Shellcracker?

http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/k...nW92808013.jpg

Wife also caught this > 9 28 08 < Chowan River

http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/k...an92708007.jpg

caught in the Chowan 9 27 08

http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/k...an92708001.jpg

my "big" perch , 9 27 08............

Yep, that's a cracker, and a good one. Sometimes, and in some bodies of water, they have more of a pronounced red border to the gill flap.
The water's probably rising because there was a ton of rain in the Meherrin, Nottoway and Blackwater watershed.
Here's some shellcracker and bluegill we caught Saturday in VA.

Attachment 20968

Thanks for the info and great pic`s............. we had an extremely slow day
you fishin Suffolk lakes?

nice bucket of fish congrats

Nice shellcracker. Here's some I caught.
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...NGFORGILLS.jpg

Here's some we got this spring at Ky lake. Real nice color to em.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...n/IMG_0019.jpg

Every time you guys show buckets of fish you make me HUNGRY!!!!!!

Fatman

Santee Cooper has about the most abundant mess of big shellies that i ever seen.I never have been,but guys in my panfish club brought some HUGE ones back.I'm scareed to go.If i get into them like they did,i wouldn't come home.Unless i had a gator in the boat the size of the one the fellow posted on here.(some of those crackers were pushing 2.5-3lbs!!)

Can someone explaine the difference between all the different types of perch to me? I've really been trying to learn how to tell them apart, but every site I look up tells me something different. It's getting really confusing. I'm in Oklahoma by the way, so I'm not even sure how many different types of perch we have around these parts.

Thanks in advance.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SlabSniper

Can someone explaine the difference between all the different types of perch to me? I've really been trying to learn how to tell them apart, but every site I look up tells me something different. It's getting really confusing. I'm in Oklahoma by the way, so I'm not even sure how many different types of perch we have around these parts.

Thanks in advance.

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The most likely true perch you'll encounter is the Yellow perch. (3rd picture Pat posted) Also known as, racoon perch, ring perch and many more common names. Closely related to the walleye and sauger.
The white perch we have here, are related to the white bass and the striper.
Also the yellow bass of the Mississippi drainage. Dunno why they're called "perch", guess the name just stuck.
Some people call crappie "speckled perch". Don't hear that as much as I used to, now most just say "speckle".
Crappie are in the sunfish family by the way.
Hope this didn't confuse you more than you already were.:D

That's a nice description by Shellquacker on Identification of some of the main panfish species. One of the most common questions which seems to arise is telling the difference between a Shellcracker (aka Redear) from a Pumpkinseed. These photos clearly show Shellcrackers (note that the males have a much brighter red margin to their gillflap regions vs females which have a more orange to yellow colored margin to their gillflap regions). Note that on true Shellcrackers the lack of blue "sun rays" around their face and head areas whereas on a Pumpkinseed, these bright blue fluorescent "sun rays" are quite prominent on the face and head areas. Both Pumpkinseeds and Shellcrackers have the red or orange margin to their gillflap regions causing some of the confusion in misidentification between these sunfish. :):):)

Thanks for all the input, enjoy reading all the posts and the photos ............
how about some info concerning the jigs used to catch gils and cold weather tips?