Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Why do Redear despise me?

I stocked 100 redears, along with 50 3"LMB, 500BG's, and 25 channel cat's 2 years ago, in a new 1 acre pond. Caught 1 about 6" last spring. Do I need a redear call or just understanding that redear are not sociable? I luv redear's, but they don't luv me in my own home! I hate redears!
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Would Dr. Phil have me and a redear on? Just asking........

Try fishing at dusk.

I have SMB, RES, GSH, and YP, my RES despise me too.

You're pretty far North man. Are you sure the RES survived and are still in there?

Hey Mike - many here feel your anguish! If you want the best shot at sampling your RES, try when they are bedding - they become very aggressive and will strike when baits approach the nest site. Also, RES are more benthic feeders than BG - so try fishing with a 1/32 oz jig/crawler nub combo and keep contact with the bottom. I catch most of my RES during the spawn and near bottom.

TJ,

Help me out here. How far North can RES survive? Literature I read from the IL DNR seems conflicting. One article says not recommended North of highway 88. Another article says they stock them in Rock Cut State Park (about as far North in IL as you can get). I would like to have some if they can survive N. IL.

Bill, the RES may not become monster "trophies" that far north, but I don't think they will have any problem surviving. I am making a run near your neck of the woods, hopefully near the end of March with 4"+ RES, HSB, FHM, GSH, HBCP, LMB and SMB (if I can find some smallies). I'd be happy to help you discover survival rates

That would be awesome! I am game to give it a try! Let me know if you get as far north as Bloomington and I'll drive down to meet you if you think they will survive my 2 hour trip home. Might even buy you a greasy burger if we can find a suitable greasy spoon diner or truck stop! My puddle is not big as you know, but I would love to have your minimum of RES, HBCP and GSH to add to my mixed up pot! Shoot me a PM when your plans firm up.

It's quotes like this from Bob Lusk that really makes me curious! Yet, I see others saying RES can take it.

"Redear sunfish, also called "shellcracker" in the southeastern states, or "chinquapin perch" in Louisiana, and heavily utilized in southern and southwestern states, and up into warmer regions along the eastern seaboard and Midwest. Redear eat macroinverte-brates, especially snails. They live in a different niche than their bluegill cousins. Single spawners each year, redear are an "insurance" policy as a forage. Like bluegill, redear have tiny mouths, limiting their ability to compete with game fish. Plus, where redear grow, they thrive, some as large as 14 inches, pushing a pound and a half. They don't like cold water, or ice."

Bill, I will be going through Bloomington/Normal. RES may not "like" ice, but they survive and even thrive in many ponds that are heavily iced over at least a couple months of every year...like in Lincoln, NE...

See you there! Shoot me a PM when your schedule firms up!

Mike, aside from spawning season, my best luck with RES is on firm soil (or small rocks) using tiny crawfish as bait. I'm talking craws under an inch, if possible. I used to catch bait in drainage ditches and use them on False River, Louisiana. Sometimes bass or BG would whack the craws, but the RES seemed to particularly love 'em.

Of course, if you have grass shrimp, everything will hit it, including RES. But if you want to target RES, hard to beat little craws!

Mike is too far North for Redear to survive the winter. I have RES in my pond, and he'a at least 5 miles further north than my pond.

Mike, try fishing with a small leadhead jig, tipped with a worm, bounced along on the bottom of the pond.

I do have four RES currently in an aquarium and think that they "may" love me, but only because I feed them. They wag their tails like little puppy dogs and jump against the glass when they see me across the room slicing up nightcrawlers.

The RES in my pond still despise me but last year I did set a pond record and actually caught 18-20 of them.

Scott - plagiarism is not a victim-less crime. "Also, RES are more benthic feeders than BG - so try fishing with a 1/32 oz jig/crawler nub combo and keep contact with the bottom. I catch most of my RES during the spawn and near bottom."

I have the same issues. I know they are in my two main ponds. I see them spawning every season. Several times I've added several hundred. One time I kept about 100 of them in a cage from May to August -- hand feeding them worms and bugs. About 25 survived to about 4 inches. The were turned free.

I only catch a few per year. All get quickly returned to the water.

The only thing I can say is that they must be doing their job. I've not found a single white or yellow grub in any of my BG or LMB in many years, while I have a lot of feathered visitors.

I have had the best luck catching RES fishing 4-6ft deep using crickets or bee moth.

Live grass shrimp or cricket fished on a miniature Carolina rig near deeper structure. In summer, I fish just above the thermocline. RES love to hold near bottom structure right at the thermocline. In aerated ponds, they could be anywhere...

My wife's grandmother taught us how to catch redears. Small hook with red worm fished on sandbars on the bottom. Small weight it works

T - what type/size hook are you using with that rig? Kahle 10 work?

I like a size 8 Kahle for the grass shrimp and 6 for crickets.

If you are fishing from a boat and can get right on top of the structure, I also love drop shot rigs. Just down size from what you'd use for bass. I really like a size 8 VMC spinner drop shot hook. Usually a 1/8-1/4 Oz drop shot weight. Place the hook 12"-18" above the weight. This is where grass shrimp are hammers! You'll be amazed at how large of an LMB will hit this setup as well.

I also put 100 in my 1 acre pond 5 years ago! I consider them a bonus fish! It's funny how hard they can be to catch. Like TJ said I seem to catch more of mine in the spawn time. I know I still have them cause last year I caught about 8 or 9 four to five inchers. And one was about 8 inches. Funny thing is I caught some 2 years ago that were already pushing 8 inches so I should have some monsters in there I just cant find them! They are a loner fish man!! They are doing the job they need to do though. I have not had any snails or black pepper spots on any of my fish or anything! So they may hate me but I cant get mad at them!

Thanks for the tip. Put 175 RES in my sediment pond late last summer so need to learn to catch them effectively. Most of the guys on here are long time anglers and probably know what a drop shot rig is. I did not, so looked it up. Here are pictures for the other fishing dummies like me.

Drop shot rig pictures

There are video's within those pictures also.

Oh yeah drop shot rigs are awesome specially if you have a lot of muck on the bottom of your pond and you want to keep your bait out of it. Let that sinker fall to the bottom and keep that worm or whatever else about8 to 10 inches up the line and hold on! Remember though with drops shot rigs it's best to set the hook nice and smooth like and to the side don't yank it straight up!! Kinda side pull it fast but smooth.

RC

I know they are in my ponds. They seem to spawn every year -- at least the males make and guard beds. I just don't catch many of them. Maybe 2-3 per year. As I stated above, I throw back nearly all that I catch.

Here is one that didn't go back in because it seemed very lethargic:

Cat

Wow what a hog! If I was that phat I would be lethargic too.

Pat

Pat,

Yer not really buying into the whole lethargic story are ya? All fish appear lethargic if yer hungry for a nice fish sandwich and haven't had lunch!

That fish is two maybe three sandwiches!