redbreast-bluegill Hybrid?

I'm thinking this fish is a bluegill red-breast hybrid. It's body is deeper like a bluegill, however it's color is much too bright for a bluegill. Being that the fish is 8 inches long it's ear flap should be much longer for a fully grown red-breast, however its pectoral fins are short like a redbreast. Longear sunfish (non-native) are restricted to the Potomac drainage in Maryland, this fish was caught on the eastern shore which is devoid of long ear sunfish. I thought of the possibility of a pumpkinseed hybrid, however in the same stream I was catching a ton of normal red-breasted sunfish and bluegills. Some type of pumpkinseed hybrid could be possible though. I've seen a lot of sunfish, but never one like this. Let me know what you think.

I'd vote in favor of a slightly odd redbreast rather than hybrid. You're right about a short earflap, though, it's fairly short but probably within the range of species variation.

We catch redbreast sunfish that resemble the one pictured. We get a lot of large ones that are really hard to hold in one hand.

I think it is the mottling on the fish's body that is throwing me off. Out of all of the redbreasts that I've caught in Maryland I've never seen one with that type of mottling. Everything that I've ever seen has had a plain background with red prominent spots like this:


I know mottling wouldn't be the best characteristic for identifying a fish but it's a bit strange after catching tons of these fish over the years all over Maryland and never seeing this feature. Maybe it's just a species variation that is less common in Maryland. The mottling reminds me of a pumpkinseed.

Maybe a Pseed x redbreast hybrid.

I'm thinking this fish is a bluegill red-breast hybrid. It's body is deeper like a bluegill, however it's color is much too bright for a bluegill. Being that the fish is 8 inches long it's ear flap should be much longer for a fully grown red-breast, however its pectoral fins are short like a redbreast. Longear sunfish (non-native) are restricted to the Potomac drainage in Maryland, this fish was caught on the eastern shore which is devoid of long ear sunfish. I thought of the possibility of a pumpkinseed hybrid, however in the same stream I was catching a ton of normal red-breasted sunfish and bluegills. Some type of pumpkinseed hybrid could be possible though. I've seen a lot of sunfish, but never one like this. Let me know what you think.

I say pumpkinseed hybrid owing to spotted pattern on flanks. I have several hand-made pumpkinseed hybrids (not including redbreast though) and the only the central longear hybrid has a large ear like the animal you have shown but the pumpkinseed x central longear hybrid does not able to acquire the base green coloration. Pumpkinseed spotting pattern, big ear and green body, mouth looks a bit large, I say pumpkinseed / redbreast hybrid.

I would go along with your original assessment of it being a bluegill x redbreast hybrid. I personally think it is more obviously part bluegill than part redbreast but based on your description of what other fish you found in the same area I think you made a very good educated guess. Keep in mind that the vast majority of sunfish hybrids are males and that large male bluegill get a dark rusty colored chest and blueish coloration on the lower edge of the cheek/gills which this fish has.

I would be interested to here what centrarchid has to say about this fish since he has worked with hybrids quite a bit.