How Do You Identify A Freshwater Sunfish?
The Sunfish family is full of bright, beautiful coloring that makes each of the nine varieties easy to identify. True to the name, most sunfish varieties are native to the warm waters of the southern Unites States and Mexico. Use these steps to identify the sunfish varieties as you catch them. Notice the bright spotting in pink, purple, yellow, brown and black that is all over the body of the Bluegill. The fins have a bluish tint to them while the face is green and the front of the belly is a bright copper color, giving this fish the nickname of Copperbelly. Consider the red eyes of the Rock Bass and the overall green and brown coloring. It has rows of dark spots running horizontally down its body. Its mouth is large and goes out slightly past the eyes. It is also known as Google-eyed. Note the bright orange coloring of the Longear Sunfish. There are also blue wavy lines that run from the earflap to the mouth. It has a small mouth and signature “ear” coloring that is mostly black with
