Panfish ID Help

[ILmike]

Caught this little guy from the Jacks fork river right inside Eminence. Not a bluegill, green sunfish, rock bass or warmouth. The red eye is throwing me off. Any guesses what it is? Thanks in advance.

[fishinwrench]

I'd call it a bluegill if I caught it. 

I don't think you can pay any attention to the red eye thing.  1/2 the fish in the creeks around my place have red eyes regardless if they are bass, bluegill, or green sunnies.   I think their eye color changes for whatever reason.

 

[Al Agnew]

I'm not 100% certain, but I think it's a redspotted sunfish, Lepomis miniatus.  A juvenile female, probably.  Redspotted sunfish are found in the Jacks Fork, though I've never caught one.

[MoCarp]

3 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

I'm not 100% certain, but I think it's a redspotted sunfish, Lepomis miniatus.  A juvenile female, probably.  Redspotted sunfish are found in the Jacks Fork, though I've never caught one.

I believe you are correct 

[Johnsfolly]

8 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

I'm not 100% certain, but I think it's a redspotted sunfish, Lepomis miniatus.  A juvenile female, probably.  Redspotted sunfish are found in the Jacks Fork, though I've never caught one.

I know that redspotted sunfish are in the eastern rivers near Poplar bluff. Was going to check distribution this morning to see if they could be found in Jacks Fork.

[Johnsfolly]

Did see that the Jacks Fork/Current River as well as the 11 pt and other south flowing rivers in the southeast portion of the state are within the distribution range for redspotted sunfish.  A couple of redspotted caught in Black river watershed area near Poplar Bluff.

A couple from a Texas trip with @Ham

[snagged in outlet 3]

12 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

I don't think you can pay any attention to the red eye thing.

I was looking at my pictures of smallies and some have red eyes and some tan out of the same river.  

[Johnsfolly]

3 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

I was looking at my pictures of smallies and some have red eyes and some tan out of the same river.  

Pete - Like these? I caught these two in the same river and the same day only about a 1/4 mile of river between them. I had thought that the eye color in smallmouth bass was a male/female deal though really had not looked into it much.

[snagged in outlet 3]

54 minutes ago, Johnsfolly said:

Pete - Like these?

Yes, only much bigger.😁

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

I was looking at my pictures of smallies and some have red eyes and some tan out of the same river.  

I see it in LM, SM, and Spots all the same.