Bob,
They are a member of the sunfish family which is also comprised of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappies, rock bass, green sunfish,pumpkinseeds, warmouth etc.
They are a compressed fish and more rounded viewing from the side than largemouth bass. Colors vary, but they usually have a bluish or turquoise coloration on the lower edge of the operculum. The ear tab of the operculum is totally black with no edging. There is typically a bar pattern on the sides of the fish and the mouth is small. They are not a large fish -- anything over 8 inches is considered a good catch and anything over 10 inches and a pound a trophy.
Do you have pumpkinseeds in your area? If so, they are similar in shape but lack the vivid coloration of the pumpkinseeds.
I would do search on your computer for "bluegills" and you should find plenty of information including photos and illustrations.
I have a picture of a mounted bluegill on my website at
http://www.ligtel.com/~jjbaird/bairdfish2.htm if you click on "taxidermy work." I will be adding a live picture of a bluegill soon as I have access to a digital camera for the weekend.
Since you're from Quebec, check out the brook trout I mounted also under "taxidermy work, and tell me what you think of the airbrush paint job.
Hope this helps.
