Thread: What do you call pan fish, sunfish, etc...

Originally Posted by SeaRay

It gets worse when the scientist get it wrong, e.g., a Largemouth Bass(or any in that family) is actually in the sunfish family and a White Perch is actually in the true bass family along with the Striped and White Bass. No wonder we all get confused.

This is an interesting thread.

SeaRay:

Scientists use the "scientific names" or the Latin name for species when they communicate with other scientists so there is no confusion as to what species they are referring to. A white crappie is a Pomoxis annularis in the United States or anywhere else in the world where they exist, and white crappie are members of the Centrarchidae or sunfish family.

I call fish species by the common proper names that is used in the area I grew up in (upper great plains), so I call them white crappie, black crappie, green sunfish, bluegill, walleye, sauger, channel catfish and so on.

The one thing I do not like is when people shorten a fishes name and call bluegill "gills" or walleye "eyes". To me, those are parts of a fish and not the name of a fish.

ClearCreek

I call redear either shell crackers or strawberries.
Bluegill are just bluegill or gills.
When asked what I am fishing for I usually respond bream.

Originally Posted by Rockhitter

I call redear either shell crackers or strawberries.
Bluegill are just bluegill or gills.
When asked what I am fishing for I usually respond bream.

when I'm asked what I'm fishing for I usually say "whatever I catch"

Originally Posted by ClearCreek

This is an interesting thread.

SeaRay:

Scientists use the "scientific names" or the Latin name for species when they communicate with other scientists so there is no confusion as to what species they are referring to. A white crappie is a Pomoxis annularis in the United States or anywhere else in the world where they exist, and white crappie are members of the Centrarchidae or sunfish family.

I call fish species by the common proper names that is used in the area I grew up in (upper great plains), so I call them white crappie, black crappie, green sunfish, bluegill, walleye, sauger, channel catfish and so on.

The one thing I do not like is when people shorten a fishes name and call bluegill "gills" or walleye "eyes". To me, those are parts of a fish and not the name of a fish.

ClearCreek

You are correct when it comes to biologist or scientist talking to each other. I was actually referring to the fishing charts that most state natural resources publish with picture and common names of either fresh or saltwater fish. Those long multi-syllable names are probably why us common folks started calling everything "Bream". LOL.

Originally Posted by BAFishBarn

I know different regions call fish different things. In Oklahoma alot of people call all pan fish perch. Even though they are bluegill, sunfish, even crappie. Then I see people call them bream.

Me, I say crappie, lump all sunfish into bluegill and a perch is the actual fish species perch.

Just curious what others say

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Around here the general term for sunfish is... perch.

Originally Posted by BAFishBarn

I know different regions call fish different things. In Oklahoma alot of people call all pan fish perch. Even though they are bluegill, sunfish, even crappie. Then I see people call them bream.

Me, I say crappie, lump all sunfish into bluegill and a perch is the actual fish species perch.

Just curious what others say

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

We call crappie ..."sac-a-lait" (soc-co-lay) it's french for "sack of milk" it comes from the color and sweet flavor of the fish's flesh.