Can you help me confirm a sunfish ID

[redchaser]

Went collecting today. Throwing a popper and dropper rig on my fly rod, specifically targeting small/juvenile fish by fishing very shallow area's and using small flies. I caught about 6 small largemouths, around 6 inches long, 2 spotted bass around 5-6 inches, piles of small bluegill and a few green sunfish, I didn't keep any of those, but I did catch 2 small longear sunfish, which I'm excited about because I want longears to be the centerpieces of my tank, I caught a crawfish, and if my warmouth doesn't eat him he can stay... and I also caught another sunfish...I think it's a redspotted, but I would like your opinion.

Here he is.

It looks like he has 2 or 3 anal spines, his tail is not rounded, he does not have the dark spots on the soft fin so he's not a bluegill, and of course his earflap isn't long enough to be a longear. What do you think??

B.T.W. IT'S NOT A HYBRID, so if you don't know what it is, and don't know what you are talking about, keep it to yourself.

 

[MultispeciesTamer]

Good catch its lepomis mimiatus also called redspotted sunfish.

 

[orinocensis1]

really nice .. does look like a red spot

 

[redchaser]

Good catch its lepomis mimiatus also called redspotted sunfish.

Thought so. Interesting thing, everything that's going in my tank is all coming from within 100 yards of each other. There's a slough off of the Calcasieu River and about a half mile down the slough it crosses another slough. Everything I'm putting in my tanks is coming from around that intersection. Between my last 2 trips I've caught 7 different species on hook and line. Lot's more are there too.

 

[redchaser]

Hehe...No not a hybrid but rather a male Lempomis miniatus (Redspotted sunfish as you guessed).
I'm jealous of your long season!

I catch fish year round here, both in fresh and salt water. Patterns are different with the seasons, but I'd never starve if I had to live off of fish. How can you distinguish male from female?

 

[sandtiger]

Hehe...No not a hybrid but rather a male Lempomis miniatus (Redspotted sunfish as you guessed).
I'm jealous of your long season!

I'm jealous of the species he has.

 

[redchaser]

Here's the list from nature serve for the "upper calcasieu". I'd really like to get my hands on some of the darters.

Anguilla rostrataAmerican EelDorosoma cepedianumGizzard ShadDorosoma petenenseThreadfin ShadEsox americanusRedfin or Grass PickerelEsox nigerChain PickerelIchthyomyzon gageiSouthern Brook LampreyLepisosteus oculatusSpotted GarLepisosteus osseusLongnose GarLepisosteus platostomusShortnose GarAtractosteus spatulaAlligator GarCAmia calvaBowfinHybognathus nuchalisMississippi Silvery MinnowMacrhybopsis hyostomaShoal ChubNotemigonus crysoleucasGolden ShinerHybopsis amnisPallid ShinerNotropis atherinoidesEmerald ShinerLuxilus chrysocephalusStriped ShinerCyprinella lutrensisRed ShinerNotropis texanusWeed ShinerLythrurus umbratilisRedfin ShinerCyprinella venustaBlacktail ShinerNotropis volucellusMimic ShinerOpsopoeodus emiliaePugnose MinnowPimephales vigilaxBullhead MinnowSemotilus atromaculatusCreek ChubCarpiodes carpioRiver CarpsuckerErimyzon oblongusCreek ChubsuckerErimyzon sucettaLake ChubsuckerIctiobus bubalusSmallmouth BuffaloIctiobus cyprinellusBigmouth BuffaloIctiobus nigerBlack BuffaloMinytrema melanopsSpotted SuckerMoxostoma poecilurumBlacktail RedhorseIctalurus furcatusBlue CatfishAmeiurus melasBlack BullheadAmeiurus natalisYellow BullheadIctalurus punctatusChannel CatfishNoturus gyrinusTadpole MadtomNoturus nocturnusFreckled MadtomPylodictis olivarisFlathead CatfishAphredoderus sayanusPirate PerchFundulus chrysotusGolden TopminnowFundulus notatusBlackstripe TopminnowFundulus nottiBayou TopminnowFundulus olivaceusBlackspotted TopminnowGambusia affinisWestern MosquitofishLabidesthes sicculusBrook SilversideCentrarchus macropterusFlierLepomis cyanellusGreen SunfishLepomis gulosusWarmouthLepomis humilisOrangespotted SunfishLepomis macrochirusBluegillLepomis marginatusDollar SunfishLepomis megalotisLongear SunfishLepomis microlophusRedear SunfishLepomis miniatusRedspotted SunfishLepomis symmetricusBantam SunfishMicropterus punctulatusSpotted BassMicropterus salmoidesLargemouth BassPomoxis annularisWhite CrappiePomoxis nigromaculatusBlack CrappieElassoma zonatumBanded Pygmy SunfishAmmocrypta vivaxScaly Sand DarterEtheostoma chlorosomaBluntnose DarterEtheostoma colletteiCreole DarterEtheostoma gracileSlough DarterEtheostoma histrioHarlequin DarterEtheostoma proeliareCypress DarterEtheostoma artesiaeRedspot DarterPercina scieraDusky DarterAplodinotus grunniensFreshwater DrumNotropis sabinaeSabine Shiner

 

[bigdaddy]

awsome fish i like the nice color. can i go to a lake and catch a blue gill and take it home and put it in a 55 gal as a pet???sry to get off the thread..

 

[klmt]

ya but id do no more than one bluegill. Smaller sunfish species are better for a 55.

 

[JIM]

awsome fish i like the nice color. can i go to a lake and catch a blue gill and take it home and put it in a 55 gal as a pet???sry to get off the thread..

You should really check with the DNR in your area, a simple phone call, and they will advise you. It also would be a nice idea to get to know your local DNR Officer, Ask for his phone number. theyre usually glad to give you info, and we as collectors can use the good press, Plus there can be many interpritations of the laws, and his is what counts on a given day.