Flyfishing Sunfish Nests

I went out to the pond at my apartment complex with my fly rod and fished the expansive Bluegill nesting grounds. After catching quite a few I began targeting specific fish. I plucked one dark colored male off of a nest and tried to get pictures of a male Bluegill in full spawning colors. Here's how that turned out;


Then I tried for a female. I caught what I thought was a female, but I couldn't be sure due to the high volume of males at these nesting sites that are "sneakers" or even "satellites". So, after photo'ing this fish, I think I've got just a lighter colored male. What do you guys think?

The dusky colors of the fins and the orange tint to the breast instead of the yellow color typically found on females are the things leading me to believe the bottom fish is just a male.

I'd vote for the second fish being a male for the reasons you state. There are only two sexes, but more genders, as you point out.

The second fish is a male. Looks like my northern / secondary female mimics with a shorter ear tab and weekly developed spots on nape only and generally lighter coloration. If primary / bourgouis / bull males in vicinity successfully bringing in the babes, then the female mimics make little or no effort to make a nest or do so at edge of colony and show low fidelity to the site.

The second fish looks like he has a "double" earflap. Interesting!

Brian

Nice photos.

One way to tell if male or female for certain, do some exploratory surgery. Afterwards, a little batter and a frying pan will teach you the real value of bluegill