Thread: Hybrid Sunfish

Originally Posted by skinner80

Hey Craig

Don't know if you can help with this subject cause have researched on the internet and haven't found much. I am trying to be able to identify hybrid sunfish when I catch them. Have read that it occurs between a male green sunfish and a female bluegill. Have looked at some pictures. But don't see what I am looking for to identify. Also is there known public waters in Kansas that have longear sunfish or pumpkinseed sunfish?

Ryan

Ryan,

Sunfish hybridization can occur between most of the sunfish species in Kansas. One of the more popular commercially produced crosses is the bluegill X green sunfish hybrid, but this is by no means that only cross that occurs.

I see hybrid sunfish on a regular basis in waters that I manage even though hybrids are not stocked which indicates the natural cross is occurring in the lake.

Being able to properly identify the parent species will be most beneficial in assisting you in ID'ing a hybrid. Knowing the key features of the pure sunfish will be beneficial in knowing when you are seeing a "mixing" of characteristics. "If it ain't all bluegill and it ain't all greenie then you probably have a hybrid!!"

Here's a link I found that shows both pure and hybrid green sunfish. Fish Details .

Here's a picture showing bluegill on the left side, bluegill X redear sunfish hybrids in the middle, and redear sunfish on the right.



This picture shows a hyrbid resulting from a bluegill X redear cross.



Longear sunfish are very common in eastern Kansas. All three of the SFLs in my District have longear sunfish as well as El Dorado and Council Grove reservoirs.

Here's a pic of a longear sunfish showing his breeding colors at Chase SFL.



I'm not 100% sure of what you are referring to when you say "pumpkinseed" as anglers refer to a wide range of fish by this common name. A lot of anglers refer to orangespotted sunfish as "pumpkinseeds". The pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) is not native to Kansas.