bluegill v.s. red ears

[Adam Grace]

I have called all bluegill look-a-likes, bluegill, for a long time. I haven't really cared about the differences until now. If you know the differences, please explain. :)

[Darian]

Hi Adam,..... Not a biologist but a Redear Sunfish has a orange/red border around the black flap at the back of the gill plate and, generally, they are lighter in color than a Bluegill. However, like you, I don't make a lot of effort to determine the difference...... To me, the important part is that they take a fly and "fight good". 8)

And, a mess of 'em makes for a very good fish fry. :D :D

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

http://www.okiefish.com/TheRedEarPerch.htm

http://www.okiefish.com/TheBluegillPerch.htm

http://www.usma.edu/mwr/ACTIVITY/OUTDOOR/Bluegill_Lg.gif

[David Lee]

Quick way to tell -
Bluegills have black "freckles" on the forehead , most also have vertical dark bars ....

Redears (Shellcrackers) have a almost "tube-like" mouth and a lot of thin membrane between the lip and face , bright red/orange flap tip on the gillcover , and an overall "brassy" sheen on the body .

Green Sunfish have large , Bass-like mouths , blue "lightning-bolt" markings on the cheeks , and cream/orange borders on the fins .

Pumpkinseed Sunfish look like VERY colorful Bluegills (colors splashed all over the body) .

Of course , you could allways come out with me to see and collect some in the field :idea: . D.J.L.

[Jgoding]

I used to have a couple green sunfish in my tank! Beautiful fish, look much more like a bass though, very colorful. I even rescued one from a drying rice field last year, of course it did kill my resident fish and jump out of the damn tank..... ungrateful I tell ya!!

David, lets go to the Sac, we can catch some sunfish and see if you know what they are, not bluegill, or pumpkin seeds, or red ears, not sure what they are really, very colorful though, greens and blues mostly but shaped like a bluegill.

Jeff

[David Lee]

Hi Jeff - anytime ! If they have a bit of blue , they are probably Pumpkinseeds though .... D.J.L.

[Darian]

Ya know guys,..... There's also Warmouth and stumpknockers to consider. :shock: Too much info for me. I love 'em all and will probably continue to call 'em "perch" or "sunfish". 8) 8) 8)

[David Lee]

Darian , point taken !! :D :D :D D.J.L. PS- Stumpknocker=Redear , are there Warmouth in California :?

[Hairstacker]

Hi guys! Speaking of perch, I read somewhere that there are TONS of yellow perch in Lafayette Reservoir, one of the very few if only places in Northern California that has these fish. Anyone ever catch one on a fly? I haven't but imagine you could probably get 'em with a small yellow woolly bugger.... :)

[Adam Grace]

Wow, I never thought that I would receive so much info. I really like the picture that Bill posted, I like posted pics. I checked the site on Bill's post and it showed pictures of red ears, bluegills and green perch. I thought that the green perch were called pumpkin seeds, I love the blue marking. The green perch is quite possibly the best looking perch. I feel much smarter no about the differences between the perch. Thank you :!:

[Hairstacker]

Hi Adam! At age 12, I turned into a rabid fisherman and my father bought me subscriptions to Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and Sports Afield, all at the same time, and I read those things from cover to cover for years. Although I never did learn to distinguish between bluegills and redears, I did learn that folks generally distinguish between the sunfishes and perches, although the term "perch" is often used as a slang term to include both categories of fishes. Most folks would refer to the the fish you just mentioned as the bluegill, redear sunfish, and green sunfish (Bill's website link notwithstanding) and include these in the category, "sunfish." The term "perch" is a category usually reserved for a different group of fishes. For example, here is a description from Yahooligans:

"The perches are a family of spiny-rayed freshwater fishes with two dorsal fins and one or two anal fin spines. Most perches are elongate, moderately compressed fishes. They can be found throughout North America and especially in the Northeast. Many are valued sport and food fishes. Some species, such as the Yellow Perch and the Walleye, have sawtoothlike edges on their cheekbones."

As an example, here is a picture of a yellow perch I got from yet another website:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/Sachlil/perch.gif

You will find that the walleye and sauger that are commonly included in this group have very similar body shapes and appearances. The Sacramento perch is less elongated and differently colored, but still not as round-shaped as the sunfishes we've been discussing. Just trying to help.

[David Lee]

Adam , the only two that are tough to tell apart for most people are Bluegills and Redears . If you look at the shot Hairstacker took , you can see the membrane between the lips and face - huge area compared to a 'Gill .
Green Sunfish ARE nice to look at ! A fun side note - I caught 2 of them out of a pond "to the east" that would have been records (both OVER 14 inches !!!) , the strikes were the HARDEST I've ever had ...nearly ripping the rod out of my hand(no joke -) . i almost couldn't BELIEVE what I'd gotten . By the way .... both took a brown over orange Clouser #6 ....

Get to tyin' , boys .... D.J.L.

[Jgoding]

Yep, the green sunfish I had weren't that big, 4" or so, but they did like eating 5-6" shiners when they got hungry enough but they usually subsisted on smaller fish. I think their body type suggest they don't like insects too much. 14" Green sunfish, damn that would look good in a tank!!

Jeff

[Darian]

Hi David,..... Don't think there're any Warmouth in CA (but not sure about it). When I was back in Missippi, visiting an aunt/uncle when I was young) one of the all inclusive common names for sunfish was "Brim" or "Bream" and Black Bass were called "Green Trout". 8) 8)

Stayed in Long Beach Miss, on the Gulf. Fished brackish water for Green Trout and ponds for Brim..... The best part of all of this was that you could get to both water types within 15 minutes of each other. :D Of course, this was in 1955.....

[gryhackl]

I don't know a lot about the differences, I do know they all taste good!
I used to catch a ton of Yellow Perch growing up in the midwest. I spent many summer evenings catching both bluegill and perch on a fly rod right along the shoreline and docks. The bluegills would take drys or wets but I don't remember taking perch on anything but wet flies.

[Darian]

Hi Gryhackl,.... How big do Yellow Perch grow :?: Are they good eating :?: :?:

[Adam Grace]

Thanks again for all of the great info guys. Thanks especially to Hairstacker for his last informative post. "Sunfish" are great fish no matter what you call them. I really do appreciate the help.

[Jgoding]

Not sure about the warmouth in California. They are a cross between a largemouth and a smallmouth base if I understand correctly??

Jeff

[David Lee]

Hey Jeff - Warmouth are a mid-west Sunfish , MEANMOUTH are a nickname for the Smallmouth/Largemouth hybrid . I don't think they are very common anymore and never made it here to California . D.J.L. PS - Are we on for Sunday ???

[gryhackl]

Darian
Perch are wonderful eating. They are a little bony but very mild with good texture. It's been a long while but as I recall a one pound perch is a pretty good size. They are a schooling fish so if you get one, chances are pretty good there's a lot more out there.