When I feed my HBG I have a few 3 1/2" sunfish that I think might be BG.They have more of a blue-green color tail and fins.They also have a distinctive black spot on the back of their dorsal fin.Are these acidental BG or the RES I stocked?..Thanks Joe.

Boy, Joe, I'm not sure if it will be possible to tell you what you've got without a picture, though some of the ID gurus here may be able to give you some better input. Since both are sunfish, they have a lot of similarities so things like coloration and the spot are often common traits among them. It's when you get a closer look that even those common traits do show the variation that makes each species unique. RES and BG both have that spot on the ear tab, but with RES, there's usually a touch of red, hence the name.

I could be way off base on this, but since I'm the first one to reply, I guess I get to take the credit for either giving you a reasonably accurate tidbit of info, or for leading you down the primrose path! We'll find out which one it is before long, I'm sure!

Short answer, BG. That's my WAG anyway without a picture, but from the description I'll make that my final answer.

Keys - Blue Green Fins, Spot on rear of dorsal fin.

You know, I misread the spot on the dorsal fin as meaning the spot on the ear tab. Careless reading on my part. Not that I've ever paid attention enough to realize BG had a black spot at the rear of their dorsal fins, but now that I've heard that I'll have to give a closer look next time I catch one.

You see now why I said my answer could be completely errant?!

I have thought they were BG for a while now.They don't look like the HBG that are the same size.They must of got mixed in at the hatchery.The first batch of HBG I purchased were 1"-3",I think that is where they came from.Since then I have bought bigger fish and inspected them at release.I will just have to wait and see how everything turns out.I really didn't want BG.....Joe

bowjo, a small piece of worm on a #10 short shank hook thrown in the water in front of them will catch them easily. No weight or bobber.

I was under the impression that RES wouldn't feed on pellets, was I misinformed??

I've found in dealing with ponds, never say never. While they don't normally feed on pellets, they will, at least in my pond. Not to the extent that BG do, but they DO feed on them.

If they have a distinctive black spot at the back of their dorsal fin, they are either pure BG, pure GSF or a hybrid of them. They are the only two common pond sunfish with that characteristic. RES do not have that...

RES can be trained to eat pellets. A few can also do so based on acquired behavior (watching BG). No hatcheries that I know of feed train RES.

I can't say I have seen any info on whether BG X RES or GSF X RES males have a black spot on the dorasl fin. Pure RES don't.

I am sure now that they are BG.I don't know how many are there,but I have seen 5.Should I try to get them out now?I have not tried to catch them yet.It might be tough to get these few that are among all the HBG and HSB.....Joe

It depends on your pond goals. If you don't want BG in the pond, the quicker you get them out, the better.

Sight fishing for them should be pretty easy. Just toss that worm/hook combo about 1' in front of them.

Made a few discoveries this evening while trying to catch bluegill.
1.Caught a perch that was growing and doing well
2.My HBG are growing quite fast,and I allready got some big ones.
3.Bluegill are smarter than all my other fish
4.I saw a whole school of BG in the shallow water
It was really tough to sight cast these BG.I managed to get three out.The BG caught on pretty quick and ignored me.Every other species in the pond just kept biting.
I cant believe that I have only had a pond for 5 months and got unwanted fish allready.I hope they don't get to out of control.Here is a pic of one of the bad guys....

While trying to catch BG I caught alot of HBG.There were a couple that had all the HBG markings,but had little BG mouths.

So what is wrong with either fish you caught?

Did you get these from a fish farm, if so what one, and what were you supposed to get?

Please continue to take pics to keep us informed as to what you have in your pond.

Thanks

The first pic is a BG,which I did not want in my pond.I think the second is a Hybrid,but still different from the others.

So you got a little bonus with your order?

What were you supposed to get?



Also you said you caught a perch and some HBG that were looking good. If you would could you post pics of them, I would like to see if they are similar to what I have. As my HBG do not look like what I was expecting either.

Thanks

Is that the HBG, if so what is the cross supposed to be to make that look?

Where did you get your fish?

What did the Perch look like do you have a pic?

When did you stock these and how big were they?

How big is your pond?

That thing sure looks mostly like a green sunfish. Its mouth just doesn't look big enough.

The first picture is probably a bluegill, but I don't know what that fish is in the second picture.

It looks like these things are the second or third generation of parental hybrid bluegills.

Those things might be hybrids -- but they ain't pure hybrid bluegills.

I'd take these pictures to the supplier and ask for an explanation.

Ken

They were sold to me as HBG...Do you guys got any pics of HBG,so I can see what they are supposed to look like?...Anymoe suggestions on what these fish are?..Thanks for any help

Wow, that's quite a variance among your fish, even for HBG. the first pic looks like a female BG to me, while the second one shows some characteristics of HBG, but I agree with Ken, I believe it's one or two generations removed from the original cross. That last pic intrigues me... it's a lighter shade than my HBG, although colored very similar. The vertical bars on it's side are different, much like a regular BG. Pretty good looking fish though. Makes me wonder if your hatchery properly drained, or seined their pond between seasons. I think they might of missed a few.

Sorry Bowjo, I haven't tried my hand at posting photos yet. There are some great pics of HBG already posted on here, I know Nate and Rainman have shown some real beauties. Gives me something to shoot for!

What should a pure HBG look like?

I thought since they are HBG you could get some variations.

Could the second pic be a RES cross or maybe pumpkinseed cross?

The first pic looks like the CNBG I received.

This is becoming a wonderful topic.

Keep the info comming.

Thanks

I will try to get more fish pics taken this week.I will post some for you guys to help identify.....

Well, who knows? With second guessing, the last photo could very well be a hybrid bluegill.

Here is a photo from Bruce Condello of a hybrid bluegill:



Here are a few more.







They could all be hybrids, but . . .

More photos sure would help. I still think you have a mix.

In my completely amateur opinion... I agree.

But are these PURE HYBRIDS?

?????????????????????

Two that are the same are pure.

And two that are different are hybrid.

So what was the Q ?

From the archives (there's really a lot of information there, I spent days and days reading and learning before posting here for the first time. It helped me from asking redundant questions).

Sunfish Primer

Forun Search Tips

Identification sites

There can be lots of variation in hybrid lepomis even in just HBG.

See this thread for pics and discussion.

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=1341&Number=14459#Post14459

This fish looks like a Georgia Giant to me but maybe not.

Uh Oh, I think I just heard the top pop off the can of worms!

So how about the Georgia Giants? Do they grow any faster than any other BG?

What are the pros and cons of having them?

Where can one buy them?

What fish are crossed to make them?

I Just got done fishing and taking pics.Other than the BG being there,everything else seems fine.My new observations today:
1.Some of my HSB are alot bigger than I previously thought,10"+.
2.Some of my HBG are alot bigger also 8-9" very fat and heavy.
3.Perch are doing well
4.Have not caught or seen a RES yet.
5.Great minnow population,I wouldn't want to be one in this pond!
I will post a new thread with my pics and what I think my fish are. I hope you guys don't get to tired of my questions and posts.I really like reading other opinions and suggestions....Thanks again Joe

Yep, that WAS the top popping off!

MRHELLO, use the search function here, type in Georgia Giants or Georgia Giant and read, read, read. Once you've done that, then come back and ask if anything isn't clear, but I'll bet you will have all your questions answered about Georgia Giants. Search back as far as the search function will let you. Interesting reading.

Please keep the posts and pictures coming. I think it is nice to see all a person has in there ponds and how they are progressing.

Also when you do get some random fish it is nice to post them so others can have questions answered about some freaks in their pond. This does have me a little scared though, since I too used the smaller fish at stalking that I may end up with something weird in my pond.

I may even post some pictures of mine when I get time to load them up and everything is working well. I am ready to get back to my pond but we had 4 inches of rain yesterday so it may be weeks before I can go, unless I want to walk 1/3 mile through weeds 3 feet tall, and I am not in the mood to be a tick’s dinner.

Yep, that WAS the top popping off!

MRHELLO, use the search function here, type in Georgia Giants or Georgia Giant and read, read, read. Once you've done that, then come back and ask if anything isn't clear, but I'll bet you will have all your questions answered about Georgia Giants. Search back as far as the search function will let you. Interesting reading. [/quote]


I'll second that. MRHELLO, I'm in my second year of raising HBG, and when I first became interested in this project I read all through the archives, everything that I could find that pertained to HBG. The section on Georgia Giants should be required reading for anyone thinking about ANY type of HBG. Lots of good info there, grab a sandwich, a cool beverage, and start in. Like essup said, after you've read through all that, you will probably find all your questions answered.

So are you raising HBG?

If so what size did you stock, when were they stocked, and how big are they now?

How large is your pond, what else is in it and do you feed?

Thanks

Yes, I am raising HBG. I stocked approx 600 fish (3-4") in March of last year. This year, I stocked an additional 100 of the same size. I have about 40-45 LMB in the 5-10" range that I'm using to control unwanted reproduction.The pond is 2/3 acre,and 10' deep at most. I recently added an aeration system, as I know I probably have too much biomass in the pond, and I'm trying to ward off any future low DO problems. The fish average about 8" now, (last years'), with an occasional 9-9.5" thrown in. I feed Aquamax 500 twice a day, not sure on the actual pounds used, I'll try to weigh it tonight.

Sounds like I really need to figure out a way to feed my fish. I think this will help them grow so I can thin them out and eat them.

I overstocked my pond and now waiting to see what happens.

I'm glad ESSHUP posted. Not everyone has been 100% satisfied with the "inventor" (yes, he claims to have a patent on large fish) of these fish and the famous "Hogzilla."

After EWEST's post, it would really be interesting to find out who supplied the fish in question.

[Moderators: Please feel free to erase this if I've put the forum in legal jeopardy, or if I'm out of bounds.]

Can you tell me how big this fish is?

What size it was when you stocked it?

When they were stocked?

I am really concerned as to the size of my fish since these look much larger and I think I may have stocked mine before you.

Please let me know.

Thanks