# Black Bluegill?



## thecomicist (Jun 30, 2008)

Went fishing with the fly rod a couple of days ago using a yellow popper. Caught a large bluegill that was black. It's belly was dark violet/pinkish. I've caught a black crappie before. This was no crappie. Anyone ever catch something like this? (Sorry, no picture. Gotta get me a small camera...grumble, grumble)


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

I have caught some bluegill that have been very dark. I think it all depends on where they are caught, water quality/temperature, what they eat, etc... Its like a few other fish that can vary in color so much, like flatheads. Sometimes they are milky yellow, and other times they are almost black. There might be a more scientific explanation, but that is just my guess.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

They spawn throughout the summer, and right now is no different. My guess is you were probably seeing some of the males, they put on some impressive coloration.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Fishman said:


> They spawn throughout the summer, and right now is no different. My guess is you were probably seeing some of the males, they put on some impressive coloration.


Hmm.... I wonder if that would work for me?


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## reiner52 (Jun 14, 2008)

caught a gill at cj sat that was colored like a blk crappie


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## HOTTFINGER (Apr 14, 2004)

It's very likely that you caught a spawner.


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## fishslime (Jul 28, 2006)

Fishman spawns with carp


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## IndianEyeKiller (Feb 23, 2008)

We caught some on our last trip to Reelfoot that were almost totally black. Man where those things big.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

fishslime said:


> Fishman spawns with carp


Fishslime wears womens underwear and enjoys listening to Phil Collins while getting pedicures.


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## rebel4x4wrangler (Jun 30, 2012)

I have a charcoal and black one in my bait tank. Its about 9"long, a green hint in its stripes under the right light and the same ghostly reflection on its gills only its a cobalt blue. It also has cataracts in both eyes.

I kinda feel bad for it...


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## blackxpress (Nov 20, 2009)

We used to catch a lot of them like that back home in Georgia. Huge slabs. When I was a kid my uncle owned a small pay lake and nearly all the blue gill were that color.


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## BigTripp (Oct 1, 2010)

This guy came out of my friends pond. It's pretty small and muddy with very low water quality.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

i would say you just caught one in full spawning color. just my opinion. i have caught them on the beds in farm ponds back home in tenn. they were like that.
sherman


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## nikmark (May 26, 2009)

That looks like a warmouth to me.


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## Flathead King 06 (Feb 26, 2006)

Sounds like it may have been a spawing male if it were a true bluegill, or it could have been a large green sunfish. Seems like water quality has a huge role in coloration of sunfish. You go to CJ around the marina and the green sunfish from the rocks will be almost black straight out of the lake, but you put them in a bucket of water and they will lighten up, almost like camoflague or something. Water temps seems to influence this as well.


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## Flathead King 06 (Feb 26, 2006)

BigTripp said:


> This guy came out of my friends pond. It's pretty small and muddy with very low water quality.


Green sunfish. Looks like good flathead bait to me


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