I’m no fisheries biologist, but it seems to me that the bluegill we have in Florida are different from the bluegill in the northern states. I have fished in Michigan, Ohio and other northern areas and have caught bluegill that have a slightly different appearance than those in Florida.
In Florida, the bluegill are dark and have a copper-colored area on their heads. I have never seen this in northern bluegill.
Hi
I am not any expert either but I have always thought that most species have their markings/colors influenced by their surroundings, substances present in the water and diet. As a kid, we fished for sunfish and bluegills in a river tributary very close to the Chesapeake Bay. Those fish were very bright and beautiful however, the fish we have stocked in our mountain pond are not nearly as bright. They are healthy and have increased in size over the years but the colors seem dull to me. I am thinking that perhaps we need to add some more minnows and fresh water clams to improve their diet. In WVa spring comes late and winter comes early so maybe the amount of sunshine and warmth may be a contributing factor too.
Some waters where there is heavy tree canopy and there is tannic acid in the water, the fish are darker. This is an interesting thread and I hope some more folks will join in to share their thoughts.
Gerri
That said, I also agree with Gerri. I find that there is a significant variation in the coloration of bluegills depending on the water conditions as mentioned. Darker tannic-stained water produces darker less colorful bluegills. I can even see a big difference when catching fish in the same body of water with different conditions. Shallow water with light muddy bottom and lots of sunshine produces pale colored fish, while I can go across to the other side of the lake where the water is 7-8 feet deep and in deep shade and the fish are much darker. I think this may be a defense mechanism to make them less visible to predators especially from above like Herons and Osprey. Just my observations…
Absolutely! You are an excellent angler and observer. You should use Coppernose as an added bonus of your freshwater guiding services. Coppernose aren’t available to most of the U.S…until we come visit sunny FL and a few other southern-tier states.
There is a local lake I used to fish often and catch shellcrackers will bellies that were as black as coal. Other parts of the lake had shellcrackers with different coloration. There is probably some adaptation and some random selective breeding going on there.
Here in my parts we simply refer to them as a “copperbelly”. We also have the bluegill and you might even catch them both in the same pond. What I really noticed up in Michigan was not only bluegill but their sunfish which I have never seen down this way.
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You are an excellent angler and observer. You should use Coppernose as an added bonus of your freshwater guiding services. 
Coppernose aren’t available to most of the U.S…until we come visit sunny FL and a few other southern-tier states.