Whenever I'm out sitting on my dock or fishing in my boat, every once in a while there will be school of sunfish out in the middle (12 acre pond) that come to the surface of the water and they will all be bunched together splashing. At first I didn't know that it was sunfish until fishing one evening I chased this strange thing down. I've seen it many times. I thought that they were spawing or maybe after some baby fry or something. I never see any fry but the sunfish will see me and then take off with a big splash. Now the way I understand sunfish, they spawn in the shallow areas with beds, right? Not out in deep water (12 feet).
But what is this splashing school of sunfish doing?

They're eating emerging winged invertebrates.

Thanks Bruce, I have seen the same thing and have always assumed they were feeding on something.

Bruce, that sounds crazy. Are you serious or are you being funny? Winged invertebrates?

Completely serious.

Nature directs invertebrates that are living in your pond muck, or on the rooted vegetation to emerge simultaneously to facilitate the mating process. Theories include water temperature, solar period and lunar cycles, but these invertebrates need to take wing at around the same time in order to maximize their mating opportunity. The fish either know this intuitively, or learn it through experience, but I've seen literally hundreds of times when bluegill gang up on these "buggies" as they hit the surface, shed their carapace and take flight.

Trout are well known for doing the same thing.

...and for what it's worth, my high school was known as the Lincoln Northeast Emerging Winged Invertebrates. Originally we were known as the less politically correct Lincoln Northeast Larval Trawlers.

Wow, interesting Bruce. Thanks. The Mystery of the Unknown Splashing Sunfish is solved. Thanks! Now when I'm out fishing with my buddies and they see this phenominoma, they will say..."Hey Bob, what is that?". And I'll say..."Oh thaaaat, those are sunfish feeding on emerging winged invertebrates". I betcha Bruce I'll get the same look as I did when I read your post. LOL

bob

Did I mention our school colors were clear?

You had me believing you, but now I have doubts.

i dont remember if you have predators yet Bob (HSB or LMB) as my thought was the BG were getting balled up by feeding predators. that larval trawler phenomena is really cool...i didnt know that either.

I promise, I'm not kidding....about the bluegill.

Do you have old pictures of the mascot?

The times I have seen it they remind of dolphins breaking the surface moving along in a group. A small jig on an ultra light can usally catch one or two BG out of the school before it disappears, and they all seem to be a little larger than the average ones in your pond.

Exactly!! Generally a little bigger fish, and if you're stealthy you can always catch a couple before they scatter.

Bruce, I observed the same type "schooling" activity Wednesday evening -
large school in middle of pond and scattered activity around pond -looked like white bass feeding on TFS.

Do you think it was HSB, BG, or both?

Bluegill "blip" at the surface, and sometimes make a kind of porpoising activity.

HSB create what I've always called a "toilet bowl" flush, with a smack, followed by a downdraft, followed by the classic curly flat spot.

Good description...

You must have had a heck of a fight song.

At the next PB Conference, I will ply you with Jack Black until you stand on a table and sing it.

You guys watch out or first thing you know old Jeff will have worked up the Larval Trawler song. The mascot will be called dip net. :p

I'm all prepared, keyboard under fingers, but I don't know the melody. Bruce can ya hum a few bars......

Hilarious...totally hilarious.

I believe you Bruce about the emerging winged invertebrates, but the Lincoln Northeast Emerging Winged Invertebrates and the school mascot thingy...you must have come close to pulling a mucsle in your brain trying to think up that one. Hilarious to say the least.

Thanks.

Yeah, it went something like this.

Dah, da, da daa da. Dah, dah da dah dah. Da dum, dum, dum, dah, diddy dah da dum dum.