Blue Gill "Chameleon" Today

[choo choo]

 I've seen blue gills change their color before, but this 8 incher  really put on a show for me today

 When it hit the ice it was  a Very pale lavender , with no (zero) markings or vertical bars, and pale orange under chin (Male ?)


about 10 minutes later, vertical bars and markings start to show up, and colors get darker


another 15 minutes goes by and the vertical bars and markings really stand out,


hard to believe it is the same fish.... even the fins changed color

[Tightliness]

No clue.. the difference is almost unbelievable

[Raquettedacker]

Even the eye got darker and bigger...   Cool...

[wnyicer]

Did it come from deeper water

[fish4fun8]

i see that happen quite a bit with crappies depending on the water

[reddog11]

Nice pictures

[OneBucketMike]

Did it come from deeper water

You are probably on to it, they usually are trying to blend into the background-maybe sandy bottom. If you catch them in shallower water over weeds they can come out even darker than the way the fish ended up. Pretty kool.
Now Choo Choo will probably say he got it from Big Bay and that will shoot my theory.

[rgfixit]

I've seen that before Choo Choo. Fighting colors I'd say.

They do adapt to e water conditions don't they? Pale in the murk...bright in the clear.

Rg

[waltman]

nice fish great pic

[choo choo]

You are probably on to it, they usually are trying to blend into the background-maybe sandy bottom. If you catch them in shallower water over weeds they can come out even darker than the way the fish ended up. Pretty kool.
Now Choo Choo will probably say he got it from Big Bay and that will shoot my theory.
yes ...it was deep water one bucket...23 feet

Did it come from deeper water

Yes wnyicer....23 fow

[choo choo]

Even the eye got darker and bigger...   Cool...

you're right Raquettedacker...I did not even notice that.

[Fish-N-Adventures]

very cool, very cool!!

[mike304]

Those are cool pics. very Interesting.

[mealworm]

I have also seen this happen with pike perch and crappie all were caught where it was a sand bottom with no weeds assuming fish adapting to water clarity and or surroundings

[H2O-32]

Oxygen?

[beachwoods 16]

Pretty cool

[DeadEyez]

That's awesome ChooChoo!! Thanks for sharing

[eyehi]

you're right Raquettedacker...I did not even notice that.

 he is very observant lol ..... i just saw that as well.... Great pictures choo choo thanks for sharing...

[buz23]

Back when fishing was decent in the southern end of lake champlain, almost all the fish you caught did this.  (They still might, but I have no first hand experience in the past 20 years).  The water was cloudy from suspended clay.  The fish were very pale when you first brought them out of the ice.  Gradually they would color up as they sat in the light.  Walleyes, saugers, perch, pike, almost everything you caught did this.

[wish4fish]

Very nice !!   I've wondered if they change color w/ mood? Like a Tom Turkey head an go from red to white to blue in minutes?     

[big_guy_13021]

Nice pic I catch alot that are pale like that in the spring in creating water never noticed if they change colors when there in my bucket I'm gonna watch next time...

[choo choo]

Glad you guy's like the pictures.
It's hard to tell that he is a nice size mature fish from those 3 pictures, so here is one more pic of that same blue gill about an hour later along side a ruler , my best 2 perch of the year, and a smaller female blue gill from the same 23 fow hole.
Caught 5 blue gills there yesterday, he was the only good sized one, and the only  pale unmarked fish.

[big_guy_13021]

I could tell that was a nice bull now I c you have some nice perch when's dinner 

[LP Steve]

Alright....now your rubbing it in!!!!
 

[choo choo]

Alright....now your rubbing it in!!!!
 

    I know that was a light hearted jab.... hardly rubbing it in LP....7 pan fish in 5 1/2 hours , it was a tough morning out there !

[KeukaZ71]

sunlight turned on the gene that produces those dark lines. just like sunlight turns on the gene for darker skin or chlorophyll in plants

[davise6]

sunlight turned on the gene that produces those dark lines. just like sunlight turns on the gene for darker skin or chlorophyll in plants

Note sure of the wording (I always zoned out during genetics lectures) but exactly what happens. More light typically means clearer water, which means predators can see better. So with more light, the chromatophores react and change the appearance of the fish to improve their "camouflage" and making them harder to spot. With less light, fish get pale-er because it usually means muddy or murky water so being a darker color is more harmful than a dull blob in the dull water. So with snow covered ice, you tend to see boring colored fish until you let them sit in the light for a few minutes.