Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Differing appearance between male and female HBG

I'm almost embarrassed to post these pics in the same week that saw a 5.5 lb RES, and a 3.2 lb BG, but here goes anyway.
I caught 8 female hybrids during tonight's fishing. No males, as they are occupied building and guarding nests'. Since I know I need to harvest some fish, I kept them for the table. All were carrying eggs, so no doubts on the gender.

Thought I would share some photos, to try and show the differences that I see on my fish. I still have some questions in regards to my fish, as I wonder if these females are F2's, or reciprocal crosses, or if this truly is the norm for female HBG.

What I see upon comparing the two fish: The males are blockier, as in taller, much darker, and a vivid orange breast compared to the females yellow breast. These traits are also usually apparent on "native" BG, especially during the spawning period. However, my fish display these traits year-round.
In addition, the males have larger mouths, and the "chest" area below the gills has a much more pronounced "hump", compared to the females who have a more streamlined transition to the stomach area.

I would very much like to see other pics of verified female HBG, to compare with my own. These fish can exhibit quite a range of appearances, It would be helpful to establish a visual baseline, regarding gender, and the variations that occur in different genetic crossings.

More pics...

Holy cow, those are some nice fish! I assume you're pulling them out so they don't reproduce with their funky offspring? Do you restock on a periodic basis?

I think you win for the thickest fish! WOW!!

I have HBG growing well too. Here is a picture..

Them are some thick fish! My boy caught a stocky HBG today as well. Have a pic but can't load it from my phone. Will add to the thread later.

Nice fish Bluegill fever!!
Do you have the hybrids and the native in the same pond?

They are both HBG. I caught some today and will post pics of them soon.

Boy,that second pic sure looks native to me.
The mouth looks large, but I just thought it was a large BG. The coloring is not like any HBG I've seen, no bright borders on the fins or tail, and the coloring looks just like my native BG.

However, as I stated, there is an amazing variety of HBG out there.

I am curious though.. what fish are present in that pond, and how long have the HBG been in there?

[quote=Todd3138]Holy cow, those are some nice fish! I assume you're pulling them out so they don't reproduce with their funky offspring? Do you restock on a periodic basis?

Yeah, I remove the females as I happen to catch them, although I am curious as to the viability of future generations. Although I can't be sure, I have a feeling that the numbers of females might increase with each succeeding year class of fish.

No proof, just a suspicion. Perhaps I will explore this area in the future.

You are correct in that I re-stock fish to try and maintain different classes, (sizes), moving through my water. I feel that to reap all the benefits of this fish, you must treat them as you would livestock. Feeder calves, to be exact.
Cattle farming operations in these parts do this all the time. You buy young calves in the spring, with no intention of adding them permanently to your existing herd. You feed them out, then when they reach the appropriate size you send them to market. Then start again the next spring. It takes a little longer with HBG than it does with Angus and Hereford cattle, but the idea is the same.

If fish were flowers, native BG would be perennials and HBG would be annuals. As I stated, however, I am very curious as to what the future could hold under the right conditions.....

I restock HBG about every year so they will not die out. One year we lost most of our HBG population and nothing came feeding. Right now there is a couple of HBG spawning in the pond I guess it could be one of them species. We have caught green sunfish but they are kept if caught.

Now I think the first pic looks native, while the second appears to show definite hybrid traits.

I'm thinking you may have typical BG in there, along with your hybrids.

I guess I have BG and HBG in the pond. I do notice little BG growing as well(2-3 inches). But I know for a fact that I have never stocked BG in there before. Will this hurt the HBG population? This has just happened this year cause I have noticed the LMB to put some weight on.

Most experts advocate not to mix the two fish. However, what's done is done. I would strive to maintain an abundance of 8-12" LMB, and keep underwater vegetation to a minimum. I think having lots of smaller, skinny Bass is a BG enthusiast's best bet.

It is generally thought that, in time, due to the native BG's fecundity, that the HBG will gradually disappear. However, this assumes that no new HBG are added. Are you wanting to manage for both LMB and BG? Or are you using the LMB as a management tool for your BG? If your LMB are putting on weight, and you're seeing smaller BG in the shallows, then obviously some reproduction is occuring.

How old is this pond? did you have it built, or was it there when you obtained the property? What is the max depth? You mentioned you had a fishkill in the past?

This pond is 8 years old. We built it when my grandpa bought the land. The max dept is 10 ft. The fish kill was not a obvious fishkill like dead HBG floating on the surface. At the time we did not know nothing about Pond Boss. We did not stock them every year back then. Last year southern naiad infested the pond.

Ok, here's one that my son caught the other day.

NICE fish!! Beautiful male HBG.

The angler looks pretty happy also!

He was pretty thrilled with it. We were struggling to find the flatheads at this spot and he got bored so I hooked him up with a little ice fishing jig so he could nail all these little 4" yellow bass. He was doing that when this hit and his little UL reel was screaming...and then he was screaming.

Now that is a Hybrid male for sure. Great fish!