Moultonboro Monster 'gill
 

Last day to fish with my son this year before he goes to S. America and one of his smallmouth was really a huge bluegill. 11" 1lb 6.88 oz.
Trying to figure out how to add pics...

Tough to say for sure with the phote but it looks more like the dreaded rock bass than a bluegill.

Congratulations on you sons catch, no matter what kind of fish it is.


It's a rock bass, caught a bunch of them yesterday at just about everyplace we stopped to fish.

Feed them all to the garden. Never been into killing anything, but these invasive nuisance fish are an exception.

Its a bluegill...
 

Ive been catching bluegill for 45+ years and rock bass for 35+ years. It is absolutely not a rockie. The give away is the blue tab on the gill cover, hence bluegill :D

Yup, Bluegill.

That's eating size!

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/fish...rock-bass.html

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/fish.../bluegill.html

From the rock bass profile page
Species commonly confused with: Bluegill, white perch

Recommendations:
Discourage the spread of rock bass through illegal introduction into new waterbodies. Once established, rock bass are virtually impossible to eradicate.

Conservation/Management:
Rock bass are considered an invasive species that, once introduced, is capable of altering the food web in lake and pond ecosystems.


Also confused with this species too.
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/fish...k-crappie.html


Bluegill vs Rock Bass
They both have black spots on the gill cover.

Your photo seems to lack this feature.
http://i64.tinypic.com/a4x99d.jpg

Sure looks like a rock bass to me. either way, it should NOT be released.

Only kept fish of the year...
 

My son is doing the paperwork for a NH trophy. If its the largest bluegill entered this year he will get official recognition & a patch I think. As his fish weighs 20+% more than last years winner I think he's got a shot at it. We had to get an official, certified scale, weight and the Wineing Butcher helped us out with weighing it and giving us the print out, 1.43 pounds!
Either way a NH F&G biologist will render a species identification from our measurement snapshot. It does have a yellowish throat so maybe they have bluegill subdivisions but its a 'gill.

The fin located below and aft of the dark spot on the gill is different. Bluegills have a longer, narrow one. The rock bass has a shorter, rounded one.

Bluegill, all the way!

It's a blue gill. Anybody eat a crappie? The boys down south say there the best fresh water fish.

Crappie, despite the name...
 

Are outstanding. IMHO the only superior freshwater white fish is the walleye. In school in S. Illinois there was one lake I found with spring shoreline access to fryer size fish, 8" to 10". Wonderful break from standard college diet.

Biggest Kept Bluegill of the Year!
 

My son just got a letter from F&G telling him his Bluegill (see photo in this thread) was the largest one registered last year in the state. 11.00", 1.43 lbs.
He will be getting a certificate for this as well.

Update pics
 

https://goo.gl/photos/RizgfUvGQzpuT23e7
https://goo.gl/photos/ELtgRfkXRqTPEo2KA