Panfish Identification and Weight Estimation

[MOBass N Beer]

Anyone skilled with panfish identification or weight estimation? I caught this while bass fishing. I believe it's a Longear Sunfish but I'm no expert. I didn't have my scale on me. Looked up the state record (11 oz for Longear) was wondering if anyone could give me a good guess on how big this one was,  wondering if it might be worth going back to target panfish and see if I could find a larger one and make a run at the record. 

 

Thanks!

[BilletHead]

   looks like a green sunfish hybridized with something else. 

[FishnDave]

I agree, Hybrid Sunfish.  Looks to be 8"-9", 0.5 lb or less.  Fun, aren't they!  

[MOBass N Beer]

Ya, I was wondering if it was a hybrid too. It's gill is long like a longear but it's mouth seemed too big and the coloring seemed off. Most the green sunfish I catch have the yellow-tipped fins

[MOBass N Beer]

2 minutes ago, FishnDave said:

I agree, Hybrid Sunfish.  Looks to be 8"-9", 0.5 lb or less.  Fun, aren't they!  

They are, they always surprise me when they hit a 3" bass lure

[Johnsfolly]

4 minutes ago, MOBass N Beer said:

Ya, I was wondering if it was a hybrid too. It's gill is long like a longear but it's mouth seemed too big and the coloring seemed off. Most the green sunfish I catch have the yellow-tipped fins

I've caught several green X bluegill sunfish hybrids (known stocked fish and wild ones) that look similar to your fish. Yours still may have a little longear in it as well. I would agree with @FishnDave that it was probably about a half pound.

A couple of known green X bluegill stocked fish. They have that bluegill body shape and that big green sunfish mouth.

Here's a green x bluegill hybrid my daughter caught near Vienna MO.

Any pure green sunfish or hybrid do not surprise me on how agressive they can be. 

[BilletHead]

1 minute ago, Johnsfolly said:

I've caught several green X bluegill sunfish hybrids (known stocked fish and wild ones) that look similar to your fish. Yours still may have a little longear in it as well. I would agree with @FishnDave that it was probably about a half pound.

A couple of known green X bluegill stocked fish. They have that bluegill body shape and that big green sunfish mouth.

Here's a green x bluegill hybrid my daughter caught near Vienna MO.

Any pure green sunfish or hybrid do not surprise me on how aggressive they can be. 

                             Actually, the green sunfish crosses are real common around here and we catch several each year. 

[Johnsfolly]

1 hour ago, BilletHead said:

Actually, the green sunfish crosses are real common around here and we catch several each year. 

Seems like they aren't just aggressive feeders 😉🤣

[BilletHead]

2 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

Seems like they aren't just aggressive feeders 😉🤣

         Eat anything they see, hear, sense and can catch that they can cram down their throat. I am worried about the future of the green sunfish though. they could very well be the OGMSF and breeding with anything that will take their seed making many, many hybrid sunfishes. Is mother nature messing with the genetic pure greenies? I would not want a bunch of Mutt greenies. Come to think about it I have caught some that just don't act right. 🤪

[Al Agnew]

Several of the sunfish species hybridize with green sunfish.  Given the length of the gill flap, this one very well could be a longear/green hybrid rather than one of the more common bluegill/green hybrids.  It's definitely a hybrid with green sunfish in it.