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Thread: Grass Perch, Pumpkinseeds,...

  1. #1
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    Default Grass Perch, Pumpkinseeds,...


    Whatever you want to call them, I call them grass perch. Do any of you keep them? Typically unless they are close to a pound I throw them back. Occationaly I will target them around grassy areas. I have met a lot of people, mostly from northern states, that say they do not keep them and refer to them as trash fish. I personally think they are good table fare. I guess because I can catch so many, it has decreased my interest in them. As a kid they were all I use to fish for, while wading. I was just interested in knowing some of your opinions about this fish, as they are found in nearly every body of water throughout the US. Thanks for your opinions.
    This only my opinion, but nothing you can say will change my mind. That makes it a FACT.

    Today is a Blessed Day and a Prosperous Day

  2. #2
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    Ain't nothing wrong with them fish. But, I think you already know my opinion.CF
    The Original Woodsgoat Hater
    2011 NWR Bash Yellow Perch Champion

  3. #3
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    i have never keeped a pumpkinseed before. most of them up here are way to small. most of the time they just steal my bait .
    fishin isn't a sport, it's a way of life.
    A motto I live by. :D
    go dawgs!!

  4. #4
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    They eat good. I don't catch very many big ones but right now with water temps in the 40's they sure are good to eat.

    Chris

  5. #5
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    I think their aggrevating myself. Especially when they are just a bunch of small ones. On a average they are around 6oz-1lb. I've seen them 2lbs and probably caught only three or four that size myself. We had a local here make the paper with a 3+ pounder. The record was caught not too far from my home waters. Maybe the bigger ones thrive in the warmer waters in the southern states. Thanks for the input, keep it coming. I'd like to here from a few more folks.
    This only my opinion, but nothing you can say will change my mind. That makes it a FACT.

    Today is a Blessed Day and a Prosperous Day

  6. #6
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    Almost all I catch are very small, but they make good catfish bait. Flatheads LOVE them.

  7. #7
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    I either throw em back or use em for cut bait.
    Fish on!:D

    3 Bald Stooges of Percy Priest Lake - Co Founder

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by stumpbumpers
    I think their aggrevating myself. Especially when they are just a bunch of small ones. On a average they are around 6oz-1lb. I've seen them 2lbs and probably caught only three or four that size myself. We had a local here make the paper with a 3+ pounder. The record was caught not too far from my home waters. Maybe the bigger ones thrive in the warmer waters in the southern states. Thanks for the input, keep it coming. I'd like to here from a few more folks.
    Are we talking about Lepomis Gibbosus? A 3+ pound pumpkinseed would break the IGFA world record by over a pound an a half. Most state record pumpkinseeds measure in ounces not pounds. If fisherman in your state are catching 2 and 3# pumpkinseeds then your state has the best pumpkinseed fishing in the country. Why are fisherman not submitting these fish for state records? I've caught some 1# pumpkinseeds in a lake in Ontario Canada and are the biggest I've caugh to date. Have caught bluegill and redear in the 2 1/2# range, but I can't imagine a 3# pumpkinseed. Would like to see a picture of that one. Dave.

  9. #9
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    Yes the IGFA World Record is 1lb 6oz. And there are people on here probably thinking they have caught bigger ones than that, and you probably have. The problem with this fish and records, is simply what we are discussing here. People ordinarily do not keep grass perch and they are referred to as a trash fish. Here is a prime example of a fish I caught that would have been a record. While crappie fishing I marked a very large fish on the depth finder at the same time my pole bent double. I played the fish down, thinking it was a cat. To my surprise it came directly out of the water towards my face with it's mouth open. Kinda scary when your looking into the mouth of a gar. We got him all tangled in the net and eventually I had to hit it with the paddle. The paddle broke and busted its head open. I pulled this fish up while grasping the tangled net, the tail never came out of the water. The diameter of this fish was larger than my thigh. Now that is a big gar, but it wasn't a alligator gar. I cut the line and got his teeth out of the net and dropped his head back in the water. Amazingly enough, it swam to the bottom. I never reported or thought to bring the fish in, because it was a gar. I later was looking at record fish and the largest gar other than an alligator was 15lbs and this gar exceeded that, if not doubled it. By the way I just checked the record for NC and it was broke in 2002 (around the time I caught mine) the new record is 19lbs 2ozs and go figure, it was caught in the same place I caught mine, Northeast Cape Fear River. Another fish that is over looked is a green sunfish. In 98 the previous record was broken by a 6oz fish. The hoopla brought attention to that particular species of fish. A local knew he had caught bigger in his farm pond. He and his son went down and caught a 8oz fish a few weeks later. That record now stands. Do you know what a flier, green sun fish, grass perch, redear, and so on look like? Can you determine every species of fish as you decide wether or not to release it? Most can not. As you can see on this website, and everywhere you fish, most have very little knowledge of fish at all and are pulling straws to figure them out. That's why most people end up targeting one or two species. My point is simply this, with all the targeted species, most people have a lack of concern for the records of non-targeted species. That in turn causes a lot of records to be over looked. I am probably mistaken of the type of fish the 3+ pound fish is. But I am in no way mistaken on the size fish I've caught. Even though I never weighed them, my estimate puts them at 2lbs. When I go back home I will check to see the type of fish and weight. I do apologize for any misinformation.
    This only my opinion, but nothing you can say will change my mind. That makes it a FACT.

    Today is a Blessed Day and a Prosperous Day

  10. #10
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    Default pumpkin seeds

    Hey Stumpbumper, down in the south (at least where I fish) we rarely catch pumpkinseeds that are big enough to eat, but I have caught a few that were bordeline that I kept and they tasted just fine to me. It is a pretty fish though. Would look good in an aquarium or gold fish pond.
    Shadow
    Dwyane
    The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary!

    SMILE- A curve that can set a lot of things straight!

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