Our Bluegill hatch in mid-June from shallow beds on the north side of our ponds. We use Cottonseed meal to promote fry survival and growth. Like Bass, Bluegill will eat anything they can get their small mouths around. They become easily pellet trained and feed despite the risk of being eaten. It is difficult to achieve size in production ponds because they cannibalize. Coopernose Bluegill hatch five times from spring through fall creating a “off grade” situation in our production ponds. We began using ungraded Bluegill in our “pond package deliveries for a better pond stocking blend. The grader is rough on thier delicate scales. Bluegill are sensitive to harvesting,holding and transport. We use salt and tank stabilizers when hauling our Copper nose Bluegill and Shellcraker tanks.