Odd fish ID
- Thread starter Youngbuck5009
- Start date
Looks alot like a shellcracker, they get pretty big and have a large mouth. Caught one out of hartwell last week weighing in a 2.4 lbs.
yeeah this fish had a huge mouth which really suprised me. ive never caught one in my pond larger than 3" but this one was about 10" and was quite heavy for a fish that size! i caught it, took the pic, and released it. How big can these fish get?
Catfish Keeper;3485590; said:
I think i have caught a warmouth in that pond and they are not alike
honetly ive been an avid fisherman for 11yrs ive never seen a sunfish with that shape it might be a hybrid with a lmb
it is definitely a green sunfish, i catch them like that quite often out of a creek near my house and the biggest one i have caught was 14" and weighed 2.5lbs, it was quite a monster and if i had the tank space it would have been my newest addition
Youngbuck,
The fish you caught it 100% green. There is no need to think otherwise. I hope others study up on fish ID's before trying to cause any confusion by blurting out things.
Greens can get very large (12 in) if given ample food and space.
Typically, in a small body of water, you may not see a green over 6-8 inches. They have been introduced many places and reproduce very quickly at young ages. This gives them the tendancy to stunt in many areas where they are found (especially small ponds). Because of their large mouths, they can begin consuming small fishes at a young age and start packing on the meat.
When they hybridize with other fish, they tend to grow larger than a pure-green would (in some cases). Look up the Georgia Giant Bream if you have spare time. You can see how big a green hybrid can get.
The fish you caught it 100% green. There is no need to think otherwise. I hope others study up on fish ID's before trying to cause any confusion by blurting out things.
Greens can get very large (12 in) if given ample food and space.
Typically, in a small body of water, you may not see a green over 6-8 inches. They have been introduced many places and reproduce very quickly at young ages. This gives them the tendancy to stunt in many areas where they are found (especially small ponds). Because of their large mouths, they can begin consuming small fishes at a young age and start packing on the meat.
When they hybridize with other fish, they tend to grow larger than a pure-green would (in some cases). Look up the Georgia Giant Bream if you have spare time. You can see how big a green hybrid can get.
Being in a pond with flatheads will cause the sunfish to get larger because the flatheads keep the smaller fish eaten. Keeps them from stunting.
Youngbuck5009;3485343; said:
Without question: 100% GREEN SUNFISH.
If that would have been caught in Nevada, I'm pretty sure it would have been the new state record!!! Green Sunfish over 10" don't happen very often. They can get as large as 12 or 13 inches in exterme cases, but usually aren't seen that size. That is a real trophy for sure!!! Green Sunfish (Lepomis Cyanellus) have the LARGEST mouth of any of the Sunfish species. They are one of the most common Sunfish in North America, and as a result often times are notorious for large, underfed, stunted populations. The one you caught is an excellent example of what a quality fishery can likely produce, if the appropriate Apex predator is in place to cull young of year populations to acceptable levels.
The Green Sunfish isn't always a good forage species to plant with bass, because with their extremely large mouth size, they can compete for food with juvenile bass their own size. Bluegill, are a much better pond stock for forage, not only due to the fact that they can't outcompete Bass for food, but also due to the fact that they can produce fry up to a few times a year.
Should you ever decide to catch them for a tank, be wary that they will find any opening in the lid, and end up on the carpet if you're not careful. They will readily accept almost any form of food that you can give them. Their colors can get extremely beautiful, almost like a native Electric Blue Jack Dempsey of sorts. But like I said, just make sure that there isn't anything for them to jump out of. The Green Sunfish was my son and I's first native species for the home aquarium. They do well in small groups, and can be caught nearly everywhere. All in all, ONE OF MY FAVORITE FISHES OF ALL TIME.
CONGRATULATIONS ON SUCH A HAWG OF A GREEN!!!
Ben.
