Blue gill Or sunfish?

[Pauly]

Just curious... So I caught 2 more today...I know the Genus is Lepomis. I'm just not sure if these are exactly Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus .

They both look a bit different too.

 

[RonB]

The first picture is a rock bass and the second one a blue gill

 

[Fishidiot]

They're not bluegills although both are sunfish. Top pick is a rock bass and the lower pic is a redbreast sunfish. Both are common, esp in streams.

 

[Pauly]

RonB wrote:
The first picture is a rock bass and the second one a blue gill

 

[Pauly]

Ok thanks so far...this all is clearer to me.

The first picture is a rock bass and the second one a redbreast sunfish.

Ok so both are members of the sunfish family Centrarchidae

The lower photo of the redbreast sunfish is in the genus/species Lepomis auritus

The upper photo of the rockbass is in the genus/species Ambloplites rupestris

 

[henrydavid]

Nice photos, most definitely river fish. I've also heard the redbreast sunfish called "Long Ears", has anyone else ever heard of this?

 

[Swattie87]

Yep, FI has it right. First pic is a Rock Bass, second is a Redbreast Sunfish.

hd - Longear Sunfish are actually a separate type of Sunfish. They can be found in PA, but are pretty rare. They have an elongated black gill flap like a Redbreast, but their overall color pattern more closely resembles a Pumpkinseed. That said I'm sure Redbreasts get called Longears sometimes in certain geographic areas too. Redbreasts are common in the Susky and Delaware watersheds and most times are the dominant Sunfish in those waters.

PFBC page of the Sunfish family in PA...
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/pafish/fishhtms/chap22.htm

Excluding the bigger Basses and Crappie, the common ones in PA are Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Green, Redbreast, and Rock Bass. The first four are all capable of hybridizing with one another so in streams/lakes/ponds that have more than one species you often end up with a lot of mutts that share the traits of their parents.

 

[bric2000]

I have not seen a rock bass in years. when I was a kid, they were everywhere in the susquehanna, now they're gone???

 

[Fishidiot]

bric2000 wrote:
I have not seen a rock bass in years. when I was a kid, they were everywhere in the susquehanna, now they're gone???

Many folks think they're gone from the lower Susky (and red breast sunfish too). I don't fish the lower Susky much anymore but know that when I did (1980s-about 2004) they were there but I didn't catch many.

You'll hear the same lament about the lower Juniata - no rockies or sunfish anymore. I fish the Juniata extensively and can say conclusively that rockies and sunnies are still common there. I was very pleased last year: near the mouth of the J near Amity Hall, I counted many rock bass on redds along the shoreline.

 

[Swattie87]

I caught Redbreasts and Rock Bass in the Sunbury/Selinsgrove area (below the dam) of the main stem back in 2003 - 2006...haven't fished there since, but I may try to get up there this Summer. Not sure about further downstream.

Most of the lower Susky's tribs still have them. Both are abundant in the Swatara all the way to Middletown. Have caught them pretty far down on the Connie too.

 

[Chaz]

First pic is a green sunfish. The lower pics is a redbreat sunfish.

 

[Swattie87]

Chaz, first one is definitely a Rock Bass, 100% no question.

Green Sunfish...OH's DNR site had a better pic.

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/greensunfish/tabid/6655/Default.aspx

Greens can vary in color quite a bit but always have some teal streaks along the mouth/gillflap and orange in the fins. They're very aggressive...an 8 incher is a serious handful on a light rod.

 

[Fishidiot]

Well Chaz, if it ain't a brook trout.... it doesn't really matter anyway, does it?
:-D

 

[Chaz]

No it doesn't.

 

[gfig19]

bric2000 wrote:
I have not seen a rock bass in years. when I was a kid, they were everywhere in the susquehanna, now they're gone???

you can catch countless of them in just about any stream in Lancaster County right now. Any of the branch rivers of the Susky, especially the Little Conestoga, and in the deeper pools you'll get really fun, fat ones that rival the size of a small mouth, also you can some nice fat redbreasted ones as well. try it with a streamer. Come down and fish our warm waters.

 

[redietz]

henrydavid wrote:
I've also heard the redbreast sunfish called "Long Ears", has anyone else ever heard of this?

Yes, but there's another species "officially" called the long ear. The state of Tennessee has a pretty guide to Sunfish Identification on their website.


The top sunfish is not a green. It's either a warmouth or rock bass; I've always had a hard time telling them apart, even with the guide in the link above.

 

[henrydavid]

Just checking back after awhile, thanks for the info. on the longeared sunfish.

I can say that up on the North Branch Susky we still have rockbass aplenty. I catch quite a few fishing topwater at night, they hit like a smallie and fight pretty good.