I stand by my original thought of barely an ounce-and-a-half to a single fillet...

...or 50 fish, @ a pair of fillets each for a total of just over 9# of fillets from the 50 fish.

And to take it a step further, in order to get good and filled-up at a bluegill-feed, one would need another 9# of cornmeal and tarter! (YUM!)

Well, now, I reckon it's time for an ecology lesson.

Probably the most popular panfish in the U.S., bluegill have been recorded at more than 15 inches and weighing more than 4 pounds.

The average bluegill, however, comes in at 4-6 inches, and weighs less than 4 oz. In most places, a one-pound bluegill gets your picture in the local newspaper.

Most of the time when folks catch those larger bluegill they've actually caught a shellcracker, which is a different species.

The rules of the tournament are this: Up to 30 fish can be weighed per boat, with a minimum size of 5". It's not uncommon for boats to bring in more than 30, and then cull to get the biggest. And there's an occasional disqualifier that's less than 5".

So, what we're talking about are fish in the round averaging 5" and weighing 4 ounces or less.

I haven't weighed individual filets. But I can say, without fear of contradiction, that 1 1/2 ounces per is way to high.

Dang then, Brook. Looks like we're gonna need more tarter! Hee-Hee!

(maybe a hot-dish, too!)

In most places, bluegill are fileted and either batter fried (in cornmeal beer batter), or breaded and fried using a standard two- or three-dish method.

In the upper Mid-west, however, it's more popular to cook them in the semi-round. The fish are scaled, gutted, and the heads cut off just behind the gills. What's lefts is breaded and fried.

People who grew up eating them that way hold the fish in their hands, belly up. Using their thumbs they split the fish apart. What you get is a clean, breaded half fish, with no bones. You then lift the bones from the second half in one piece and discard them.

The key words there are "people who grew up eating them that way." I've seen it done over and over. But it doesn't work for me.

Bluegill meat is also excellent for dishes that call for ground fish, such as fish balls, and poached or pickled to use in salads, and so forth. I often use them as the fish component in Kedgaree Covington. And, if you have the patience, the filets can sometimes be used in recipes that actually call for larger pieces. For instance, I'll sometimes fit several bluegill filets together in a variation of Musky Turbans.

Actually, Brook... I've only ever eaten them the way you describe- whole, much like smelt. When you first described actually going to the toturous trouble of filleting them, my eyes crossed and my head spun! I think if I ever ended up in helll that's the job ole Satan his-self would assign me for eternity- filleting a dump-truck a'bluegill! Yikes!