(07-04-2023, 04:02 PM)gofish435 Wrote: Thanks for helping to educate us anglers, Pat.Wherever there are two or more species of sunfish present, there is an opportunity for hybridization., Most of them have similar spawning habits in terms of water temp, bottom conditions, etc. So they often set up nests in the same areas...at the same time. Very easy for a wandering sperm cell to cruise over and fertilize an egg from a different species. And the genetics are usually close enough that the hybrids can often also reproduce...further "muddying" the waters.
As you know I have always had a hard time telling a green sunfish from a bluegill and there are some hybrids in Huntington North that make it even tougher on me.
Howsomever, there can also be color variations in the same species...at different times of the year, at different depths, in different water clarity situations, etc. For example, many sunfish have a pale washed-out appearance when caught in deep water and/or under the ice...or in murky water conditions. But catch them in warm, sunny conditions...in clear shallow water...and they are liable to be a lot brighter and more colorful. Just something else to confuse us poor fisherfolks.
(07-04-2023, 05:01 PM)RockyRaab2 Wrote: I have caught and released more than a few greens at Willard. The most obvious difference between them and bluegill is the mouth. It's noticeably larger on a green.Pineview also has a lot of greenies. Ditto for Deer Creek. But wherever you find them you seldom find schools...as with bluegills. Greens tend to be more solitary. And at least in Utah, they seldom grow as large as the bluegills.
Those green sunfish DO have proportionately larger mouths...and larger attitudes too. They will sometimes smack a large lure meant for larger fish. Bass tanglers often find themselves setting the hook (or trying to) on these small fish while fishing for smallies or largies.