Need to know some info on different fish.

[centerdriver]

New to the forum and glad someone led me here. Looks like I may find out a lot of info, and hopefully pass some on as well. Originally from Texas, but have fished all over the country for the last 2 years. During that time, I have heard many, many different names for fish I go after. Asking someone here what they been catchin', they say "specks". I can understand that and see why. Now my question is......what are
1. Sunshine bass
2. Nile Perch and last but not least...
3. Bowfin?? (think I got that right)
I have even caught a few cats that I did not recognize while going for "specks" down here in the harris chain.
Can someone please help this dummy get acquainted with these fish?? Sure would appreciate it........and one more thing.......do I have to worry about hooking a gator in the shallows going for spawning crappie????

Blessed are the cracked for it is they who let in the light!

[cook]

1)small sub-species of bass
2)probably talapia-a non-native fish from south america
3)dogfish,grinnel

don't worry about hooking a gator,its the unhooking it you have to worry about!!!!

[moody]

sunshine bass-a hybrid between stripers and the much smaller white bass.unable to reproduce,they are stocked in only a few fl lakes.
nile perch-talapia,introduced from South America to control mosquitos and as a sport fish.however,they have proved to be neither.rarely caught.
bowfin-spotted grindle,aka mudfish-native to fl they resemble the snakehead.ugly fish with no jawbone and a big spot near tail.often caught mistakenly whilst fishing for bass or panfish.welcome to fl!!

[centerdriver]

Called a few buds of mine from different places and found out that they are indeed a cross between striper and white bass. Back home they call the hybred striped bass.
A conversation with three guys getting out of a boat with a jet unit on the lower end of their motor mounted on a flat bottom john boat said they were after the nile perch and they were in the shallows in cold spring fed water. That is why I was asking about them.
Thanks for the welcome and hope to meet a few of yall at the tourny down here. I will be the guy walking around as if in a daze with wonderment of so many crappie fishermen rounded up into one place. Also will have on an Alaskan hat (green),so say howdy!!!!
If your fishing it, I may see you on the water. So far, I am the only one who has a Kenner CC in the area, so should not be hard to recogonize.
Dusty