Ewest,
Actually I politely disagree on the feed relation to the coloring. I have had at least one fish farmer tell me bluegills exclusively on pellets are lighter in color than wild bluegills. And I've observed this myself. However I have to admit there could be other factors as in water color and clarity. However if you think about it, it could make sense. Why? Because with less caroten and other pigments in their diet from zooplankton and crustaceans, they may have less to work with than if they are exclusively on pellets.
During the off spawning season my trout are rather pale to silvery in coloration. However if I get a diet that is supplemented with astaxithan (artifical coloring) and feed it for 90 days they do color up and not just the flesh. I also have a text that says I can enhance the red/orange in my brook trout by adding paprika to the feed with fish oil.
