Fish ID?

[MultispeciesTamer]

If you want to start getting into a more technical (and accurate) ID guide, I would recommend starting with Freshwater fishes of North America in the Peterson Field guide series. You'll probably want to progress further from that book but it's a great start and very inexpensive. It provides much more detailed descriptions (including scale, ray and other counts) and practical key features to distinguish similar fishes. This book has it's shortcomings but hey...it's a small inexpensive book attempting to cover every single NA freshwater fish. That is one heck of a task.

Jim,

I guess you lost my email?? I wasn't trying to make you post in public, but I'm glad the fish is well and looking good.

this book has never lead me a stray, the book your talking about sounds interesting but iam not so concernd about scale and ray count (yet).

 

[Touzer]

Bluegills Own!!!

 

[sandtiger]

I have several of the Hunting & Fishing Library books, they aren't bad but are definitely geared towards your average fishermen and not anyone looking to ID fish with any kind of serious frequency. I agree with Teleost, go with the Peterson Guide.

 

[Noto]

Not that it matters, but I'll third the Peterson recommendation; I prefer it to any of the other pocket guides. Also, it appears that the Hunting and Fishing Library Guide has lead you astray in this instance, and possibly others, as you frequently misidentify fish on this forum.

If you start really getting into fish ID you might want to get a 'fishes of' book for your state or a neighboring state. I find myself referring to my 'Fishes of Tennessee' all the time.

 

[MN_Rebel]

Look young pure green sunfish I see all time. I see no hybrid traits in them.

 

[MultispeciesTamer]

heres a normal green sunfish about the size of the fish in question



and here is the fish in question which has many green aspects but not a full green

 

[MN_Rebel]

The fish in question look excatly to the green sunfish picture. Right numbers of rays, right size of mouth and the dorsal fin, right coloration. Oh by way the top of pic you post is a small adult and the fish in question is just juvie (less than a year old).

 

[Noto]

I think you're still just going on color, which (as mentioned) is not a reliable indicator with chameleons such as sunfish.

 

[sandtiger]

Not that it matters, but I'll third the Peterson recommendation; I prefer it to any of the other pocket guides. Also, it appears that the Hunting and Fishing Library Guide has lead you astray in this instance, and possibly others, as you frequently misidentify fish on this forum.

Yeah, I agree with that. Lets not forget the pumpkinseed vs. redear thread.

If you start really getting into fish ID you might want to get a 'fishes of' book for your state or a neighboring state. I find myself referring to my 'Fishes of Tennessee' all the time.

I love the Fishes of Tennessee book and I don't even live in Tennessee.

 

[sandtiger]

heres a normal green sunfish about the size of the fish in question
View attachment 308802


and here is the fish in question which has many green aspects but not a full green
View attachment 308803

Those fish share all the key features that make a green sunfish distinguishable from other sunfishes. You're comparing two different individuals of two different ages so there will be subtle differences, just like there are between humans. They don't need to look exactly alive to be the same species.