Thread: Prettiest fish in the lake

These things are gorgeous. Caught this weekend.

Red Breasted Sunfish ... very nice. I don't see many of them in the waters I fish, but we do have one that I think is a very pretty fish - the Longear Sunfish (or what my late Grampa called a "red belly"):

Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Red Breasted Sunfish ... very nice. I don't see many of them in the waters I fish, but we do have one that I think is a very pretty fish - the Longear Sunfish (or what my late Grampa called a "red belly"):

Funny how different generations have different names for in this case fish.We have many of the fish pictured above,but they were always referred to as Baccor boxes by my dad and grandpas generation.I never questioned the name,I'm assuming it was slang for tobacco box.I wish I had ask why the odd name,but the only folks who call them Baccor boxes now can't recall either,sure are a pretty fish though.

Originally Posted by Yaker

Funny how different generations have different names for in this case fish.We have many of the fish pictured above,but they were always referred to as Baccor boxes by my dad and grandpas generation.I never questioned the name,I'm assuming it was slang for tobacco box.I wish I had ask why the odd name,but the only folks who call them Baccor boxes now can't recall either,sure are a pretty fish though.

Never heard them called "baccor boxes" ... but, my Grandpa did call Crappie "Newlights" a couple of times, and I thought we were going fishing for some new species of fish. Took me a second or two to realize it was just a nickname for Crappie. And I was probably going on 20 years old before I realized the "White Perch" I was fishing for/catching was actually a Freshwater Drum.
If I remember correctly, that name was what my neighborhood fishing buddy called them, as I don't remember my Grandparents using it or us catching any of them ... although I'm sure we did, occasionally.

Beautiful, for sure!

CrappiePappy, if we have those here, I've never caught one. Sure is a pretty fish. Folks here call these Red Bellies too. They don't get very big but they are incredibly good table fare.

Originally Posted by FurFlyin

CrappiePappy, if we have those here, I've never caught one. Sure is a pretty fish. Folks here call these Red Bellies too. They don't get very big but they are incredibly good table fare.

According to this, you do have them : https://outdooralabama.com/bream/longear-sunfish

When my Grandparents and I fished for them, it was almost always in late Summer & on deep rock points. That was back in the day when we'd go cut "Horseweed worms" (stalk borer grubs) out of the Giant Ragweed plants that grew along the country road fence rows of the farms that were on the way to the lake.



Best have long sleeved shirts on (even in the August heat), with plenty of bug repellent sprayed on (head to toe) .... or else the Chiggars would eat you alive. Had to do a quick check for Ticks, as well.

Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

According to this, you do have them : https://outdooralabama.com/bream/longear-sunfish

When my Grandparents and I fished for them, it was almost always in late Summer & on deep rock points. That was back in the day when we'd go cut "Horseweed worms" (stalk borer grubs) out of the Giant Ragweed plants that grew along the country road fence rows of the farms that were on the way to the lake.



Best have long sleeved shirts on (even in the August heat), with plenty of bug repellent sprayed on (head to toe) .... or else the Chiggars would eat you alive. Had to do a quick check for Ticks, as well.

I would like to know more about this plant and grubs, identification of plant and where located in plant, do all plants like this have these.?

Sent from my SM-G892U using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Originally Posted by Murfman404

I would like to know more about this plant and grubs, identification of plant and where located in plant, do all plants like this have these.?

Sent from my SM-G892U using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Sorry, Murf .... I almost forgot I hadn't answered your questions.

The plant is the Giant Ragweed :



They can grow pretty tall ... like 8-10ft tall in some cases ... but what you want to look for is this :



These holes are usually down towards the bottom 2-3ft of the plant. There may be more than one grub using the plant, so check at least the bottom half of the main stalk for these holes.

The grub that is in them is the Common Stalk Borer (a moth larvae) :

These are full grown ones-


And this is what a "juvenile" one looks like :


We always found them along fence rows of farms that were on the county road that led to the lake we were fishing. They are known to infest many other plants, including corn, but getting them from stands of the Giant Ragweed could be done more easily.

We always threaded them on the hook, inserting the hook in the "tail end" and bringing the hook point out just under the head (where you see the three dark clawed feet on the picture above).

You'll need a sharp knife & a bucket or bag (to hold the stalk sections you cut). You'll want to cut at least a 2-3ft section of stalk, with the hole being more or less in the middle of that section. The grubs will usually stay inside the stalk sections unless they get extremely hot or shaken hard in transport. When you get to the lake & start using them, to insure you don't cut the grub in half, insert the knife point at the hole and twist it, splitting the stalk, then continue pulling the stalk open until you find the grub. We always used a cloth bag (grain bag), but that was almost 60yrs ago & that's what we had handy.

And again ... watch for snakes & wasps, and wear plenty of repellent to keep the chiggars & ticks off of you. Long sleeve shirt/pants are probably a good idea too, even in the August heat, as you'll want to put the repellent (with high % of DEET) on your clothes rather than your skin.

NOTE: I don't recommend anyone with a Ragweed allergy or Acute Asthma to get into these plants, especially when they're blooming. Just sayin' !!

We have plenty of long ear. In my neck of the woods! But they always too pretty to eat!