Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

The bluegill is perhaps the most sought-after sport fish in the country, and why not? They are prolific, abundant and they are great fighters. As table fare, they're second to none. And now is a good time to put a fresh mess of their flavorful fillets on your table.

Here's a look at where to find some great winter bluegill action near you:

DISTRICT THREE
Matt Wolfe, a fisheries biologist in the Ohio Division of Wildlife's District Three office, said the best places to go bluegill fishing in Ohio during February are in his district.

"Mogadore Reservoir and the Portage Lake systems are the best picks," Wolfe said.

"We have done a lot of habitat improvement with fallen trees and sunken Christmas trees. Bluegill anglers need to be aware that the lakes also have significant redear sunfish populations and they should expect to catch many of them as well."

Wolfe, who fishes these lakes, said that on Portage Lake, he and his wife once caught over 100 bluegills and redears, most of them over seven inches.

"I can't remember the last time I could actually use two fishing poles there," he said. "The action can be hand over fist sometimes."

Bluegills average 8 inches on Mogadore, with redears reaching 10 inches.

Size isn't the only reason why District Three may be the best bet for fantastic February bluegill angling. Wolfe claims the normal ice thickness on district lakes is about 12 inches, sometimes reaching 24 inches in cold years. This heavy ice cover allows anglers easy access to the bluegills there.

Wolfe's sleeper pick is Highlandtown Lake. With its large numbers of bluegills, a February angler can fill up a limit quickly.

"What makes this lake so significant is that it also has a large pumpkinseed population," Wolfe noted. "The state-record pumpkinseed is 9 1/2 inches, and I have handled pumpkinseeds over 10 inches during shocking surveys there. I don't mean just one or two either," he added, suggesting that if more bluegill anglers targeted Highlandtown Lake this winter, a new state-record pumpkinseed would be pulled from its depths.

Mogadore Reservoir is in Portage County off state Route 43, six miles south of Kent. It covers about 1,000 acres. Some artificial fish structures are marked on maps available from the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

The Portage Lakes are in Summit County and may be reached off state Route 93 four miles south of Akron. The lake system has 1,681 acres of water, and many of its fish structures are marked on maps available from the ODOW.

Highlandtown Lake is in Columbiana County and may be reached off state Route 39, eight miles west of Wellsville.

Covering about 170 acres of water, the lake has many structures that are well marked on maps available from the ODOW. However, many fish structures have not yet been updated on the present maps.

Anglers looking for more information are invited to call Wolfe's District Three office at (330) 644-2293.

DISTRICT TWO
Mike Wilkerson, a fisheries biologist in District Two, said his district usually has very good ice-fishing conditions in February.

"My top picks would be the Resthaven Wildlife Area," he said, "specifically, ponds 8 and 7, in that order. Bluegill numbers are good in both ponds," Wilkerson continued. "But No. 8 is probably the best for big specimens."

Wilkerson also said there are significant numbers of redear sunfish there.