What kind of sunfish is this?

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Originally Posted by PAM3417

Here in N.C we call them warmouth their a cross. A cross between what I don't know.

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Actually, no ... they're not. A Green Sunfish, Warmouth, & Rockbass are three different & distinct fish. They're shaped similar, sometimes colored similar, and very often mistaken for either of the other two.


IMHO - This particular fish, pictured, is most likely a Green Sunfish ... considering the blue colored streaks on the face, yellow belly color, thin ridge of color on the gill flap & fins/tail, and the blue & green "dotting effect" of the side scales coloration.

... cp :kewl

Warmouth sunfish (Lepomis gulosus), Lake Elizabeth, WI 6/23/2012 - Olaf - Gallery - NANFA Forum

Myself and those I have fished with have always called these fish warmouths.

Warmouth. Short stocky with a big mouth for their size aka mudgapper

All the Warmouth's I've ever caught, and the one I had in my 40gal aquarium, were more brown & gold colored ... than the blue & green coloration this fish is showing. Even the link that Techno2000 provided, shows a fish with red gill flap patch & little to no color edging on the fins & tail. And while the body coloration is very similar to this picture ... any number of other websites about fish ID will show Warmouths that aren't colored in this way, as well as pictures of Green Sunfish with coloration more closely akin to this picture.

That's not even taking into account the possibility of some crossbreeding potential :Doh: ... and as is well documented, the Green Sunfish can & does crossbreed with many other Sunfish species. The "famous" Hybrid Bluegill is a Bluegill/Green Sunfish cross. The Green Sunfish also crossbreeds with Pumpkinseed, Longear Sunfish, Warmouth, & probably others.

... cp :kewl

We call em goggle eye around here.

The greenish blue lines on the face and lack of a red eye point to a green sunfish, not a warmouth.

It's a hybrid bluegill (cross between a green sunfish and a bluegill), with dominant green sunfish traits.

Warmouth green mix

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Originally Posted by tnpondmanager

It's a hybrid bluegill (cross between a green sunfish and a bluegill), with dominant green sunfish traits.

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I'm inclined to agree with tnpondmanager.