Longear Sunfish

[anordqu42]

Okay, most people probably could care less about them, but I am trying to add the Longear Sunfish to my lifelist. I'm going to be up on Grindstone next week and wondering if anyone knows of any lakes around there that have a fishable population. Of if any lakes even have any pure strain Longears left? I know that one or two fish tend to show up in samplings of many of the lakes, but I'm hoping to find a bigger population.

Here is a LINK to a picture of a Longear Sunfish on the Wisconsin DNR HSOforum (Sorry if that is not allowed).

Similar to a Pumpkinseed, but most notable is the extended gill flap.

Thanks in advance for any help.

I can also be emailed at my username at AOL.com

[vman59]

I've caught them on the chip a few times.

[snoozebutton]

Never heard of them before but they do look a little like a pumpkinseed.

Good luck on Grindstone. It's been fairly good lately along the weeds in 14 to 18 FOW. Be ready to feed a bunch of little hungry perch though. Been getting the walleyes on roadrunner jigs and thumper jigs tipped with a jumbo leach, they've been hitting it on the way down or picking it up off the bottom. I haven't tried minnows but the ones I've been catching are spitting up little minnows of some sort, small fatheads might be worth a try.

[anordqu42]

Thanks for the information. Yeah, they are probably caught here and there, but most people would ID them as a pumpkin. I know I would have up until recently.

Snoozebutton...sounds like you know the lake. Is the channel between Grindstone and LCO passable by boat? I actually think that channel is going to be my best spot for the longears. Most of the shocking reports find them around the outlet from Grindstone and I would guess they would be in it too.

[snoozebutton]

I haven't tried that channel but both lakes are low, I kind of doubt you could get through it.

[snoozebutton]

I heard from a guy at work tonight that Lake Hayward has longear sunfish in it, might be worth a try. Also, stop at the DNR office in Hayward and ask them where you might be able to find them.