OK, these have me stumped, I can’t find them in any of my books. Caught in my backyard pond in Mt. P. Anyone?
https://picasaweb.google.com/kinslowclan/July222012?authuser=0&feat=directlink
bluegill.
pretty dark blue gill??? that’s whats throwing me off.
sealevelPete
Catch a mix of those and normal.bluegill.in my backyard pond. Bluegills are a lot of different shades
SEAFOX 185DC MERC 125
[MRS KAREN]
14’TARPON 100 paddlepower
[SALTY FLY]
best quick diagnostic for bluegill vs other sunfish: push the spines on the front of the dorsal fin forward towards the head to lift the fin, and look for a black spot at the back (see below).
I’ll have to check the dorsal fin next time I catch one. These were so dark, I wonder if I would be able to make out the spot.
sealevelPete
When they get that dark, they are called copperheads…
Excuses? I’ve heard them all!
Nice bluegill!! Lepois macrochirus. Just to reiterate everything everybody else has already said, color variation in bluegill is quite wide depending on the clarity (color) of the water, spawning season, what their eating, water temperature, genetic strain, etc. I’ve seen some that almost look like redbreast sunfish to bleached out white to almost black like yours. Always fun to catch on flies and poppers…thanks for sharing the pics.
Yeah, they are good tusslers on the fly rod. they’ve been nailing, along with largemouth bass, a blue damselfly imitation. I did catch a few more and the black spot was there on the dorsal fin. Thanks for the tip and the id help! I’ll have to spend more time on the freshwater.
sealevelPete