Ouch!

[Ralph Wiggum]

This fella really wanted that YUM Dinger and paid for it! I couldn't believe how he was hooked when I got him in. By the way, I've always called these Pumpkinseeds...am I correct? We landed some pretty nice ones. Many on bass-sized spinnerbaits. They were mostly from 7-8 inchers. The biggest was 8.75".

[DEADhead]

correct on the pumkinseed. the red spot on the gill plate and the abundant mottled iridescent blue markings on the breast are two good ID clues.

[nitefisher]

man ryan that sounds good for supper sunnies, deep fried in a good beer batter. sounds like you had fun.

[Black_Bay]

It's actually a hybrid sunfish. Most likely a pumpkinseed/green sunfish cross.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Why do you think it's a hybrid?

[Fishin4Life]

Look at his eye, he looks [PoorWordUsage]ed off to me.

[Black_Bay]

It has characteristics of both pumpkinseed and green sunfish. The ear flap has the orange edge like DeadHead stated pumpkinseeds have and it also has the markings on the body similar to a green sunfish. Not to mention the large mouth like greens have. It isn't a 100% pure pumpkinseed. Trust me, I handle thounsands of panfish every year.

[Ralph Wiggum]

They did have big mouths. And pretty wicked teeth for a sunfish.

[Matt Johnson]

Looks like it might be a Warmouth cross as well...

[united jigsticker]

If it had a big mouth and wicked teeth, it was a Warmouth

[BillP]

I have noticed that sunfish look slightly different from lake to lake. In our area we have Bluegill, punkinseed and green sunfish and of course the hybrids. I have even noticed differing shapes on some lakes. Recently on one lake I cought what I identified as "Warmouth" (hybrid Green/punkinseed)only to continue to catch similar fish all over the lake. After seeing many many of these fish it was evident that they were the local variety of Green Sunfish.

[Matt Breuer]

Warmouths look VERY similar to a rock bass, with the mouth going beyond the eye.

A great way to tell that a sunfish is a green or has green in it is the white margin on the tail and anal fins.

I would agree that the above fish is a green/pumpkin cross.

[BDR]

Hey Matt give me a call. I will be up there the 12-19th.