distended red

Comment

Comment by Bruce Condello on June 25, 2009 at 5:36am

Excellent guess, Bill...and probably a good one for discussion in its own blog thread, but the evidence usually suggests that one of the best ways to get hybrid lepomids is to crown them into stained water. Kind of like being in a dark bar late at night. :-)

Comment by Bill "Musky" Modica on June 24, 2009 at 9:09pm

Thanks Bruce, this fish was taped at 12.5"............she was immediately released.
Out of the four lakes in this small local chain, this particular body of water contains the largest RES, and the highest population of gillcrackers. It's water clarity could be considered stained, while the other three lakes are clear to gin-clear. Gillcrackers in the clear lakes are rare, and almost non-existent. My guess is that the stained water which warms fast, pushes the reds up onto limited spawning habitat a little earlier, creating the overlap which results in gillcrackers......but I can only speculate....There is almost 2 miles of pristine "sticky bottom" here to keep the reds happy.

Comment by Bruce Condello on June 24, 2009 at 8:21pm

Whoa! Great female 'cracker. That's a beauty. I would love to be fishing right now. Do we have a length on this studette?