Well they're not the biggest but at least I finally had a camera with me. Seems as though the little BG I stocked two years ago are doing alright. I've also caught quite a few nice red ear sunfish which I am guessing were mixed in with the "bluegill" fingerlings I stocked. I've also been able to catch a few LMB around 10 - 12 inches. Seems everything is slowly coming together. Knock on wood!
Question for you guys. I can't seem to find the growth charts that compare length to wieght ratios for LMB and BG/RES. They seem to look healthy but it would be fun to be a little more scientific with my study. Thanks again you guys are always a big help!
Had you correctly completed your profile, lol, I would have already sent the Relative Weight Charts for LMB & BG to your mailbox
Send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll get them to you...
Greg Grimes keeps the LMB & BG RW Tables at
lakework.comP.S. Nice BG!
Great pics bassandgrass. The fish look healthy.
OK guys what type of fish is in the second pic?
RW charts are a great tool but regional bias should be kept in mind.
HBG? (GSF/BG)(not sure which sex goes first)
No one seems to be sure which goes first. Both ways are viable (BG X GSF) or ( GSF x BG ).
Others want to take a shot at ID ?
Well they're not the biggest but at least I finally had a camera with me. Seems as though the little BG I stocked two years ago are doing alright. I've also caught quite a few nice red ear sunfish which I am guessing were mixed in with the "bluegill" fingerlings I stocked. I've also been able to catch a few LMB around 10 - 12 inches. Seems everything is slowly coming together. Knock on wood!
Question for you guys. I can't seem to find the growth charts that compare length to wieght ratios for LMB and BG/RES. They seem to look healthy but it would be fun to be a little more scientific with my study. Thanks again you guys are always a big help!
That second fish looks very much like a pumpkinseed. I was expecting a redear picture.
The RW charts I want to send B&G aren't the standard weight tables, it's Excel where you catch your fish, plug in the length and weight, and it calculates the RW of the fish you caught. It's a great tool for storing each fish & date to track your progress over time. One set is for LMB, the other for BG.
b&g, I'm getting some feedback from some people that want a location and more pics of the 2nd fish if possible. Can I assume the fish is from western Washington?
Ok guys, My profile has been updated with an email, and thanks for the link. The fish are from western washington. That is the only picture I have, but there are many more like this one in the pond. I will take more pics when I can. It doesn't show in this pic but there is a red to orange area at the end of the black ear flap. I thought it was a RES in breeding color? Maybe not.
RES would have a hard time in the Winter that far North.
Pumpkinseed moving up fast on the outside ...
Based on my secret sources I would go with Pumpkinseed at this point.
RW charts are in your mailbox
I think it is a PS.
From Wisc Fish - a great site.
http://www.wiscfish.org/fishid/
Just a bit more info. Winter pond temps rarely get to freezing and when they do, there is a thin layer of ice for no more than a week. The pond contains to the best of my knowledge: BG, "The fish in question",LMB, and bullhead cats. BG are the only fish I personally added. I am guessing the others were added naturally by a flooding creek or a "helpful" neighbor? The fish in question seems to be the first in the shallows to spawn because this is what I see most often shallow. The BG are out a little deeper seems like they are waiting their turn. I will get back with more info and pics ASAP. Thanks again for all of the help.
Ok here is another pic.
Caught him today. Hope this helps.
Sure looks like a PS - and a healthy one to me.
Pumpkinseeds (Female & Male)
I've started a debate about the 2nd and 3rd fish at another forum. Some say PS, and some say Longear. Here's the last post:
Wow, that's weird. Looks like a pumpkinseed, but not any pumpkinseed that I've seen before. Those vertical bands on the body that look like native american beadwork or something are typical pumpkinseed markings. If you can get a hold of a specimen, bend the pectoral fin forward against the eye of the fish. If it reaches the anterior (front) margin of the eye or beyond, that's pumpkinseed. If it's more rounded and does not reach the anterior margin of the eye, that's longear. Also check the ear flap. In pumpkinseed , it is bony almost to the posterior (rear) margin. In longear it is not bony, but thin, flexible skin. I suppose that won't help unless it gets relayed to the person who has access to the fish. Anyway, it's certainly an interesting specimen and has created some confusion here about it's identity. I think I'm falling back to the idea that it's from an isolated, inbred line of pumpkinseeds and so it looks weird.
Can someone help me post pics - I tried the help section here but could not figure it out as I guess need a website to load the pics from rather than inserting a JPEG?. Sorry I am new here
Anyway, caught a fish very similar to the second one in question in this thread in upstate NY lake and wanted to get an ID - has a red-ear, but as mentioned did not think RES lived in cold NY winters
Fish #2 Pumpkinseed for sure!
Hmmmm......might be a hybrid, this possible PS does not appear to have enough red on it's ear tab to be a pure PS.
I remember some posting once that this was the tell tell sign of a hybrid.
Can you get a picture of the gill rakers?
Could this be a PS X BG hybrid?
Here is an oddball BG x GSF Hybrid with a similar look:
Well I wasn't able to get any pictures but, I did catch a few more of these fish and they had varying amounts of red on their ear tabs. Some were red across the whole back of the tab, others had only a dot, others had almost no noticable red. The gill rakers I assume are the bony things the gills attach to. What particularly am I looking for on the rakers? Guess the bg and ps could be interbreeding.
Just to confuse things more, Here is another pic. I am seeing a variation in these fish, mainly the amount of red on the ear flap.
Hope this helps GW.
Can we please, please, please post that on
http://www.bigbluegill.com ?
Now THAT'S a pretty fish!
is it my monitor, the pic, or does that fish really have that much fluorescent aqua coloring? If yes, I'm floored!
That's like tropical fish quality coloration. Gorgeous.
There is a lot of pumpkinseed in that fish posted by bassandgrass. It also appears to be male. Habitat has influenced coloration.
Looks like everyone is on the forum. Look at the # of post so quickly, That is one brute of a fish. I want to feed mine what he's been eating. More pics. of your fish please! A real beauty.
I want pumpkinseeds.
The fish, that is, not the little kernels that make the ugly orange blobs. I love the fluorescent coloration! It puts a GSF to shame.
It puts a GSF to shame.
OH NOW YOU DID IT!!!
That is one very large PS. Have you checked your state records ?
Spawning colors maybe.
That is a great looking fish,by the way!
Beeeutiful pumpkinseed, i hope mine get that big someday!
The fish, that is, not the little kernels that make the ugly orange blobs. I love the fluorescent coloration! It puts a GSF to shame.
I hate to admit it but that is one beautiful fish, and I will concede that it is more beautiful than a GSF. Still you can tell just by looking at it that it is like a high maintenance supermodel. Sure she's great to look at and be photographed with but looks is all she has. The mighty GSF is like a good looking female kickboxer, easy on the eyes but will kick you like a mule if you try to control it.
Besides I think I left the keys to the Deathstar at a bar in Texas. Anyone find some keys with a GSA logo'd key chain attached?
Beeeutiful pumpkinseed, i hope mine get that big someday!
I thought pumpkinseed got a lot bigger. I seem to remember catching 9-10 inchers, though not as fat and colorful.
