Pond Boss Forums PHOTO GALLERY Image Gallery Sunfish ?

We caught one of these this weekend and I have a few questions:


Can someone tell me what kind of sunfish this is?

How big do these get?

How can you tell the males from females?

Should these be stocked in a pond?

That's a pumpkinseed isn't it?

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthread...true#Post198160

I believe it's a longear sunfish - and very cool!

I agree with teehjaeh, I think it is a longear.

Adults can get up to around 7 inches or so. The way I can tell the difference is when they are breeding, the male's head gets dark orange and red with distinct bright blue stripes, much like that one in the picture. I don't recall anyone stocking them in ponds though. I know down here in Mississippi we see them mostly in streams, but have seen a couple in the big reservoirs. I think they are mostly a stream species, but I could be wrong. As far as intentionally stocking them in ponds.....maybe someone else has some input on that...

Definitely a male longear sunfish in spawning colors. They are a mostly a stream loving fish like redbreast sunfish but can survive in ponds. Their limited size potential, 8" or so has not allowed to rise in popularity for stocking. A big one is 6". They are not native to the Atlantic drainages, but they were introduced into the Potomac River. I catch them in the creek behind our hunting cabin occasionally but they are not very common. I've thought about stocking them into a pond as a novelty fish.

Question RE Longear Sunfish role in a pond.

What's their fecundity? Considering their size limits, couldn't one use them as forage for limited gape predators like HSB or SMB? Would they overpopulate? Any ideas?

Similar fecundity to GSF... They only spawn once a year. However, I think the difference would be they have more specific spawning requirements and therefore would be less likely to overpopulate. Dollar sunfish (L. marginatus) and bantam sunfish(L. symmetricus) would probably fit the goal of a sunfish forage specis for ponds that doesn't get too large. Orangespotted(L. humilis) and redspotted(L. miniatus) sunfish are sort of in between in size and could also fit the goal. One thing to remember is habitat preferences. You want a forage fish to thrive. I don't think LES would thrive in a pond. Dollar and bantam sunfish both prefer mud or sand bottomed, vegetated slow moving creeks to ponds. Both top out at less than 5" with few topping 3.5". So even in a stunted LMB pond most fish would stay in the prey size range. However, most of these species are adapted to marginal habitat areas where competition with other species is minimal. So I am not sure if they would be good forage species in ponds. I suspect they'd be eaten to extinction...

I see your logic. Still, I'd love a chance to hold a Longear just once...they are gorgeous fish.

Next one I catch, it'll be in the mail to ya TJ...

We put it in our tank and my daughter loves the colors.

Good little fighters too!

I used to catch a lot of them on light fly tackle, and they're vicious little hitters. They bite reliably, and take almost any bait.

I used to fish in an 8a pond that had a good population of them, so they do at least "OK" in ponds. I would consider
stocking them in my own pond.

Did the pond have much gravel or rocky areas?

I have Longears in my Pond . Sourced from a Flint Hills Creek. They are doing just fine in my pond. Stocked 78 of them at the same time my BG and RES were stocked. They are doing Good, they make up about 5% of my Panfish Catch. The Orange Spotted Sunfish blew up after Stocking 12 at the same time, Pond had no predator fish when both LES and OSS were stocked. OSS are caught seining and seem to be mostly Bait (under 2") sized and never have caught one on a hook. I think both species get preyed on heavily by my WE and new SAE. Neither seem to be a problem. 5 Acres.
WAE, SAE, CC (100), and just Stocked SMB and YP.

Pond Goal Diverse Panfish Pond with Northern Predators (Throw in the kitchen sink) Except LMB!
Trying to do Something Un-Common for our area.