Help Identify type of sunfish

[megger8]

I need help in identifying a type of sunfish that I came across this week. I found the big male bluegills which were very nice in size, but they didn't come close to these other ones that I caught. These were some big panfish ranging from 8-8 1/2 inches long, 4-4 1/2 inches wide, and 1 1/2-2 inches thick. They were the colors of bluegills, pumpkinseeds, with the other ones very dark with little coloring. They all carried the black tab on the gill cover. The pumpkinseed variety all had brightly orange tipped fins with the exception of the dorsal and tail fin. All eyes were dark colored but the pumpkinseed had an orange ring on the outer iris portion of the eye. They all had large bass/crappie type mouths and had noticable teeth. I've looked up all different types of sunfish including warmouth, redear, and longear. If anyone has any ideas, I would really appreciate it. Thank you

[tonyjor]

I'm pretty sure you're talking about Hybrid sunfish. Kinda look like a bass/sunfish cross?

[megger8]

Yah, that's what they look like. I wish I could find a pic on the net somewhere just to see. Those hybrid come in all of the kinds of bluegill, greens, pumpkinseed then huh? Man, they're big and thick!

[megger8]

Do you have any idea how plentiful they are around here? Sure were fun to catch

[tonyjor]

When I'm targeting sunfish, I usually catch one for every 10-15 bluegills I catch. They aren't going extinct by any means. I'm sure some lakes (like the one you've been fishing) have a lot more than others. In my experience, they seem to bite lighter than bluegills and put up quite a bit more of a fight. The ones I catch range from 6 to 8 inches with the first one I ever caught being close to 9.5". I thought that one was some rare strain of Bass or someones released aquarium fish, like an oscar or something. I found pics of them on here before, I'll see if I can find them again.

[tonyjor]

Here's a link from another post from last year. They were saying it was a warmouth, but it's actually called a green sunfish. If the ones you are catching are pumpkinseed colored, they are Hybrid Green Sunfish.

Here's a link to a pic:

http://www.uu.edu/personal/jdbarham/pics/lake/warmouth.jpg

[megger8]

Thanks for all of your information on this, I appreciate it

[tonyjor]

No problem. I caught the biggest one I've ever seen today. It measured exactly 10" and I bet it weighed at least a pound. Of course I couldn't keep it and I forgot the camera, but it was nice. I also caught 3 more right after it, one after another by one pile of weeds. Must have been a family

[megger8]

I had so much fun catching the ones that I came upon too. I didn't bring my camera either cause it was sprinkling and didn't want to ruin digital camera I released the ones that I caught too just because I wasn't sure what they were but you can keep them can't you?

[tonyjor]

yeah, they taste like any other sunfish. I just didn't keep that one because it was too big. If I'm catching them for a meal, I usually keep 'em if they're 6-8 inches and throw any others back. Besides two 3 or 4 inch walleyes yesterday, I didn't catch a fish under 7". My friend kept 15 for a meal and I kept a 20" Northern to pickle. It was a pretty good day of fishing

[megger8]

My folks went out again yesterday and both got their limit of really nice ones with only 1 or 2 hybrids. They were saying that they looked liked plates with lips

[tonyjor]

Plates with lips? Like Pac-man? Or were they the size of dinner plates?

My Dad was reeling in a sunnie on Fawn lake north of brainerd the other day and had what he said had to be at least a 10 pound northern come up after it. It missed though, and now he's just got half a story

[BillP]

Acording to the experts, the warmouth is a hybred cross of a green sunfish and a pumpkinseed (red ear) sunfish. They say that is the only hybred that sunfish perduce. Bluegills are not involved. I don't know but they do produce a rather spesific looking fish and not a random blend of chairactoristics. Hybreds are said to be sterile like a mule.

[freebledsoe]

I would ask whether you were fishing a public body of water or a private pond/ lake. The reason I ask is that I have fished a couple of private lakes that were man-made, and had been stocked with hybrid sunfish. These critters were so big... They would easily inhale a plastic worm thrown for bass, and they did have more pronounced teeth than a regular sunfish. Fought like bass too.

They were not, however, sterile. They were stocked but did reproduce naturally, I was told by the developer. I don't know about naturally occurring hybrids, they may not reproduce.

[Walleyeguy31]

I could be wrong but the link posted is very similar to a rock bass. Am I right or wrong?

[tonyjor]

They kind of resemble each other. Rock bass are different colored and have a very distinct red eye. Their scales have a black spot on each one. They also have different ventral fins and a more squared tail. Other than that, I would actually eat a green sunfish