Kind of what I figured sprkplug, but thought I would post it in case some of you guys saw something specific that told you there was other sunfish involved.
It looked awfully green sunfishy to me to. The one thing I was unsure of was the mouth size. Thought it might be a little small in relation to body height. But so hard to tell.
I may just have to let some of them grow out and see what they become. If they get to 9-10" size and over a pound, more likely something besides GSF is involved.
Thing of it is, I just don't know where the pure GSF could have even came. I would think (but don't know), even if there was contamination from the fish farm, the contamination would far more likely be hybrids rather than pure GSF. That would seem logical to me, considering they sell hybrids and in general push them over the CNGB (they do not even list the CNBG as one of their species on their web site, but when you go to the price list to buy fish the CNBG is available - that tells me they much rather sell hybrids over the CNBG).
The other possibility I have thought of.......... There has been a lot of talk about F1's interbreeding and later F generations reverting back to characteristics of one or the other parents. I'm thinking by the size and timing of these fingerlings they had to come from a fall spawn. If they came from a fall spawn and the fish I got from the fish farm were only 1-1.5" late last summer/fall, it would be highly more likely the spawn came from the 4 larger RES I caught and put in there. In fact I caught all 4 of these fish within a couple hours and at nearly the same spot in the pond. I toyed with the thought that a male or males had a nest there and I basically caught all 4 near the nest(s). Maybe they turned right around in their new environment, made a nest, and spawned in the sediment pond. If this were the case AND one of those 4 had some GSF genetics in it (say it was a male and the other three were RES females - wish I was better at telling what was what), then some of the recessive GSF genes might be exhibited in the offspring. I know I have had some hybrids about the same size also. The GSF genes were evident in their markings but they definitely had a smaller mouth. All this is just hypothetical speculation. Or a band of mean raccoons could have carried a bunch of GSF from the creek that is only about 100' away and placed them there there in the sediment pond just to spite me............. who knows?
No way for the water to get from the creek to the pond, by the way. Already thought of that. But a source of GSF contamination is definitely nearby. But something/someone would definitely have to walk them up the bank. No way for them to swim.
GSF seem to be in my future at any rate.
Last edited by snrub; 08/06/15 03:38 PM.
