# Pure Green vs. Hybrid



## Saildog (Aug 2, 2004)

Is there a reliable way to tell if a green sunfish is purebred vs. a hybrid green sunfish/bluegill cross? 

I was fishing a friend's pond yesterday evening. He has a real mixed-bag of bluegills and various sunfish in there. Caught several well over 8", but the biggest I caught was a very thick 9-1/2" greenie with a mouth you'd have no trouble fitting a quarter in. It was a real blast on my 3wt flyrod...fought like a smallmouth bass. 

After I put the fish back, I began to wonder how you would know if it's a hybrid. Of course I didn't take the camera...


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## Darwin (Apr 12, 2004)

This is a Hybrid bluegill/green sunfish that my son is holding;








It is not the best picture but it is the ony one I have at this time.
The hybrid has a bigger mouth than the bluegill but not as big a a green. Also, with the ones I stocked, the hybrids have a lot of the same type's of colorings that a blugill will have. I think the hybrid fight better than either the bluegill or the green sunfish as well.
I know there are more ways to tell the difference, I will look it up and post with that info.


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## SoliTear (Jul 19, 2005)

The Hybrids I've seen look like bluegill in shape and have a dark coloring. The green sunfish are green and are shaped like a cappie. The green sunfish have a significantly larger mouth than a bluegill or hybrid. I'd say the mouth might be the distinguishing feature of a green sunfish, other than being green in color.


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

what is this then?


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## bronzebackyac (Apr 19, 2005)

That looks like a reg. gill to me.


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## flathunter (Apr 5, 2004)

green sunfish tend to be long and not ar ound as a bluegill, and have a bigger mouth.


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## big_fish (Dec 21, 2004)

I don't know it looks like a fish to me lol big_fish


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Greens shaped like a crappie?????????????
They can cross back and for so much sometimes it is hard to tell when you have a mix population of sunfish.

LittleKing- looks like a hybrid, hard to tell in that pic.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

If you want to get a correct description of the distinguishing characteristic's of the various panfish, contact Master Angler. He posted some very infora=mative information last year.


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## exexec (Apr 12, 2004)

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/efish/families/warmouth.html


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## ashtonmj (May 3, 2004)

Go to your local library and check out Fishes of Ohio. If they have it, check out Fishes of Tennessee instead, which does a better job at treating and identifying various sunfish Hybrids. Fin rays, fin spines are your most acceptable way to distinguish. Color is secondary, but in sunfish species (Lepomis spp.) breast color and fin margin color along with operculum (gill cover) color are usually quite reliable.


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## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

It's tough to tell many of the gills and sunfish because they intermix so easily... add in redears, pumpkinseed, long ear, to name a few. I study these religiously for my multi species quest (catching as many species as i can). If it has the bigger mouth, robust shaped body, electric blue coloring around the mouth.... make it easy on yourself and call it a Green Sunfish.  

If you want to see some examples of Ohio caught panfish and specifically a Bluegill vs. a Green Sunfish... go to my site the "Trophy Room & More" page... can see a Green Sunfish/Bluegill/Pumpkinseed... amongst others.


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## ashtonmj (May 3, 2004)

I LOVE your site. I went on it to check it out, and to see the ID'ing, and I can say I am QUITE impressed. Where did you get the Spottail shiner at? I've caught quite a few logperch myself on hook and line that run 4+. There are a couple other logperch species that get even bigger that people fish for with hook and line and used to eat in Tennessee and Virginia. My biggest non-game catch of the year was a 4 inch Striped Shiner. They blow up on a small spinner or rebel craw. I also caught quite a few creek chubs on flies this year. If you have pictures and info of your sucker species I could give you some ID's.

My best day this summer multispecies fishing was Green Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Smallmouth Bass, Coosa Bass, Striped Shiner, Rock Bass, and almost hooked up with many Northern Studfish all in one day in one stream.


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## CoolWater (Apr 11, 2004)

Glad you liked the site- hope you signed the guestbook. I got the spot tail shiner in the middle of Lake Erie perch fishing. As for the suckers, chubs, etc etc... I've just been too lazy to get started with getting them posted. I will certainly email you a few of them if i get stuck. What is a Coosa Bass? and studfish? Are you talking about a multi species day in Ohio? just curious...


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## River Dweller20 (May 24, 2005)

That's a green sunfish. A pretty nice one too. You see the yellow around the fins, especially around the anal fins. And by the way watch out for a green sunfish's anal fin, they'll stick you good.


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## ashtonmj (May 3, 2004)

Cool, Lake Erie was the only place I've ever seen spottails too. I just wouldnt think of them on hook and line. I've had big spotfins and steelcolor shiners nip at bait before. I live in Middle Tennessee now. Coosa bass is another Micropterus species that was stocked in a couple rivers up by me but is a Coosa River (GA) endemic species. A Northern Studfish is a killifish species, really agressive and will chase anything.


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