Free Bass, Trout and Fly Fishing Tips
What Are Sunfish?
Author: Dale Mazurek
Article:
Sunfish are probably the most universally popular fish fished in
the world. They are some of the easiest to catch for youngsters
or a great challenge for experienced anglers to catch the big
ones. And to top it all off there isn't much that beats the
sweet taste of sunfish.
Sunfish can be referred to as crappies, black bass, blue gill
and pumpkinseeds. Sunfish are usually crossbred with other fish
to make them worth catching. Without this true sunfish are
usually of no interest to anglers because they are just too
small.
In the spring is when sunfish begin spawning. It's usually in
water temperatures between upper 60s to low 70s. Nests are
usually built very close together forming a breeding colony. The
males usually build on a sand or gravel bottom in depths from 6
inches to 3 feet. The female will deposit more than 200 000 eggs
and then she will abandon the nest. The male will guard the eggs
and then later the fry. He is very aggressive, attacking
anything that comes near the nest including fisherman's bait.
Sunfish can spawn many times through out the summer and this
usually takes place during a full moon. Larval, adult insects,
crustaceans, mollusks and sometimes small fish build the diet of
the sunfish. Sunfish rely heavily on their sight and smell to
find their meals.
Sunfish over populate their habitats because they produce so
many young. While fishing pressure is usually high the fish
remain small because of the high competition for food.
The world record blue gill was caught in Ketona Lake, Alabama,
in 1950. The fish weighed 4 pounds 12 ounces.
The world record Redear was caught in Diversion Canal, South
Carolina in 1998. The fish weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces.
The world record Pumpkinseed was caught in Oswego Pond, New York
in 1985. The fish weighed 1 pound 6 ounces.
Overall the sunfish is just an all round fun fish to catch. You
can be sure that if you know where they are you won't have a
problem catching them. They can turn a slow fishing day into a
very successful and fun day.
Dale Mazurek
Just remember that a bad day of fishing is better than a good
day at work.
About the author:
Dale is a self taught fisherman for the last 35 years. He has
won many different small tournament prizes. You can check out
his very popular blog at http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ or
two more of his very popular blogs at
http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com and
http://funtidbits.blogspot.com/
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