Pond Boss Forums PHOTO GALLERY Image Gallery help with I.d

I picked up about 20 of these in a minnow trap. Can you help with I.d

I can't be 100% certain, but it sure appears to be a green sunfish fry.

Where it was caught, region and body of water type would help... However, I'm pretty certain it is a YOY redbreast sunfish, longear sunfish or dollar sunfish depending where it was caught will strongly confirm.

Southwest louisiana, it was caught in a small creek. Approximately 2-2.5 feet of water. Extremely clear water with average vegetation and structure. I released them due to the fact I didnt want to put them in my pond without knowing if there was would be any benifit

Jugline is in south La. - not sure where the fish came from.

I do think it is one of the lesser lepomis sunfishes (not BG , RES , GSF etx ).

When we guess at these things keep in mind that local adaptation plays a huge roll in color and appearance.

See this

http://www.bing.com/images/results.aspx?...electedIndex=14

http://www.roughfish.com/~roughfis/content/dollar-or-longear-sunfish

I was thinking a hybrid of some sort. Just not sure of the cross

Longear sunfish when less than 4"-5" are extremely difficult to tell apart from dollar sunfish. Habitat is the easiest way to tell them apart. Dollar sunfish prefer heavily vegetated swamps and sloughs. Longears prefer rocky/sandy streams and rivers but can adapt to ponds under the right conditions.

I would say that fish is a southern subspecies of longear sunfish with 95% + certainty.

Okay here is a different opinion. My vote is for the dollar sunfish because of the light blue flecked spots on the body which makes it look very similar to one of the pictures in the link of roughfish 'dollar sunfish' provided by ewest (thanks for that). Dollar sunfish is very similar to the longear sunfish as noted by CJBS. CJBS could easily be correct in his opinion of longear sunfish. The two differ in that dollar has 12 pectoral rays and longear has 14-15rays and this feature would be the easiest and main separating character. Dollar also has 3-4 rows of cheek scales whereas longear has 5-7 rows of cheek scales. Dollar sunfish has spots on the opercular flap whereas longear has no spots on the flap and most apparent on adults.

Bottom line: it is either a longear sunfish or dollar sunfish. Both are not problems in ponds with bass present.

Catch one and ship it to Bill. We'll get our answer for sure.

If you send it, store it in rubbing alcohol for a few days so it does not rot in shipment.

May be he should ship it in a bottle of tequila

With the worm...

Believe it or not, tequila or vodka would work, but isopropyl rubbing alcohol is cheaper.

Spread out the pec. fins and post a close up pic.