Cecil I'm doing something similar with the M BG F YP pond - will try my best to add 25-50 M RES this Spring/Summer. I'm only confident on ID if I get them on the beds and confirm milt.
The the bigger super bright red ear tabs vs. the subtle orange ear tabs isn't good enough to differentiate a male from a female?
Cecil as a general rule of thumb I would say so, but in my opinion it is not foolproof. Sunfish, redears included, can display a wide range of colors, even the same fish can look quite different based on lighting conditions or water clarity. Coloration on both female and male RES can darken up quite a bit when they stressed or agitated and colors can wash out under bright light conditions. Somedays I think I have three male RES and two females in my aquarium, other days I think I have four males and one female.
