How big can hybrids get ? I caught one a few weeks ago on the Ouachita River here in Louisiana. I am going to post a picture in a few days.I didn't know what kind of fish it was til I came across this site.Thanks for the input.
Kind of hard to tell from the picture but that looks like a shell cracker(red ear) to me. If that's what it is 3 to 4lbs is about as large I've ever seen anyway.
A bluegill would not have the white looking fringe around the ear flap like this does. The picture is blurred to me, but the motled look on the cheeks says shellcracker. That is what Walt Foreman said it was and he's a pro at fish management.
I used to fish a couple small ponds where he even pellet fed his hybrids and the biggest was 10". In fact most of them were 10 in.I live in northern Indiana and I suppose temperature is the main factor, along with water quality. My favorite lake is attached to 5 other lakes but the biggest gills are taken from my favorite.
Hybrids, that is green sunfish X bluegill cross, can get pretty beefy. I know of one angler who caught a 2-15 and is getting it mounted. The biggest I have personally seen was the one my wife caught from a local pond back in 2007. It was 11 7/8 inches long and I don't believe it quite went 2 pounds. Based on the body dynamics and appearance, I believe it was a female hybrid...rare, and especially so due to its size.