Fun Fish for Sunfish

Ok, so it’s a lame title, but it conveys to you two things. One, what we were catching and two, that we were having fun catching them.

Like most amateur fisherman/women believe, a fun day of fishing consists of two things, fishing with a partner that you can enjoy spending time with making memories and catching fish. Notice that I did not say big fish. It is my belief that if fishing is done right, that you can have just as much fun catching the fish that everyone else considers to be a junk fish.

Sunfish are just such a fish. Ask most anglers what fish they try to catch and you will inevitably hear things like Bass, Trout, Pike, Walleye, or any other number of game fish that you catch. One thing that you will rarely hear from anglers is that they are going fishing for sunfish. Sunfish have long had a stigma attached to them, that they are not good to eat or that their only useful purpose it fertilizer for the garden. If your aim  is to have a fun day of fishing with good company where you can catch a lot of fish, then look no further than the sunfish.

This fish is especially good for the first time fisherman such as kids or even if you are trying to get your wife interested in fishing. We all know that what makes people get hooked on fishing is when they can catch fish. I don’t know how you were, but when I was a kid, it was more important that I was catching fish than what type of fish, and believe me, amateurs will love catching Kibbies. They are just that much fun.

What are Kibbies you ask? The word Kibbie is slang and has long been used to describe different varieties of Sunfish found here in NH such as the Bluegill, the Pumpkinseed, the Green Sunfish and the Longear Sunfish. The Black Crappie (which is not referred to as Kibbie) is also a member of the Sunfish family, and among these mentioned Sunfish is the most sought after, but do not make the mistake of ruling out the other members of this family of fish if fun is what you are seeking.

On this day, my brother and I decided to go fishing on the Everett Lake. The Everett Lake is 150 acres of fun fishing and is located in Weare NH. The lake is home to a variety of fish such as Largemouth Bass, Sunfish, Black Crappie, Perch, Pickerel and even Trout. The lake itself was created in 1963 when the Everett Dam was placed on the Piscataquog River. On one side of the lake you can find Clough State Park where you can swim, have a picnic, boat, fish and generally have a great day with the family. If you are interested in the park, click here http://www.nhstateparks.org/explore/state-parks/clough-state-park.aspx to get more information.

This is the view of where my brother and I launched our rowboat. you can see the Everett Dam in the background. This lake is much bigger than what you see in this photo as once you reach the area by the dam it opens up.

We began the day at 8 am when we got onto the water and instantly began catching fish. By the time we stopped at one of the parks picnic tables to have lunch, we each had already caught 30 fish, and by the time our day was done at 6 pm we had pulled in 50 to 60 fish each. Of course we practice catch and release, so we had no problems catching these great fish all day long.

So here is what we were using for tackle. We both were using our 5 foot ultralight rods with ultralight reel and 4 lb test line. If you want the most of your Kibbie fishing experience, then I suggest you use microlight or ultralight tackle like we did, but take note… as amateurs, you do not need go and purchase ultralight equipment to catch these fun fish. Your everyday general fishing gear will work just fine. As for lure, we went with the lure that seems to work for us no matter what we are fishing for, the 1-1/2 to 2 inch white grub jig in 1/16th to 1/8th oz weight. Today this little lure proved extremely well suited to the fish.

My friends, make a memory with your kids or other friends and family. Go to Everett Lake in Weare, NH and catch yourself some Kibbies, and remember to bring along the camera.

Tight lines, the Amateur Angler.

Below are a few pictures of the Kibbies we caught. Click on any of the photos to see them larger.