Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Bream Identification?

In my experience the coloration of BG can vary a great deal, depending on age, sex, water temperature, emotions, and God knows what all. Sometimes they are very pale with no side markings evident. Sometimes the vertical bars really stand out. So the contrasting markings you observed may not indicate any genetic differences. Being a Yankee, I have never seen a coppernose in the flesh, but from pictures the main distinguishing visual difference from (for want of a better term) regular BG is the bar across the nose, not vertical bars on the sides.

If there are coppernose and regular BG in your pond, they are just two varities/subspecies, kind of like northern and florida strain LMB. They are capable of interbreeding; IMO offspring would not be considered "hybrids" between two species, just a blend of two strains of the same species.