Warmouth Sunfish ?

[Cane Pole]

I have been catching these dudes for over 50+ years and have always called them rock bass. I catch the mainly during the heat of the summer around my boat dock. Learn something new here everyday. Guess I need to do some anal checking..........................on the fish fins that is...lol...

History report anyone?

[CrappiePappy]

I've been catching 'em for about that long .... I have known them to be called "red-eye", "goggle-eye", "rock bass", "stump-knockers", Warmouth, and a friend of mine got me calling them "Mallygougers" (just a name he made up) since back in the 70's :p
I don't know how many times I've set the hook, fishing for Bass (esp with a jig in the Spring), thinking I have a big old honking monster Bass running off with my jig .... only to send a Warmouth into orbit - or, at the least, flying on the end of the line to the other side of the boat....LOL!!
I've eaten them .... and they aren't half bad. They are a very aggressive fish, and I've caught them on baits nearly twice as big as they were.

I had one for a couple of years, in my 28gal aquarium ... and Moose is right - they eat first, no matter what other species or how many other fish are in there with them ... they're just that aggressive!
I can't rightly say I've ever caught a true "Rock Bass" ... but, Warmouth and Green Sunfish - yeah ... quite a few in my time. In my local lakes - all you need do is throw a jig or crank bait along a rocky bank or alongside a shallow stump -- and you are subject to having it attacked by one of these guys. :D
Warmouth have 3 anal spines ..... Rock Bass have 5

(history lesson complete) ............luck2ya ........cp

[fishin3]

I caught a lot of them wading the Stones River in the spring and summer. They are great fun to catch on ultra light gear. I usually caught them a rooster tails or small crank baits.

[Moose1am]

I have called them Rock Bass also. Rock Bass Warmouth are one in the same to me. I have caugth many of them on crank baits over the years. LOL Some of them (Warmouths) were smaller than the crankbaits I used.

[Roberta]

My new issue of Bassmaster arrived today and what do I see in the first few pages, but a piece on how warmouths and rock bass are easily confused. They said that the easiest way to distinguish the two species is by checking the mouth. The warmouth has teeth on its tongue, and the rock bass has a smooth tongue. BTW, the IGFA record for rock bass is right around 3 pounds. So there ya go. - Roberta

[Cane Pole]

Roberta says check the mouth and Crappiepappy says check the ***. lol. Can't help this post folks......lol

I will do both.

[fatboy]

chocked?

[ncnat]

Thanks for pointing out that spelling mistake. I corrected it now. I choked on those tiny pieces of fish.

I am using my deep fryer for the first time and I wanted to make sure that the filets didn't stick together. I think I put too many filets in the pot at one time and stirred them too much to keep them from sticking together. They fell apart and therefore were harder to eat. I should not be eating while reading Cane Poles Post anyway. LOL

That Zima Beer that I drank while cooking those fish didn't help me any.

Now that I am recovered and the spelling error is corrected I can sit down and have another cold beer. This time it's a coors light as I am out of the Zimas.

I hope your drinking those Zima's to keep from hurting somebody's feelings.

[crap-king]

Yall talked one of those yellow warmouth rock perches on my line at High Rock today - he was about as big as my jig
crap-king

[ncnat]

I thought that was a grouper...