Bruce --
I should have measured it, but my best guess is approximately 11", and I base that upon the length of the fly rod handle.
It was also incredibly thick-bodied. And, yes, it fought very well indeed -- far better than the 9" - 12" rainbows I was catching this afternoon.
Usually I let guests catch and keep whatever they want -- but with these big sunfish, I often request they do catch-and-release.
I probably have more sunfish this size than bass this size in my pond. I tried stocking fathead minnows for two years, but it simply got too expensive. Especially, when every species in the pond (except the grass carp) including these sunfish chowed down on them. My pond's probably just too small and cool for good l.m. bass; but these sunfish seem to fill their predator niche very well, given the size of their mouths. -- Mike
