Bass Bluegill Hybrid?

[ozark trout fisher]

Sounds like that lake needs some flathead cats stocked.

That'd probably be a good idea. There was talk of putting musky in to manage the sunfish, nothing came of it though.

[Sam]

The green sunfish is one of my favorite fish where they grow big enough, though I've always called them "black perch" like most folks in the Ozarks.

Where black perch grow 7-9 inches long, I like 'em. They're always hungry - if you see one you can catch it, they put up a great fight for their size, and they're real good eating. If they grew to be 8 or 10 lbs., I think a lot of people might just forget about bass fishing.

They'll cross with bluegills, but not with bass. On a Bull Shoals trip a few years ago I caught a good-size bluegill/green sunfish hybrid and took a picture while cleaning fish. The hybrid is at the top, with a regular green sunfish at the bottom, and you can see the hybrid has both the orange fin and tail tips of the green sunfish and the blue markings of the bluegill.

[Thom]

The sholders of the Sunfish is much wider than most bluegil that are caught. I caught a really nice one at lake 33 Busch monday and he provided at nice part of my lunch from my frydaddy. I kept a few fair sized bluegill that day along with a few crappie. I Also landed a nice 14" bass that I returned to the lake.

BTW ... there are signs along lake 33 asking not to return any crappie to the lake if caught there also. It is not a requirement but a request. Between the racoons and other scavengers there at night they will be gone the next day.

[kayaker]

The green sunfish in my opinion does not fight nearly as good for its size as a bluegill. The green sunfish and bluegill hybrid is a great looking fish and great fighter. But all the true green sunfish I catch fight for a few seconds and then just drag in. When bass fishing you do catch more green sunfish than bluegill because of their bigger mouth. They really do seem to take off and over populate quickly.

[Larry Richards]

warmouth and rock are two completely different fish.

What you have caught is a green sunfish.

Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus)

The warmouth is very similar in shape and size to the green sunfish.(with which it is often confused) but very similar otherwise in that it is large-mouthed and heavy-bodied. Adult warmouth are dark, with mottled brown coloration. Their belly is generally golden, and males have a bright orange spot at the base of the dorsal fin. Three to five reddish-brown streaks radiate from the eyes, and the gill flaps are often red. Warmouth have three spines in the anal fin, 10 spines in the dorsal fin, and small teeth are present on the tongue. These fish range in size from 4 to10 inches (10.2 to 25 cm), but can grow to more than 12 inches (31 cm), and weigh up to 2.25 pounds (1 kg).

Other Names

Redeye, Goggle-eye, Red-eyed Bream, Stump Knocker, Mudgapper, Mo-mouth, Morgan, Molly, Rock Bass, Open Mouth, Weed Bass, Wood Bass, Strawberry "perch", Mud Bass, Warmouth Bass

[Outside Bend]

Ahhh, I had a feeling it had to have been a private lake. Sounds like that lake needs some flathead cats stocked.

The trouble with catfish is they're not selective, they wind up eating anything that'll fit in their mouths. If you bass and bluegill populations are already depressed, it can be a serious problem.

I once shocked a 2 acre pond, and in one trip around, got maybe a dozen bass and bluegill. Very low numbers, particularly since this was early June and the fish should've been shallow. When we rolled and caught a 38 inch blue out of the pond, the low numbers made sense...

My advice would just be to cull them out of the pond through fishing- clean 'em or throw 'em on the bank. Take a few kids out with you, they'll have a ball.

[Outside Bend]

The trouble with catfish is they're not selective, they wind up eating anything that'll fit in their mouths. If you bass and bluegill populations are already depressed, it can be a serious problem.

I once shocked a 2 acre pond, and in one trip around, got maybe a dozen bass and bluegill. Very low numbers, particularly since this was early June and the fish should've been shallow. When we rolled and caught a 38 inch blue out of the pond, the low numbers made sense. That said, I've seen it work before, big flatheads coming out of lakes with decent bass/panfish populations. The common factor was they were large (over 10 acres), and pretty fertile.

My advice would just be to cull them out of the pond through fishing- clean 'em or throw 'em on the bank. Take a few kids out with you, they'll have a ball.