opening where the filter hung.
 
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