Bluegill
Average Size: 3-5 in. up to 10 in. / 2-4 oz. up to 4 lbs.
Food: zooplankton, aquatic insects and small fish. Also small snails, mollusks, mites, fish eggs, and plants.
Spawning: The spawning season for bluegills usually begins around may and continues through October. Eggs usually hatch within one or two days depending on water temperature.
Description: Bluegills are characterized by a small head and mouth and a hand- or pan-shaped body. The body is often characterized by an olive-green color with several broad, dark vertical bars on the side. The throat and belly are often yellowish and orange in color. The lower jaw and gill cover is powder blue, hence the name "bluegill." There is a black blotch at the base of the dorsal fin. The earflap is entirely black, helping to distinguish between the bluegill from other sunfish species that often have an orange or red spot on the earflap. Bluegills tend to breed with other sunfish species, resulting in hybrids with the external characteristics of both parents. In populations where hybridization occurs, identification is often difficult.