Hybrid Sunnies

[ricqik]

I have kept a few now and then but would keeping alot of hybrid sunnies improve the true bred bluegills' and pumpkinseeds' size? Reason I ask is because of all the lakes I've fished, the large sunnies are hybrids. I am 100% sure on it's id. The large sunnies is a bluegill-pumpkinseed hybrid. Would we be helping by reducing the impure genes and improving the pure? Would it be a waste of time because natural sunfish crossbreeding happens at a rate too fast for anglers to cap off?

[CrappieJohn]

Ricqik....I have mixed feelings on hybreds. Of any sort. The naturally occuring hybreds in the panfish sort of implies to me that there is simply an over-load in quantity of the two species in the same water and breeding of this kind can stress a lake with smaller fish....in all three catagories. Sometimes the best way to deal with this to simply take what you catch to try and reduce the populations, but then everyone fishing and keeping would have to practice this to be effective. I guess the best answer is to keep what you feel comfortable with.

The hybredized walleye/sauger...the saugeye is perhaps more common in some waters such as the Mississippi River from pool 4 down. They sort of serve to fill a gap for the fish eaters. Not walleye, but a bit more stout than the true sauger, they can offer up some fine eating and yet allow the waldos to return to the water.

You harvest what you feel ok with. If you do take a real nice true-blood, simply release it since you have the luxury of the other large fish as well.

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[The Grebe]

There are alot of lakes around where you can catch straight up Blue Gills?

The crossbreeds are easy to recognize and there are a bundle of different crosses.

I don't think predator fish are discrimating in the types of sunfish they eat, I suppose they would whack a true sunnie just as fast as a hybred, so the lake would'nt gain much there?

From what I have seen even on small lakes, you would have to be one fishing machine, if you expected to dent a sunnie population!

I believe that once the situation is out of control, only nature, or poison could remedy the situation.

[2dalake]

Are you sure you are dealing with hybreds? There are lakes with green sunfish or warmouths. I know a couple of lakes with huge warmouths.

[The Grebe]

2dalake....Are warmouths those odd, bass, sunfish looking things? Grayish blue, longish, like a white Crappie, rather then roundish like a gill, mouth kinda like a bass, black spot on gill cover like a sunny? Sometimes I've seen them with reddish looking eyes and orangish coloring on the edges of their fins and tail. I've caught some whoppers. I always thought they were some kind of mixed up hybred sunnie?

[CrappieMagnet]

The sunfish we have in our region of the country are,Bluegills,Pumpkinseeds,Warmouths,Green Sunfish.
Anyone of these species can cross-breed with any of the others.
Non-native species include Redbreasted Sunfish and the Longear Sunfish.These are not in Minnesota!
I hope this helps.....

CM

[This message has been edited by CrappieMagnet (edited 07-13-2004).]

[2dalake]

Use this link for a picture of a warmouth. http://www.uu.edu/personal/jdbarham/pics/lake/warmouth.jpg

They tend to like shallow warm water areas, even the big ones. They don't fight worth a darn, you just kind of drag them in. They are most easily identified by the white trim on the pectoral and anal fins. They really like rocks. If you have a rocky shoreline and there are any in the lake that's where they'll be.

[The Grebe]

CrappieMagnet....if there are only 4 kids of sunnies up here, where do the Long Ear and the Redbreast fit into the picture? They have to be up here if they are going to cross breed! That would make 6 species?

[The Grebe]

Todalake...yup, thats the dude alright! I also think there are variations of these things also, cause I've caught them that look like the one in the picture and others that look similiar, but are more of a flat gray color, with black flecks on the side and no fin trim.

[ricqik]

The sunfish in the link is a green sunfish. We don't have warmouths in MN. We have bluegill, pumkinseed, green and orangespotted and ofcourse hybrids.

[CrappieMagnet]

The Redear Sunfish are native to the southeastern part of the U.S They don't survive in waters colder than 45 degrees.

Longear Sunfish are native to the NE part of the United States,from New York to New Mexico,skipping the upper midwest.Missouri has a high population of Longears.

Need more info...let me know.Also we do have Warmouths in Minnesota!

CM

[riverrat56]

i was just wondering what you would say the fish i catch on lake sleepy eye that look exactly like the picture of the warmouth would be since they dont live in minnesota, i always thought they were warmouths but maybe they are some kind of hybrid, they have a larger mouth and the fins are tipped orange and white, they are also more streamlined than a 'gill. just a question

[The Grebe]

CrappieMagnet...I over read one important part of your post..."Non-Native Species" back to 4 brands.

[CrappieMagnet]

I just got done speaking with the DNR and they said the Warmouth are in the SE part of the Minnesota Valley.They frequent the backwaters of the Mississippi River.They are often confused with the Rockbass.Both species have reddish eyes,large mouths and olive-brown sides with brown mottling.But the Warmouth only has three spines in the anal fin compared to six on the Rockbass.The Warmouths also have many reddish-brown streaks that radiate from the eye and extend across the head.They average 7-8 inches in length,with larger ones at 10 inches.They have a very low reproductive rate.

CM

Here is the link that was sent to my email from the DNR:

http://www.gen.umn.edu/research/fish/fishes/warmouth.html

[This message has been edited by CrappieMagnet (edited 07-13-2004).]

[riverrat56]

thanks crappiemagnet i think that the fish i caught were definatly warmouths, ill try to get a picture next time and post it so one of you fishing geniuses can properly identify it