Do you love big bluegill?

100_0418

Redear... looks thin. Almost 10", and 11.8 ozs.

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Comment by Tony Livingston on February 16, 2012 at 7:56pm: Dick, I knew I had seen a statement made by you somewhere on the forum that I wanted to comment on. I started digging back through your posts, and found it in a reply you made to one of my own threads.

You mentioned misplacing your camera, and that you were unable to get a photo of the BG you had caught. I know that you've taken steps that should allow you and your wife more time on the water together, and I just wanted to let you know that one of the things I am really hoping for this upcoming season is that we see lots of photos of you and the missus showing off your catches here on BBG.

I hope you've found that camera, Dick. I'm looking forward to it.

Comment by dick tabbert on February 14, 2012 at 11:39am: Tony nice fish. Your ice all gone. Mine was but yesterday it froze up about 1/4" and today it snowed about 2" and I have slush out there. I did manage to catch about a nine inch blue gill one day last week. I seem to have misplaced my camera or I'd of got a picture of it.

Comment by Tony Livingston on February 14, 2012 at 10:25am: Here's a few more from this winter in a different light. Uppermost fish in the first pic. Some display features that suggest a flirtatious background :)

Comment by Walt Foreman on February 14, 2012 at 9:50am: The opercular is part of what makes it look like a cross (far too big for a shellcracker), but beyond that, the coloring on the gill flap is more like that of a bluegill than a shellcracker, as is the coloring of the body overall. The scales are almost certainly displaying more bluegill genes than redear, IMO.

That pond needs some significant harvesting! Thin them out and they'll grow, even without feeding. How are the bass numbers in that pond?

Comment by Tony Livingston on February 13, 2012 at 10:01pm: Dick, I don't mean to answer for Bruce, but in this context an F-2 refers to the second generation removed from the original source fish. Example: a Bluegill and a Redear spawn together, and the resulting offspring are known as F-1 hybrids. The F-1 generation can produce F-2's, the F-2 generation produces F-3's, etc.

Where it gets complicated, is when backcrossing occurs. Such as when a hybrid F-2 spawns with a Bluegill, or Redear.... the offspring resulting from such a union will typically favor one of the parents in appearance, with just enough differences to make me scratch my head and ask what's going on.... hence, the photo in this thread.

Walt picked up on something not being right with my calling this fish a redear, and he's correct. I can't find any more pics that show it in a different light, as it had a more definitive appearance when viewed from another angle. Nevertheless, this fish has an unusual look about it in the tray. I believe Bruce is suggesting the possibility of a hybrid, (Bluegill x Redear), having spawned with a "pure" ( I hate that word in this context) fish, probably Bluegill, to create the fish we see here.

Such goes the life of a promiscuous lepomid with a shortage of spawning partners, and/or low visibility water.

Comment by dick tabbert on February 13, 2012 at 9:09pm: Bruce excuse me what do you mean F-2 for us people who don't know, I guess that's me.

Comment by Greg McWilliams on February 13, 2012 at 8:26pm: Do you still have the ice????? Mine were ice now they have snow!!!!!

Am I close enough on the swedish pimple, do you think!!!! Does the little spinner make it one??

Comment by Tony Livingston on February 13, 2012 at 8:22pm: No, couple of weeks ago.... I wish it were from today!

Comment by Greg McWilliams on February 13, 2012 at 8:18pm: Tony, Didn't you have ice yesterday????? This one from today!!! NICE!!!!!!!!

Comment by Tony Livingston on February 13, 2012 at 8:07pm: Very true. So many possibilities and variations, the fish in the photo has an opercular flap that screams BG to me, but it's ever so slightly tinged with red/orange. Walt has a good eye, and as I mentioned, Pure is one adjective that doesn't always fit the bill in my ponds.

I'll see if I have more photos of that fish.