Redear?

[Phil Lilley]

Jeremy Rasnick caught this in the Mill Creek area yesterday. Bottom fish- is it a redear?

12 inches long.

[bfishn]

Yup. Goodun too!

[rainbow]

We used to catch them on the bottom fishing for cat fish. Good fighters and eaters. like a giant bluegill.

[Riverwhy]

Those are just what we were catching at Lake Norfork last week in the buck brush. Red ear are truly a wonderful fish when you can find them. We were using worms out on the main lake points right in the brush. Nice catch!

[DerekB]

I think some people call them shell crackers because of the way they feed on snails. That's got to be the biggest one I've seen.

[exiledguide]

Nice, usually found in cloudier water and caught just like those with worms I can't remember catching any on purpose I think they grow bigger than bluegill. I also don't know if those fish are ever stocked in any lakes or ponds.

[Bill Babler]

You are going to think I am full of it, but we were catchin those the other day on that small jitterbug. Off dock corners.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Interesting. Goggle eye in TR, and Redears in TR. neither is native, so where or how did they get there?

[bfishn]

Several sources report redear in historic sampling, one in '68 below Beaver by AGFC. Fishes of Arkansas confirms.

Well within their native range too;

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=390

[Sam]

My dad grew up fishing the James and Finley Rivers long before Tablerock Dam was built. Goggle eyes (rock bass) were about his favorite fish to catch on a fly rod, often on little topwater poppers. The lower James is now an arm of Tablerock Lake, so Goggle eyes are natives. I'm pretty sure Redears are, too.

Interesting. Goggle eye in TR, and Redears in TR. neither is native, so where or how did they get there?