Native/Non Native Sunfish

[JEAE21]

Is it possible to find like any kind of sunfish anywhere in the US now?

since i've caught a pumpkinseed and green...and i live in CAlifornia.
i also know that a reservoir near by has "shellcrackers"

i caught a pumpkinseed by a local creek but is there a big possibility that i will catch more?

 

[Dread]

MI has always had tons of Sunfish (or "Bluegill" if you live around here... all Sunfish are Bluegills!). I always spot Pumpkinseeds, Long-Earred Sunfish, War Mouths, and real Blue Gills everytime I walk past a decent sized Pond.

 

[JEAE21]

are they native to your state?

 

[rjmtx]

No, there are some you can't catch in Texas, and others you will only find in certain parts of the state. In Cali, you'll probably find lots of the "desirable" ones. I doubt anyone ever bothered stocking fliers or Dollar Sunfish out there, though. When you get west of the rockies, the fish assemblage is historically less diverse, but there is(and moreso was) a greater diversity of salmonids. The stocking for our misguided pleasure over the past 100 years or so has really screwed up the fisheries out there, as well as here, and most other places. But no you can't catch everthing everywhere even after all that mess.

I know stumpknockers, but had to look up shellcrackers... It's a redear. And yes, if you caught one pumpkinseed, most likely you will catch many more.

 

[ShadowBass]

No, not all states have all species of sunfish. Some states have multiple introduced species, especially states with multiple climates or places that stay warm year round like California or Florida, but not all sunfish are present everywhere in the U.S.

 

[sandtiger]

The non-native centrarchids you're likely to find are likely all gamefish. Bluegill, greens, pumpkinseeds etc. These are the only ones worth stocking outside their range since they're the ones in demand. There are 31 species of sunfish, they don't all live in every state, some of them have very restricted ranges.

 

[oii]

pffft come to michigan with a hook and a jig. Every time I go fishing I catch 30 of these things. If you ever need any shipped let me know, I'll go out and catch them for you. If its legal?

 

[Druu]

www.google.com Look for your state's DNR. They will have a list of fish, amphibian, aves, mammalian, etc etc species found in your state.

 

[Mikeberg]

Sacramento Perch is the only native Sunfish in California. But they were only stocked in lakes outside their range that had high salinities or high alkalineity. That other fish could not live in because they do not guard their eggs, and other fish eat them. The stocking of other sunfish West of the Rockies was unfortunate.