Freshwater Fish ID- Can You Name All Of These Sunfish?

Oops! Maybe you need to study up on your fish identification! This is a Black Crappie and one of the most common and highly prized of all sunfish species.

So sorry! Take a look at the larger mouth, olive green coloring and elongated body…This is a Green Sunfish!

C’mon, this might be the easiest one! These are the flagship sunfish species found all over North America, the mighty Bluegill!

Oops! This is a tricky one, but notice the streaking along the mouth and gill plate and bright colors…This is a Pumpkinseed, one of the prettiest of all the Sunfish.

Darn it! These fish are like miniature bass…they have a big mouth, and ‘war’ like markings along their face and gills… it’s a Warmouth!

Ok…this is a tough one, so don’t feel too bad. These are not very common and usually only found in the Southeast United States: It’s a Flier! (don’t believe me? look it up!)

Alright, no excuses for this one…this is another very popular sunfish- The Redear sunfish aka “Shellcracker“. Dang, these guys fight hard!

So close! The easiest way to identify this sunfish species is by the ‘long’ black operculum gill flap…see how long it is? Hence the name “Longear Sunfish”.

That’s ok…these guys are tricky to identify too. But, notice the red coloring along the breast and belly area? That’s a dead giveaway- This is a Redbreast Sunfish aka “redbellies”.

Okay…we saved the hardest for last. This one is very tricky, they are not usually caught on hook and line. But, they are a real sunfish found throughout the central & eastern United States- it’s called a “Mud Sunfish”. Look it up for yourself!