Dave, does the mouth gape appear large for a BG to you? I seem to remember someone here on the forum talking about gape on BG, but I can't find it. And that yellow pelvic fin.....I've seen CNBG with the light border, but the entire fin that bright yellow?

I completely acknowledge your GSF expertise, as well as the fact that you know your pond and I don't. AND, you know CNBG and I don't. I mean no disrespect, nor do I want to dispute what you're saying. But if I had seen that first photo without any info, I would've marked it hybrid in an instant.

You say the raw ingredients for hybrid gills, (BG and GSF), were already in the pond? Any chance the drought shrunk the spawning areas, leading to natural hybridization, followed by concentrating the forage to promote quick growth for the remaining larger fish?

That mouth gape...wow! I would love to see more pics of these fish, as whatever their pedigree they are amazing.

"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.