Sunfish Chasers

[Prospector]

When I was a kid my dad taught me how to fly fish at a young age (around 10 yrs) and I was a decent caster. He mostly took me trout fishing but in the summer when he was working I’d go a couple ponds nearby that had “bluegills”. At that time all of the species were just “bluegills”. Eventually I began to recognize pumpkinseeds as a separate species but that’s as far as I ever progressed. I do enjoy eating “bluegill” but I have not targeted them for at least 20 years.

On this site, many people seem excited by Redear Sunfish. Seems like there are streams that have nice populations of that strain of sunfish. I don’t see them in the streams I fish. However they seem to have a solid reputation with many folks on this site. So I’m interested in your thoughts.

As I know it, the various species are Redear Sunfish, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Red Spotted Sunfish, Orange Spotted Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Green Sunfish and Warmouth.

Specific questions:
1) which one do you specifically pursue the most and why?
2) do you have an order of preference when fishing for them?
3) do you eat them regularly?
4) anything else you want to throw out

Thank you, in advance!!

 

[jifigz]

We are excited by redbreasts, not redear. I fish the most for redbreasts because A) they are nearby, convenient, and readily found in the Juniata and it's tribs B) native to our cricks, and I like that C) hard fighting and usually easy to catch D) like to live in flowing waters.

Mostly it is out of convenience, though.. But boy, I love redbreasts.

 

[Bamboozle]

I've always been fascinated with Redbreast sunfish from the very first time I saw them suspended in a reservoir I fished as a kid however, I really have no preference.

I don't eat any fish I catch.

Foi some reason I can't quite explain, I rather catch a Yellow perch than just about anything...

 

[dc410]

Yep, Redbreast Sunnies are just really cool fish. I don’t eat them but love to catch them on the fly rod. They are great little fighters.

 

[Fish Sticks]

When I was a kid my dad taught me how to fly fish at a young age (around 10 yrs) and I was a decent caster. He mostly took me trout fishing but in the summer when he was working I’d go a couple ponds nearby that had “bluegills”. At that time all of the species were just “bluegills”. Eventually I began to recognize pumpkinseeds as a separate species but that’s as far as I ever progressed. I do enjoy eating “bluegill” but I have not targeted them for at least 20 years.

On this site, many people seem excited by Redear Sunfish. Seems like there are streams that have nice populations of that strain of sunfish. I don’t see them in the streams I fish. However they seem to have a solid reputation with many folks on this site. So I’m interested in your thoughts.

As I know it, the various species are Redear Sunfish, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Red Spotted Sunfish, Orange Spotted Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Green Sunfish and Warmouth.

Specific questions:
1) which one do you specifically pursue the most and why?
2) do you have an order of preference when fishing for them?
3) do you eat them regularly?
4) anything else you want to throw out

Thank you, in advance!!

I pursue them because of colors, fighting strength, affinity for moving water and the fact that they evolved here(native) and still persist originally made me take an interest in them. Same factors for fallfish(bright silver instead of multi colors).

 

[poopdeck]

I’m in my sixties and still refer to every sunfish as a sunnie. I fish for sunnies because they are in my backyard. Big redbreasts are fun to catch but they are not something I specifically target. I simply go fishing for sunnies and whatever I catch I’m happy to have caught it. I don’t eat any of the fish I catch unless it’s a flounder, sea bass, and every once in a while a good eating size striped bass.

 

[FarmerDave]

If memory serves me, redear mainly eat snails, so they likely wouldn't be a good candidate for fly fishing. Several years ago I bought a few dozen hybrid sunfish (bluegill/green sunfish cross) for in one of my ponds. That actually only grew to about 10 inches, which was shorter than my big bluegills, but they were quite a bit fatter and fought like heck.

My pond in the woods has a wide variety of sunfish including warmouth. It was actually overpopulated when I bought the place, especially the green sunfish which were stunted. The only problem with that pond is that it is nearly impossible to flyfish. I also added yellow perch.

I'll make the occasional meal of perch and/or bluegills, but it's been a while.

 

[Prospector]

Thanks for the responses and thanks for correcting me on the Redbreasted being the one you guys prefer. I need to get out there and pay attention to what I catch.

Since these species seem to have so many similarities, is there a lot of cross breeding going on or do they remain pretty true to their strain?

I am truly embarrassed that I had no idea how many separate sunfish species there are. I thought there were only a few.

Also, as stated, I am unaware of Redbreasted Sunfish being in any of the streams that I fish. The only stream I ever caught a sunfish was in the Leidy Bridge section of Kettle Creek. Since it was upstream of the reservoir I chalked them up to being “lake fish”. Now that I’m enlightened I have no idea what type they were. To me it was “just a bluegill”.

 

[PennKev]

Specific questions:
1) which one do you specifically pursue the most and why?
2) do you have an order of preference when fishing for them?
3) do you eat them regularly?
4) anything else you want to throw out

1) Mostly bluegill but that means also getting some pumpkinseed as bycatch. Occasionally catch other varieties by accident. They can be a lot of fun on light tackle and they taste good.
2) Usually popper/dropper combo. A rubber legged nymph or plain old black wooly bugger as the dropper.
3) Yes, but only if I know I can get bigger ones in abundance. I'm not cleaning a bunch of 5 inchers. I usually will keep about 20 or 30 fish total a year.
4) I have no interest in fishing for them if I don't think I can get the larger individuals. I'm not going to go to the local poop hole water body and fish for 3" green sunfish just for the sake of being able to say I went fishing.

 

[jifigz]

Thanks for the responses and thanks for correcting me on the Redbreasted being the one you guys prefer. I need to get out there and pay attention to what I catch.

Since these species seem to have so many similarities, is there a lot of cross breeding going on or do they remain pretty true to their strain?

I am truly embarrassed that I had no idea how many separate sunfish species there are. I thought there were only a few.

Also, as stated, I am unaware of Redbreasted Sunfish being in any of the streams that I fish. The only stream I ever caught a sunfish was in the Leidy Bridge section of Kettle Creek. Since it was upstream of the reservoir I chalked them up to being “lake fish”. Now that I’m enlightened I have no idea what type they were. To me it was “just a bluegill”.

Aren't you a western PA guy? Redbreasts are way more abundant in the Susquehanna and Delaware drainages. Redbreasts are not native to the Allegheny drainage.

The two most common sunfish species native to the Allegheny drainage are rock bass and smallmouth bass. Neither one of those fish are native to the Susky/Delaware drainages.

 

[riverwhy]

I just never paid attention to the type of sunfish except maybe Pumpkinseeds. Using DC's photo, I just compared it to the sunny I caught on the Quitty. It looks like a redbreast.

 

[Prospector]

Aren't you a western PA guy? Redbreasts are way more abundant in the Susquehanna and Delaware drainages. Redbreasts are not native to the Allegheny drainage.

The two most common sunfish species native to the Allegheny drainage are rock bass and smallmouth bass. Neither one of those fish are native to the Susky/Delaware drainages.

Yes I’m from western PA. That’s what originally made me wonder about all you guys pursuing sunfish when the streams I fish seem to have none. I do catch smallmouth and rock bass in the streams around here. I guess it all stems from water flowing to the Atlantic Ocean vs flowing to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[jifigz]

Yes I’m from western PA. That’s what originally made me wonder about all you guys pursuing sunfish when the streams I fish seem to have none. I do catch smallmouth and rock bass in the streams around here. I guess it all stems from water flowing to the Atlantic Ocean vs flowing to the Gulf of Mexico.

Yeah, but at this point, as we all know, species have been spread far and wide. Just as we have rock bass and smallmouth all through the Susky and Delaware drainages, I am sure that you have redbreasts somewhere in the Allegheny that were introduced.

I lived around Clarion for about 6 years and used to fish the Clarion River quite a bit near Cooksburg and I don't ever recall catching a rebdreast, though. Definitely used to catch lots and lots of native rock bass though.

Here is a factual truth: Redbreast > Rock bass

 

[Fish Sticks]

I just never paid attention to the type of sunfish except maybe Pumpkinseeds. Using DC's photo, I just compared it to the sunny I caught on the Quitty. It looks like a redbreast.

Their in the quitty for sure especially the stretch you and jeff just hit

 

[Striperbobby]

If memory serves me, redear mainly eat snails, so they likely wouldn't be a good candidate for fly fishing. Several years ago I bought a few dozen hybrid sunfish (bluegill/green sunfish cross) for in one of my ponds. That actually only grew to about 10 inches, which was shorter than my big bluegills, but they were quite a bit fatter and fought like heck.

My pond in the woods has a wide variety of sunfish including warmouth. It was actually overpopulated when I bought the place, especially the green sunfish which were stunted. The only problem with that pond is that it is nearly impossible to flyfish. I also added yellow perch.

I'll make the occasional meal of perch and/or bluegills, but it's been a while.

They eat anything that is put in front of them and if they miss it they will hit it 6 more times! Great 1 or 2 weight fish!

 

[Bamboozle]

I’m in my sixties and still refer to every sunfish as a sunnie. I fish for sunnies because they are in my backyard. Big redbreasts are fun to catch but they are not something I specifically target. I simply go fishing for sunnies and whatever I catch I’m happy to have caught it.

I often fish for "sunnies" with both bait & flies, however I too, don't spend a particularly long amount of time trying to identify them as anything other than sunnies.

One fly I've found that seems to get their interest is a red "worm" fly I concocted decades ago to target the bruiser trout that used to inhabit the Ditch at Big Springs. My version is single strand of horsehair from a violin bow, dyed red and wrapped around a bare hook shank that I paint white beforehand to provide contrast because the horsehair is translucent once you wash it the way Vince Marinaro taught me.

I never caught squat at the Ditch on those flies...

However, one day while fly fishing at a local lake, I tied on a red worm fly after the sunnies got bored with my popper. I simply dangled it in front of the face of suspended sunnies they grabbed it with reckless abandon.

I've tried similar flies made of red wire and D-rib but for some kooky reason the horsehair versions work better...

Maybe sunnies like fiddle music???

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Wait... They aren't all just sunfish and bluegills?!

 

[Bamboozle]

Naaah, we just call 'em "natives."

 

[JerryC]

I don't think redear sunfish are native to PA, at least not in the Eastern part of the state. The local creek I fish has red breast, green sunfish and some bluegills. Plus some hybrids since they tend to spawn at the same time and in the same spots. We fish Shohola a lot and that is pretty much dominated by bluegill. Sometimes you can catch a nice pumpkinseed

 

[Mike]

Aren't you a western PA guy? Redbreasts are way more abundant in the Susquehanna and Delaware drainages. Redbreasts are not native to the Allegheny drainage.

The two most common sunfish species native to the Allegheny drainage are rock bass and smallmouth bass. Neither one of those fish are native to the Susky/Delaware drainages.

Right, and when I surveyed SW Pa warmwater streams (Dunkard, Ten Mile, S Br Ten Mile) and rivers (Mon, Yough, Cheat) I never saw a redbreast. Did get a Warmouth in the Yough though, the only one that I ever saw anywhere. Never ran into big populations of BG or PSS in those systems, just GSF and RB, plus some GSF/PSS hybrids.

A “little bit” east and we found nice populations of RBSF and RB in Licking Ck, Fulton Co.