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Thread: How to Identify Sunfish

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobC View Post
    I just like to catch them no matter what they are!
    This ^^^^

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by D10 View Post
    Not bad! I also find that there is a wide range of colors of fish that carries regionally. Often identification by color patterns can be misleading. Fin ray, spine, scale, Gill raker, or other anatomical counts are more accurate. Common names are often what makes communicating about various species difficult. That’s why there are scientific names. I hear anglers use different common names for the same species of fish on the same lake. I have family from different parts of Arkansas who refer to the same species by different names. In the past, I have tried to teach them the proper names and how to identify them. I gave up (ha ha ha). As long as they enjoy catching “brim, goggle eyes, pumpkin seed (none found in Arkansas), etc...” I am fine with whatever they want to call them.


    Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app
    Yes, geography plays a huge role in colors of certain species. I wanted this to be a general ID guide for those starting out. I plan on doing in depth videos on each individual species where I can address that better.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by ClearCreek View Post
    Good video.

    However, you missed one of the best ways to determine a bluegill from a green sunfish and that is the shape of the pectoral fins.

    The bluegill has a longer pointed pectoral fin while the green sunfish has a shorter rounded pectoral fin. You can readily see this difference in the photos you had in the video.

    I will agree the sunfish are the most misidentified fish species there are. In my neck of the woods bluegill and green sunfish are always misidentified. They are called bluegill and are 99% of the time actually green sunfish.

    ClearCreek
    Thanks. I know there are more precise ways, but those are also more difficult and not user friendly for most people. I wanted to put together a guide for beginners that gives them a few ways to quickly and easily identify what they caught.

  4. #14
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    CrappiePappy is online now Super Moderator - 2013 Man Of The Year * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Quote Originally Posted by ClearCreek View Post
    Good video.

    However, you missed one of the best ways to determine a bluegill from a green sunfish and that is the shape of the pectoral fins.

    The bluegill has a longer pointed pectoral fin while the green sunfish has a shorter rounded pectoral fin. You can readily see this difference in the photos you had in the video.

    I will agree the sunfish are the most misidentified fish species there are. In my neck of the woods bluegill and green sunfish are always misidentified. They are called bluegill and are 99% of the time actually green sunfish.

    ClearCreek
    IMHO ... the easiest way to tell a Green Sunfish from a Bluegill is the size of the mouth of the Green Sunfish. It's much larger, much like a Warmouth or Bass.

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    Quote Originally Posted by CrappiePappy View Post
    IMHO ... the easiest way to tell a Green Sunfish from a Bluegill is the size of the mouth of the Green Sunfish. It's much larger, much like a Warmouth or Bass.
    Yup. I look at three things if there is any question on what it is.

    1. Size of mouth. (Once you look at a few thousand it becomes pretty easy to determine what large vs. small looks like.)
    2. Is the opercal tab black all the way to the margin?
    3. Shape of the pectoral fin.

    I rarely use color as that can be so variable from water to water and state to state.

    ClearCreek

  6. #16
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    Awesome video. Thanks for sharing. I thought it was great because of the multiple pics of each species. Water clarity affect them and how they look, and seeing them, in different sizes, and coming out of different waters, along with your descriptions, made it all so clear. Now yes, I'm gonna look at them in a whole different light. Thanks for sharing. I'll copy this thread to the archives.
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