Otherwise fat and healthy male BG, with strange stripe down his side

Out of your pond? Any others showing this type of coloration or marking?

I used to raise Belgian draft horses, one mare had a black birthmark and passed a similar mark to all her foals. I wonder if your gill is showing some type of hereditary feature?

Yup, from our pond. First one we've seen like it. Maybe just a genetic quirk. We'll have to watch and see if the stripe shows up in the next generation. Might be a new fangled type fish aka 'blue eared striped twister bass', or something... ha!

(I'm channeling the CHRM acronym from the forum list..aka the copperheaded rattlemoccasin)

The gal who landed it thought it looked pretty cool...

wow that's unique! Was his opposite side similar or normal coloration?

Other side was normal, as seen here while I was measuring it

Fish shown has nerve damage. Most of the time affected area turns black, and may be accompanied by reduced motor function. In the past I collected such fish thinking they were color sports that are genetically based. Usually within 60 days the discoloration was lost. Such fish did not produce similarly colored offspring although I did not line breed back to affected individuals to check for recessive nature of condition is genetic.

The nerve damage most often caused by extreme physical exertion or blunt trauma although internal parasites by be involved with some.

Very interesting! Thanks for the information! I took another look at the photos, and the abdominal area does seem a bit sunken. So if neuropathy is leading to the color change, the correlating atrophy of the nearby musculature may also be evident. I confess I do not know the neuroanatomy of the bluegill, or the correlating dermatomes.
He seemed to swim normally, and was in good body condition. Visceral function apparently isn't being (grossly) affected. And he must be compensating just fine for any loss of locomotion.
Should have kept him. Dissection may have been instructive.

Luke even some of my trophy male BG [WR 130+] have that shrunken abdominal area...Dr. Bruce Condello [Bigbluegill.com] never seems concerned by it as a sign of poor performance, as the rest of the fish demonstrates very healthy characteristics. I have to admit though, when I see that shrunken area it suggests to me a reason for concern...just doesn't look right to me! One way to resolve this is to assess the WR of any fish with the shrink characteristic - it did set my mind to ease...at least a little bit.

This guy did not strike me as unhealthy in any way. We have noticed our BG getting more vivid since we started feeding them last year. I know they are spawning/nesting now too, and that also greatly impacts their colors (as I have learned from you and the other pond pros and scientists).
We are just really enjoying catching bigger/healthier BG! When I see what you and Dr Condello and others are able to accomplish, I get pretty stoked!

Dr. Condello and your's truly!



Brute!

Just.....AWESOME!! If those fish don't give you chills and put a grin on your face, there's definitely something wrong with you..
Thanks for sharing!

Keep in mind that post spawn BG may have lost 20 to 30% of there weight due to spawning/repeatedly.

So males from the effort of nesting/defending the nest and females from egg production?

Yes , exactly ! By the end of summer they can be in rough condition. Feeding helps as it is a quick method to replenish reserves.