Has anyone noticed a lot of people think the hybrid bluegills they buy are sterile? I seem to run into this a lot. All the literature I see says they are not sterile, but predominantly males. Percentages vary depending on the literature but I've seen up to 90 percent males.
Yep. Some growers I am familiar with actually tout this fallacy as fact. In some ways I think the industry has done more harm than good where this fish is concerned. The HBG is possibly a "niche" fish, but if used appropriately they fill this niche VERY well.
I truly believe they fill a niche where an aggressive feed trained panfish pond is wanted; however, many of their proponents fail to mention they don't provide much forage if you want a balanced bass population.
I believe the Michigan DNR actually says regular bluegills are doomed to overpopulate in a farm pond, and pushes hybrids as the best alternative. There may be some merit to that in northern climes where bluegill and bass grow more slowly but I question that as a general rule.
It's difficult to find a supply of regular bluegills in our region especially in Michigan! Everybody seems to be pushing the hybrids. And of course a hybrid bluegill is a perpetual cash cow as it needs to be continually planted.
