Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Green sunfish correct?

Just want to confirm ID as GSF.

Thanks.

No sir....BG. By the looks of the earlobe, it's a male.

I pulled these pics off the net.
To my untrained novice eye it sure looks like a GSF.
What is the giveaway that shows bluegill?

Clay - Mike is mostly correct. The 1st pictured fish is a BG, but it is very likely a female because it does not have black spot scales on the nape behind the head that often extend down onto the gill cover. Mature male BG almost always have the nape spots especially around spawning time. See all BG pics even CNBG in the link.
The 'ear' lobe (opercule) on the st pictured fish is roundish as in femaleBG (see link) compared to more a 'boxy' shaped ear lobe of the typical male BG. See both adult male and female side by side from any one pond and the gill flap shape becomes apparent once you know what shape to look for. One other important feature of the BG and GSF ear lobe. The GSF and HBG ear lobe will ALWAYS have a lighter colored thin margin sometimes light orange/yellow-redish on the back of the ear lobe. Sometimes you have to lift the ear lobe to best see the light color margin especially on smaller individuals. Back Ear Lobe Margin of the pure strain BG will always be pure black with no margin. Any lighter ear lobe margin indicates some other specie or hybrid of sunfish.

2nd pictured fish is likely a hybrid, immature, and not the typical GSF, but it is has lots of GSF genetics due to the color of the ear lobe / flap. I am not sure what John Lyons called that fish but IMO it is not your typical GSF.

All pure strain GSF on the lower side of the cheek below the eye will have emerald streaks often two sometimes 3 streaks or one that branches into a Y. Look for the streaks on good pictures of GSF on this PBforum link and other Google GSF pics.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92482#Post92482

Also pay attention to the size of the mouth esp the length of the upper jaw and how far it extends backward toward the eye. GSF jaw mouth extends to or almost to the front of the eye. BG jaw is noticeably shorter. Do some comparing of good pics of BG/GSF. Again see pics in the link. There are several other noticeable physical characteristics that separate BG-GSF, but the two I mentioned are easiest ones to notice.

Thanks for correcting my mistake Bill. I was looking at the length of the opercule, not so much the shape of it. I've always considered the opercule on a female to be shorter and more rounded, whereas the one on Clay's pic is more elongated. But as I look at it again I see the tip is more rounded than squared off like a male would be.

For numerous good pictures of GSF and some HBG look at pics in this lengthy, very good thread started by forum member 'snrub' about green sunfish.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=397661&page=1

Clay, you'll find the BG body to be, in laymans terms, more coin shaped or broader across the side than GSF, which have a more elongated body and longer tail. And as Bill pointed out, the mouth is more Bass like. If you're looking at the two side by side in the water, the GSF nose is more blunt or broad, where the BG is more pointed, each due to the gape each have. Other than distinct color variations, IMO the GSF is built like a Warmouth, which is more brown, and devoid of all those brilliant green stripes on the gill plate.

This is one instance where I'm happy to be wrong! I was studying on how to remove as many of the green sunfish as possible.
Traps, hook and line, cast net etc.

I will continue to catch and keep larger panfish each week throughout the summer.
They are already getting smart about the hook!

I'm still looking for green sunfish but now have a much better idea of the distinguishing features.

If I want to catch a GSF I use a small hook and bait on a 1/64 or 1/32 oz jig head and bounce it along in about a foot deep water or less right along the shore line. Or around the posts of my dock.

GSF tend to associate with the shore line or structure, even more than BG. The larger ones will venture out into open water but if I want to catch a small one for my wife to use as CC bait flip a small morsel of about anything right along the shore and that is where they hang out.

Using a minnow trap for 2" ones put it paralell to the shore with about 6-12" of water covering the top with some dog food, fish food or bread as bait. They like shallow water right along the shore line.

The Purena Large Mouth pellets or the Optimal Hand Toss pellets are the perfect bait for baiting minnow traps. Large enough to stay in the trap in one piece for a while and has the fish oil and attractants fish like. I keep a plastic container of these big pellets in my UTV when running traps to use as bait. Or for fun, just to toss a couple out in open water and watch the BG go nuts knocking them out of the water trying to eat them. Till a CC comes along then they are gone.

I built a couple cloverleaf traps and bait with dry dog food in a plastic bottle punched full of holes. GSF are usually pretty eager and willing to go inside and you can catch a couple dozen at a time. When you run the traps, bring a bucket to put water in, dump everything in the bucket so you can sort thru the catch. Cull all the GSF and anything else goes back in the pond.