Crappie and sunfish
Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus. Also called bream.
Length to weight chart, typical size by age, and how to photograph a bluegill so fishline measures it well.
- Typical top length
- 11 in
- about 1.2 lb
- An 8 inch fish
- 0.42 lb
- 7 oz
- Age at 8 inches
- 3 to 4 years
- rough, varies by water
- Growth levels off
- about age 8
- gains slow to a crawl after
Bluegill length to weight chart
Estimated weight for a bluegill in average shape at each length, from the formula W = L^3.2 / 1,830 (W in pounds, L in inches). It is the same relationship fishline uses when it measures a bluegill from a photo.
| Length | Weight | Rough age |
|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 0.05 lb | about 1 year |
| 5 in | 0.09 lb | 1 to 2 years |
| 6 in | 0.17 lb | about 2 years |
| 7 in | 0.28 lb | 2 to 3 years |
| 8 in | 0.42 lb | 3 to 4 years |
| 9 in | 0.62 lb | 4 to 5 years |
| 10 in | 0.87 lb | about 6 years |
| 11 in | 1.2 lb | 8+ years |
| 12 in | 1.6 lb | 8+ years |
Total length, nose to the tip of the pinched tail. Weights are for a bluegill in average shape. A fat fish, like a female before the spawn, weighs more and a thin one less, which a girth measurement picks up. Rows past 11 inches are bigger than typical for the species.
Size by age
fishline's growth model puts a typical bluegill at around 11 inches when fully grown, with most of its growth done by about age 8. Younger fish add length fast; older fish mostly add weight.
Age from length is rough. Fish in warm water with plenty to eat grow faster than this, and fish in cold or crowded water grow slower. For a quick estimate from any length, use the fish age calculator.
| Age | Length | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 3.6 in | 0.03 lb |
| 2 years | 6.1 in | 0.17 lb |
| 3 years | 7.7 in | 0.37 lb |
| 4 years | 8.8 in | 0.57 lb |
| 5 years | 9.5 in | 0.74 lb |
| 6 years | 10 in | 0.87 lb |
| 7 years | 10.3 in | 0.96 lb |
| 8 years | 10.6 in | 1.0 lb |
From a von Bertalanffy growth curve. Fish in warm, food-rich water grow faster than this and fish in cold or crowded water grow slower, so treat every row as a rough middle.
Weigh your bluegill
Enter the length, and the girth if you taped it, for an estimate on your fish.
Photo tips for bluegill
fishline reads length from the photo using whatever is in frame for scale, so a clean, side-on shot gives the tightest number.
- 1Small fish need something small for scale. Get your fingers, a lure or a ruler in the shot, right next to the fish.
- 2Get close and fill the frame, but hold the phone square to the fish. Shooting at an angle from close up stretches whatever is nearest the lens.
- 3Lay the fish flat on your open palm or on a bump board, side-on, so the whole outline shows.
More crappie and sunfish
Or skip the tape. Snap a photo and fishline measures it.
Species, length and weight from one photo. 5 free measurements every month.