Looks like a cross between bluegill and pumpkinseed. I have some known F1 pumpkinseed x bluegill to harvest from pond shortly. If memory serves I will photograph and upload for comparison.
Nice, I'd like to see what those fish look like.
I think the mouth looks fine but agree the purplish mottling makes me suspect some bluegill influence.
Yeah. When purple gets tossed in, I instantly start leaning towards hybrid. It may be a fault in my ID tendencies, but it's usually right.
The fish looks very much like p-seeds from central New England, esp. SE Massachusetts in ponds like Maquan in Hanson and Furnace in Pembroke. Like most widespread species you'd expect a fair amount of population variability. P-seeds probably don't have as much as longears, but with their range and history of small populations recolonizing formerly glaciated terrain there's been plenty of time and opportunity for variation to develop.
Hmm...I buy that explanation, could be a function of variation. I'm just trying to categorize the photo, and I was thinking of using it for something at Bass Pro, but I want to be more confident it is a full-blown Pumpkinseed.
If that were the case, you would expect that variation to be expressed with greater frequency across an entire subpopulation than it was. This fish was completely different from every other pumpkinseed in the lake, all of which else were extremely similar.
I wouldn't go to the extent of doing percentages... I think that promotes some of the skepticism.
But I have no doubt in my mind that this fish is a cross. Esp when looking at the operculum. I can totally buy gibbosus x macrochirus.
Nate did you get a good pic of one of the larger male pumpkinseeds and/or bluegill? Or were holding out to allow this to blow fallow, and then post it? 
Todd
Todd, I didn't take any photos of any other Pumpkinseed looking fish. I didn't take the time to explore them either. I picked through the net, saw a larger sized Lepomis and threw it in the bucket to be photo'ed. I should stay away from the percentages, you're right...but it just looks so darn close to the Pumpkinseed that I'm familiar with...
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