Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Show off your catch Finally got my Bluegill mount back!!

I have a lot to learn about CNBG...hard because we have limited exposure to them up here.

This sure turned into an interesting thread.

Hey guys it's the real fish. It is a CNBG. I have a pic now it's not very good I'll try to find it. I wrapped it and took it straight to him the next day. It was caught in the mid March, but here in Arkansas that's 60's weather already.

RC

RC51, don't keep us in suspense Was it a momma or poppa fish?

Nice fish.. Brought me out of retirement to comment..


well done sir..

BGK

It's a beauty, RC51....hopefully, mine will get there one day.

Ok guys here it is... The pic is terrible of all pics... Not sure why we only have one, and my mom took it quick so it really doesn't do it justice. I believe it was a female, but I am no expert. I am just by the ear tab. Most if not all my males that are close to this size have a very large ear tab.... Sorry pic is so bad...

RC

That sad pic doesn't do that fish justice... ughh I wanted to get her back in the water asap and then she would not swim away. After 15 minutes I called it. Then we totally forgot to take anymore pics..

Cant tell anything from that pic. Did the taxidermist change things on the fish (color , pattern , ear tab etc.) ?

RC you might want to ask the guy that did it for you. If he knows much about fish he might well have noticed when he skinned it if it had eggs or other characteristics. He may know exactly what it was.

I have the same problem when I catch a nice fish that I want to make sure continues to grow. Excited to get it back in the water then sometimes later think of what I should have looked at closer.

No the ear tab was not changed I do distinctly remember some barring and it was light in color as the pic. It was not dark as a lot of my males seem to be. I am sure is was spawning time for some it was warmer then. Or it could have been pre spawn.

Snrub,

That's a good idea I will ask him and see what he says... If he can remember I know he's busy but I'll try.


Sorry guys wish I had a better pic... ugh

Here is what my typical male looks like in my pond. Darker and the ear tabs are quite large.

true true, they can repaint the ear tab but the taxi folk don't change the size of the ear tab right? That would lean us back towards female fish then...?

I do believe it was female. I will ask the Tax. if he remembers if it had eggs in it our not? That may clear this up real quick.... lol

RC

This thread got me thinking. Are there any other male/female fish species that have the more obvious visual and physical markings like BG and HBG?

Maybe redears?

Whatever, that's a beautiful mount RC51.

Tilapia males can have very noticeable differences. You see them in the tank, glance away for a few minutes, and you look back and think it's a completely different fish. Flips like a light switch.

FnC, thanks. I guess part of my question was if the male and female where both solid gray, what other species have physical traits that help determine the sex of the fish without a hand held evaluation.

Just more curious than anything else. It seems like there are more BG/CNBG/HBG questioned than any other species.

I agree it's very hard to tell apart to me if at all SMB/LMB or Pike? Or WE??? I know there are very slight differences unlike the BG which seem pretty easy to spot most of the time. Thanks fire by the way the mount is unreal!! I can't wait till I get the ever elusive 2 pounder one day maybe...... At least I hope I can...

RC

Yes, California Sheephead comes to mind because of the great difference between males and females:

Male:


Female:


But then just to throw a monkey wrench in things, you have this:

California sheephead can transition from a reproductively functional female to a functional male during the course of a lifespan in response to social factors. Protogynous sex change typically follows the size-advantage model, where gonadal transformation occurs once the reproductive potential of an individual would be greater as a male than as a female. The transitional phase takes between two weeks and several months, and steroid hormone concentrations are thought to be related to sex change due to the total degradation of the ovaries and the appearance of testes. The exact timing of the sexual morphogenesis is suppressed by aggressive interactions with dominant males and triggered by the removal of alpha males. There is a period of reproductive inactivity during gonadal remodeling, and the sex change in this species is unidirectional. In later stages of the transition, fish possibly are functionally male, but maintain an intersexual gonadal appearance.

Based on the ear I'd say Female.. based on overall shape Male.. Any pics of it before tax

sorry just seen you had a pic.. It's Female I'd say

Another shot me holding it. This guy Tony did a sweet job!!

I really like that pic RC.

Yes he did do a great job. Wonderful fish.