46 I N - F I S H E R M A N .C O M M A Y 2 0 13

M A Y 2 0 13 I N - F I S H E R M A N . C O M 47

CROSSBREEDBream

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It’s also seen in altered habitats and where one species is stocked into the native range of another. Depending on the sex and species of each parent, various dominant traits appear in the offspring.

Pond researchers have determined that the most desirable hybrid bluegill results from breeding a male bluegill with a female green sunfish. In southern loca-tions, coppernose bluegills and their crosses have addi-tional appeal. Unlike other hybrid fish such as tiger muskies and hybrid stripers, hybrid bluegills aren’t ster-ile. Sterility can be seen as a positive trait since popu-lation size can be controlled. When hybrid bluegills mate, limited numbers of second-generation offspring (F2) lack uniformity and grow more slowly. For this rea-son, hybrids generally are not stocked in fisheries with an existing population of other sunfish species, which would facilitate greater reproduction.

Hybrid VigorWhen hybrids are stocked, you get a fish with hybrid

vigor, technically, heterosis. This term refers to the pro-motion of positive genetic characteristics of the parental species and the suppression of less desir-able traits. Physically, hybrid bluegills resem-ble a super-sized green sunfish, with a large mouth and a thicker, more rounded body. The aggressive nature of green sunfish becomes magnified in hybrids, making them a formida-ble presence in ponds.

which can be controlled with limited stocking of bass or catfish. Hybrids don’t produce enough offspring to feed trophy bass, but they can yield a respectable fish-ery for both species.

Herman notes that he only stocks hybrids in lakes with artificial feeding programs and suggests supple-mental stocking of hybrids every 2 to 4 years, depending on how many fish are harvested. “We can grow them at much higher densities than other panfish,” he says.

Hybrids benefit from their bluegill lineage with increased size potential and a blending of color pat-terns. They show some of most striking color patterns of any sunfish. Turquoise blue war-paint markings sur-round their eyes, jaws, and gill plates. Flecks of blue can also adorn their sides. Fins and tail often are outlined in bright yellow, along with a mixture of patterns not found in either parent.

Hybrid bluegills are brilliantly colored fish with atti-tude and the ability to dominate a fishery. Their aggres-sive nature cannot be disputed, making them fun for any panfish angler and a great fish to start kids on.

Nate Herman, of Herman Brothers Lake Manage-ment Company in Peoria, Illinois, explains, “Basically they eat anything they can fit in their oversized mouth. This is beneficial in promoting growth rates during their first season. It also means they out-compete other fish species for food, including gamefish like bass. That char-acteristic and their low reproduction rate means they should not be stocked in fisheries where growing tro-phy bass is a goal. Since first-generation (F1) hybrids are

85 to 95 percent male, there are fewer opportunities for them to reproduce. There aren’t enough off-spring to feed the bass population.”

On the other hand, t hei r low reproduc-tive rate also is a bene-fit. Unlike other sunfish species that are prone to overpopulating small waters and becoming stunted, hybrids pro-duce few of fspr i ng,

BY STEVE RYAN*BBold and beautiful aptly describes crosses between green sunfish and bluegill. Aggressive by nature, fast growing, and less prone to overpopulate, this hybrid provides a valu-able fishery management tool in certain settings. And they often account for the largest “bream”

in pond fisheries. ¶ Hybridization of different sunfish species is relatively common in nature. Blue-gills, pumpkinseeds, redears, warmouths, green sunfish, and other species are biologically capable

of mating with each other. This typically occurs when a fishery contains limited spawning grounds, which are utilized by a larger population of one sunfish species and a small number of another.

“Typical stocking density for hybrids in lakes without supplemental feeding is 100 per acre. With intensive feeding, as many as 2,000 hybrids can be stocked per acre. This means incredible fishing for children, new anglers, and anyone desiring high catch rates.”

Growth rates of hybrid bluegill are difficult to define. Studies have reported conflicting results regarding the growth rates of hybrids versus pure bluegills. Various environmental factors, including the

48 I N - F I S H E R M A N . C O M M A Y 2 0 13

hybrid’s ability to outcompete other fish for food, were not accounted for in some lab studies and they have an obvious effect on the growth rate of fish in wilder settings.

Literature from commercial hatcheries on hybrids report growth rates of 1/2 to 3/4 pounds per year and a top-end size of 2 to 3 pounds, and exceptional fish to 5 pounds. These results would clearly out-pace true bluegills that rarely reach 2 pounds, as well as green sunfish that top out at about 3/4 pound. In states with both hybrid bluegills and pure bluegills, true bluegills typically outweigh hybrids in the record books, however.

Herman explains, “Hybrids can grow fast for their first two years, but then growth slows dramati-cally. Without artificial feeding, they rarely exceed 3/4 pound. With a shorter life span than pure blue-gills, 1-pound hybrids are trophies and 2-pounders are close to state records.”

baits should be worked near cover and midway in the water column. The predatory nature of hybrids means they’re more prevalent in shallow water, close to cover. Fish submerged trees positioned per-pendicular to the shoreline, as well as any other objects that pro-vide overhead cover in 2 to 5 feet of water. Hybrids wait in ambush and pounce on almost anything that ventures into their territory.

Lure OptionsUnlike bluegills, hybrids don’t

slowly approach a bait and hover in front of it, prior to sucking it in. They charge over and smash it. This makes small in-line spinners, like a #2 Mepps Aglia, ideal as search lures. Rebel and Yo-Zuri also offer a variety of miniature minnowbaits and cranks that hybrids can’t resist.

To f ish th ick cover where hybrids lurk, snag-resistant lures like the Terminator S-1 Spinner-bait excel. When you find a pack of 1-pound-plus hybrids, there’s no getting a lure away from them. Like a pack of piranha, they chase the lure to the boat, smacking the flash-ing blades or nipping the skirt until one finds the hook.

Other options include softbaits presented midway in the water col-umn. A 5-inch Senko fished wacky-style has the right size, action, and snag resistance to be fished any-where hybrids are found. Hybrids whittle these baits down from both ends until there’s nothing left. A 2- or 3-inch grub on a 1/16- to 1/8-ounce jig makes for a faster pre-sentation. The more action the better since hybrids are attracted to erratic motions. Storm’s 3-inch WildEye Live Min now swim-bait is another great choice for big hybrids. Fish swimbaits at any water depth and fish attack them with abandon. For hybrids, baits moving in the water column work better than slower and deeper bass tactics like drop-shot rigs, shaky-head jigs, or Carolina rigs.

In ponds where hybrids are maintained on a feeding regimen of high-protein floating pellets, small poppers elicit topwater strikes from greedy hybrids. In such settings, catching hybrids has nothing to do with testing your fishing skills

According to Herman, hybrid bluegil ls are the easiest of all hybrid fish species to produce and are well suited to small ponds where overpopulation and stunt-ing of traditional sunfish species is a concern. “Stock 40 female green sunfish and 40 male bluegills per acre in a newly established pond with ample food and harvest the offspring as F1 hybrids; no labwork or hormones needed,” he notes. “F1 hybrids have consistent and uni-form traits reflective of the domi-nant genes of their parents. In the second generation (F2) mating, off-spring lack uniformity so they’re less desirable. We have manage-ment strategies, such as supple-mental stocking of bass or catfish, to combat this problem.”

For a self-described fish geek like Herman, the process of breed-ing and stocking hybrids couldn’t be easier. For the rest of us, encoun-ters with hybrid bluegills are likely the result of fishing lakes previously

stocked with hybrids or hiring a fishery management company to stock them in a private pond or lake. Hybrids are occasionally stocked in lakes with existing sunfish species, contradicting the advice of most fish-ery experts. This allows both species to be caught from the same fishery. In these settings, hybrids tend to add extra excitement when encountered but have the potential negative effect of cross-breeding and outcompeting other fish for food.

The di f ference in feeding between bluegills and hybrids sug-gests where and how to fish for each. Bluegills are foragers, adept at cruising the bottom in search of food. They peck and eat any morsel emerging from the bottom. Small, natural presentations are often best to fool trophy bluegills.

In contrast, hybrids are hunt-ers. Tactics for catching them more closely resemble those for catch-ing bass. Instead of presenting tiny offerings close to the bottom, larger

but is instead for the shear enter-tainment of catching big panfish. Bringing together a few ultralight rod-and-reel combos, a handful of small lures, and a pond of ravenous hybrids means bent rods, scream-ing drags, and smiling faces for anglers of all ages. ■

*Steve Ryan, Des Plaines, Illinois, is an In-Fisherman Field Editor. He seeks fish of all sizes and descriptions.

›Stocking OptionsWhile the standard bluegill X green sunfish cross is the most commer-cially available hybrid, fish growers claim that not all hybrid bluegills are equal. Larry Brown has been managing Fountain Bluff Fish Farm (618/763-4387) in Gorham, Illi-nois, for over 40 years and notes that having superior parental broodstock is essential in raising the best hybrid ‘gills. Any genetic impurity can reduce quality. So the goal of hatcheries is to obtain and maintain superior genetics in their fish.

Overton Fisheries (903/322-2626) in Buffalo, Texas, echoes this sentiment in its pursuit to grow the best coppernose bluegills. Although coppernose are not a hybrid, Overton stresses the importance of selective breeding to obtain preferred genetic traits for a specific region of the country. They’ve raised the Overton Strain Copper-nose as a genetically pure fish that thrives in the warm climates of the deep south. While these fish routinely reach 1 to 2 pounds and may outgrow redears or hybrids in southern locations, they’re not suited for cooler climates.

J.M. Malone and Son (501/676-0207) of Lonoke, Arkansas, has been one of the nation’s largest suppliers of fish for more than a half century and offers several hybrid bluegill variations, including crosses of male redear sunfish with female green sun-fish, and male coppernose bluegills with female green sunfish. They have not observed superior growth rates when substituting redears or coppernose for pure bluegills in this breeding process. But slight variations in characteristics among these crosses can make one more suitable for a particular setting. For example, the offspring of hybrids and redear sunfish may have the feeding characteristics of redears, favoring snails and crustaceans over floating pellets. Crosses of redears and coppernose blue-gills take on the temperature tolerances of parental species, thriving in warm climates, perishing in cold ones.

To locate a fish dealer in your area, consult with a local lake management com-pany or contact your state’s department of natural resources for a complete list of licensed dealers.

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