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Joined: Jul 2005
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Lunker
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Lunker
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Are there any reliable methods to determine the sex on RES outside of the spawn? Any tell-tell signs one way or another?
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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Steve I generally observe that females have more yellow/cream sides and bottom and are lighter than males, which are typically have more black checkering on the sides. Also the red margin on the opercular tab seems to be deeper, darker in color on males than females where it's lighter and maybe more light orange than dark red. Sexing younger fish out of spawning season for me personally is kinda a crap shoot.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Lunker
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Lunker
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Thanks TJ!
The reason I asked is that two of the five aquarium redears I have have started turning darker over the last week. Both are 18 months old and around 7-1/2".
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Steve I generally observe that females have more yellow/cream sides and bottom and are lighter than males, which are typically have more black checkering on the sides. Also the red margin on the opercular tab seems to be deeper, darker in color on males than females where it's lighter and maybe more light orange than dark red. Sexing younger fish out of spawning season for me personally is kinda a crap shoot. Bingo! Right on the money!
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Steve I generally observe that females have more yellow/cream sides and bottom and are lighter than males, which are typically have more black checkering on the sides. Also the red margin on the opercular tab seems to be deeper, darker in color on males than females where it's lighter and maybe more light orange than dark red. Sexing younger fish out of spawning season for me personally is kinda a crap shoot. Excellent post!
Holding a redear sunfish is like running with scissors.
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By the way, 7.5 inches at 18 months is outstanding! Nice work, young man.
Holding a redear sunfish is like running with scissors.
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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I have serious difficulty applying this ID process in reality...
I think I will stock some verified males for the trophy male BG, female YP pond this Spring. I think 15-25 RES would perform very well and keep my snails managed - limited competition could yield some impressive growth.
BTW that's amazing on your RES success...congrats!
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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...and redears, of course, on the left. Top left is the female RES
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Lunker
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Lunker
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Thanks Eric!
I was really hoping for something like "scale tipping" or the lack of as a good indicator of sex. Three of my aquarium RES have yellow fin tinting underneath just like the picture in your signature. The other two have dark fin tinting like the male and female RES picture you posted, they are also noticably overall darker than the other three. I think I have two males and three females but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
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To be honest with you, I've always had significant reservations about the above photo. The fish on the upper left that's designated as a female RES, looks nothing like the females I've ever seen. I've always regarded that fish as a male that simply isn't in full spawning regalia. The eartab looks very "male" to me.
Holding a redear sunfish is like running with scissors.
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Lunker
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Interesting, I wonder if the fin tinting underneath is indicative of sex in sexually mature RES? Females yellow, males black?
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We need some definitive photos of before and after.....filleting that is.
Otherwise it all seems interpretative, without a known starting point.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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Lunker
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Good point! To complicate matters I wonder if RES have the equivalent of "cucks" and "sneaks" like BG do?
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Good point! To complicate matters I wonder if RES have the equivalent of "cucks" and "sneaks" like BG do? Crap, hadn't thought of that... I will put some RES under the knife next opportunity that I get, and post the definitive photos.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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I'm going through my notes, but only found one photo with a positive female ID. I don't normally keep RES, but here's one where I did. Don't have any "after" photos as proof, but my records indicate the fish was filleted and verified. I will try for better photos, and before and after verification from now on. What do you think? Female RES
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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Tony, does the yellow color of the female stay fairly consistent year round?
AL
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I think so Al. My records show this fish was taken the last week of Feb. 2012, so It may even be a little washed out in this photo. This fish was 10", so it was mature.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Lunker
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Lunker
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I'm going through my notes, but only found one photo with a positive female ID. I don't normally keep RES, but here's one where I did. Don't have any "after" photos as proof, but my records indicate the fish was filleted and verified. I will try for better photos, and before and after verification from now on. What do you think?
Dark but yellow tinted fins underneath, I would have guessed male if the the red on the ear tab had been a lot larger.
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Shorty, what all do you see? When I study the photo, I'm drawn to the eartab's lack of projection onto the body, the narrow margin with what I would call an orange border, and the creamy light yellow area on the "belly". I always considered all three of those as female RES traits.
I do catch a fair number of BG x RES hybrids, but don't recall ever having taken any females in that regard. To me, this fish displays several RES markers, but I can't rule out any BG influence in there somewhere. But, unless I'm way off on deciphering my notes, this was a female.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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This a red ear electroshocked up at our place this last Spring. Male?
AL
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This a red ear electroshocked up at our place this last Spring. Male? Definitely a male. I dropped off a 12 inch mounted female a couple of weeks ago at a bait & tackle store, which is one of my taxidermy pick up drop off points. Anyway there was a gentleman there that saw it and commented that the ear tab wasn't red enough. I had to tell him it was a female and the ear tabs on the females are more subdued than the males.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Al that is a superb RES! And I would call it male also.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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Tony thanks, but I have to admit I'm clueless about red ears. IIRC, I had a 85/15 CNBG/RES order at least 8 years ago. I was surprised to see so many because I've never caught them. I'm doing something wrong.
AL
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I'm going through my notes, but only found one photo with a positive female ID. I don't normally keep RES, but here's one where I did. Don't have any "after" photos as proof, but my records indicate the fish was filleted and verified. I will try for better photos, and before and after verification from now on. What do you think? Female RES I went to sleep thinking about this photo, and woke up still dwelling on it. It's listed as a female RES in my notes, but it just doesn't look right. There's surely some BG in there.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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Body shape, coloring? Just looking at the pics, it seems like the confirmed adult RES backs drop straight down behind the dorsal fin, which makes the tail look longer than a BG. Bear with me on this, I'm taking baby steps.
AL
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