Need a little help here. Stocked 150 RES into our 1 ac pond in April of 2015. We’ve caught very few through the years. However this year we have been catching many RES/HBG crosses. They all seem to have a much larger mouth than what I’ve seen for normal RES.
Last weekend we caught 50 like this one pictured. Because they were feeding so aggressively I’m assuming they are still a mixture of RES and HBG, but I’m not sure. They have the smaller mouth. So, what are your thoughts on this one pictured? Cross or RES? What can I look for to determine if it’s 100% RES? This would not have been from this years hatch would it?
Thanks,
Jeff

9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023