August 31, 2015
By Doug Stange
Among the most fanciful fishing destinations for many hardcore anglers is a trip to fish for bluegills that surpass 2 pounds. They equal, in a comparative sense, walleyes weighing more than 13 pounds, muskies surpassing 54 inches, and largemouth bass besting 13 pounds.
Richmond Mill, a private water of the Kingfish Society, near Laurel Hill, North Carolina, is one of a few places in North America that has such fish. Created as a destination for big largemouth bass, it also blossomed with gargantuan coppernose bluegills, some of which have actually surpassed 3 pounds. Coppernose are a bluegill sub-species in the way that Florida largemouth bass are related to northern-strain largemouths. The fish share an evolutionary divergence as they developed in Florida and now are stocked in many waters in the South.
A stay at Richmond Mill includes exclusive lodging right on the lake. The meals are terrific and the lodging is as comfortable as a 4-star hotel. A jazz musician might stop by to play as you take your evening meal. Hunting quail also is an option, as is a morning or afternoon at their skeet range. Guides are available to help you understand the fishing and make sure you have a chance to catch giant fish.
At times fish stay close to the feeders that help to insure fat fish, but during fall big 'gills drop into deeper water along the old creek channel where drop-shot rigging works well. We used a modified rig with a jig to anchor the rigging and an Aberdeen hook on the line a foot above the jig, fished below a fixed float.
Contact: Kingfisher Society, kingfishersociety.com .
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