I never saw the difference in coppenose and native until now. Is the bright copper just during spawn, just big males, just for pictures of what? Nice fish
Wow.!! Those words from Bruce made my entire month!! The "Bluegill King" has spoken.
That's the best looking coppernose I've seen yet on the farm. We went through many 100s of potential proodstock recently...looking for guality phenotypes to use as broodstock.
I think the copper color comes on as males grow older and larger, not as a seasonal pattern. Some coppernose show up well and some don't.
One big problem we have, which I would like some help with, is picking out good coppernose females. The females don't show copper noses, so we usually pick them by looking for reddish/yellow coloration on their tails and other fins.
The best spawns we've had on the farm come from stocking medium bluegill in early spring. Spawns from stocking hand-picked adults have not been as successful, but probably due to problems associated with the famales. Either way, we throw the big bright male coppernose in brood ponds and hope they spread the genes.
That is a nice fish. Bruce this link is the best pic of a male CNBG I have seen. I tried to post here but the site when copied will not let the pic be enlarged here. Take a look and tell me what you think. Colors , just as in regular BG, are more vivid during the spawn. Copper bars as well as color vary on male fish see second link below ,pics at the end of link. Todd if I find something worthwhile on your question I will post.
Like Todd's, that fish is also showing it's "copper" really well. Am I detecting a little fin border shading? Between ewest's picture and Todd's description of female coppernose I was wondering if this is a universal coppernose characteristic. Keep in mind, that I've never seen one in person.
Holding a redear sunfish is like running with scissors.
Not sure I understand the question. CNBG often when small have what I call peicil striping on the fins. That is a light colored edging on the fins and sometimes the tail. Some show it as adults some do not but is less noticable. See the second link above for several pics.
If you would like an example of what I mean by reddish/yellow coloration, I'll get a pick of another fish.
Well, I'm editing this post caus I went and looked at ewest's links and his fingerling bluegill show that yellow tinge on their tails. Plus the large cpnose on the Auburn site has that coloration. However, if you look at the strait bluegill on the Auburn site you won't see much if any yellow color on the tail and pectoral fins. Maybe we're on to something.
These are more different from our bluegill than I thought. Their nose looks more elongated as well. The difference in coloration is really clear to me now. Very good.
Holding a redear sunfish is like running with scissors.
Now....Ewest...what about females? I can pick out some fish for pics from the vats, some that I know are super coppernose strain and some that are questionable....but first I wish I had a textbook comparison of cpnose/native.
Coppernose bluegill have been around for a long time. They are only one of three recognized subspecies of bluegill (lepomis macrochirus). Coppernose (lepomis macrochirus purpurescens) is native to Peninsular of Florida. Coppernose bluegill have 12 soft rays on their anal fin as opposed to 11 soft rays found on the regular bluegill. Coppernose have fewer but wider vertical bars on their sides than do regular (common or native ) bluegill. Coppernose also have orange margins to their fins. Male coppernose has a broad copper band above the eye or forehead and are prominent during spawning season. Reproduction of the Coppernose is about the same as with most all bluegill.
More to come.
The Coppernose bluegill is known for its colorful markings. The fins of the coppernose have a reddish orange fringe outline with a pencil thin white border. The vertical bars on the sides are more distinct and broader especially in the young. The distinct copper band across the head which is brilliant on the male is the reason for the common name "coppernose".
THE COPPERNOSE BLUEGILL (CNBG) IS ALSO A FLORIDA STRAIN. IT IS EASILY DISTINGUISHED FROM THE NORTHERN BLUEGILL BY ITS COLORATION AND MARKINGS. THE FINS OF THE CNBG ARE REDDISH-ORANGE WITH A THIN WHITE MARGIN. THE TYPICAL VERTICAL BAR PATTERN OF THE BLUEGILL IS PRONOUNCED IN THE COPPERNOSE, AND VERY DISTINCTIVE. ADULT MALES HAVE A BROAD COPPER BAND ACROSS THE HEAD THAT IS THE TRADEMARK OF THE STRAIN.
Great discussion about coppernose bgill. When you can see what appears to be a fairly pure strain of these fish, they look quite a bit different than regular northern bgill. I suspect that many coppernose that are sold by hatcheries are a diluted and mixed strain of coppernose. Good work Todd at trying to make the extra effort to maintain a pure strain of these neat fish.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
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