Panfish Identification

Warmouth


Common Names - warmouth bass, warmouth perch, goggle-eye, redeye and goggle-eyed perch.



Description - The warmouth closely resembles a bass or a bream. It has a stout, deep body similar to that of a bluegill or redear sunfish, yet has a large bass-like mouth. The red eye and large mouth are the first conspicuous field marks of mature warmouth. They vary from brassy to dark-olive green and often have a purple tint overall. Broad, irregular dark bars give it a mottled appearance. The soft-rayed portions of the dorsal and anal fins are marked with rows of dark spots. Three or four conspicuous dark stripes radiate back from the eye across to the cheek and gill cover.

Bluegill


Common Names - bream, blue bream, sun perch, blue sunfish, copperhead, copperbelly, roach.


Description - Bluegills have small mouths and oval-shaped, almost rounded, bodies. Body coloration is highly variable with size, sex, spawning, water color, bottom type, and amount of cover. In general, they are somewhat lavender and bronze with about six dark bars on their sides. Males tend to have a copper-colored bar over the top of the head behind the eyes. The breast is silver to slightly blue most of the year, with some yellow or orange during spawning season. Females are generally lighter colored than males. Two distinctive characteristics are the prominent black spot on the rear edge of the gill-cover and a black spot at the base of the posterior portion of the dorsal fin.

Redear Sunfish


Common Names - Widely known as shellcracker because of its fondness for snails. Also called bream, yellow bream.


Description - The redear is similar in shape to the bluegill, but lacks the dark spot at the base of the posterior portion of the dorsal fin and has a red or orange border around the "ear" flap. The body coloration is light olive-green to gold, with red or orange flecks on the breast. The breast of a mature redear is typically a rather bright yellow. The body is heavily spotted and they have long, pointed pectoral fins. Five to 10 vertical bars are more or less evident on the sides, depending on the size of the fish. Males and females are similar in appearance, although the male is generally more colorful.

Redbreast Sunfish



Common Names - redbelly, robin, yellowbelly sunfish, bream, river bream, longear sunfish, sun perch and redbreast bream.


Description - The redbreast is one of the brightest colored sunfishes. Males have yellow, orange or red breast, olive upper sides, blending into blue-tinged bronze on the lower sides and blue streaks on the cheek. Females are less colorful; their breasts are yellowish or pale red. The most distinguishing characteristic of this species is a long, narrow (no wider than the eye) extension of the gill cover. These flaps, which may reach a length of one inch or more, are entirely black.

Spotted Sunfish


Common Names - stumpknocker and bream.


Description - Spotted sunfish tend to be olive-green to brown in color, with black or reddish spots on the base of each scale to form rows of dots on its sides. On some fish there is a red bar in front of many of the black spots, particularly below the lateral line. These bars give the fish a reddish hue. Body shape is thick and ovate, with the length about twice the depth. Some fish have blue on the lower portion of the eye.

Black Crappie


Common Names - speckled perch, specks, papermouth, bachelor perch, calico bass, strawberry bass, or white perch.


Description - The black crappie is a silvery-green to yellowish fish with large dorsal and anal fins of almost identical shape and size. The sides are marked with black blotches which become more intense towards the back. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins also are marked with rows of dark spots. Crappies have compressed bodies, small heads and arched backs. It has a large mouth with an upper jaw extending under the eye.

Flier


Common Names - round sunfish and millpond flier.


Description - The flier is a small sunfish that has a strongly compressed, deep, round body and small mouth. The coloration is greenish or silver green to brown on back and sides with a cream or yellowish belly with a brown dot on each scale giving the appearance of numerous rows of dots. Young fish have a large black spot surrounded by bright orange in the soft rays of the dorsal fin. A dark vertical streak is present below the eye and extends to the lower edge of the operculum. The dorsal and anal fins are nearly symmetrical.

Cool stuff Greg thanks buddy, there are people that don't know the difference on some of these fish this should help alot.

Theres a place I know in south alabama where you can really catch some nice goggle-eye(warmouth)....Seen them up to 2 pounds....Not sure what the record is but that was a nice one.....I though it was a bass at first.

The pond I use to have in Florida had some really nice warmouth in it. It was pretty common to catch 1 1/2 to 2 pounders out of it. I'm not sure what the record is in Florida. The first time I hooked one I thought I had a bass. We use to catch them all the time up in a slue down in the tree roots on minnows, crickets, and small bass lures.

State and World Records - 2 pounds, 7 ounces, caught in Guess Lake (Yellow River), Florida, in 1985.


I guess we need to pay more attention to records Willy.....Me and you both might have had that beat.