May seem like an obvious question, but what about BG for forage?
James, Bluegill would be just fine. Coppernosed Bluegill (CNBG) just grow a little larger and are better acclimated to the warmer water of the South. "Straight" Bluegill are in fact, Northern Bluegill (BG) and can survive being under ice whereas a CNBG can't live long in under even a brief, thin ice covering on a pond.