Bass, rock Ambloplites rupestris

Rafinesque, 1817

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also called black perch, goggle eye, red eye, rock sunfish

Native to the northeastern U.S.A. and southeastern Canada, from Ontario and Quebec southward through the Great Lakes region as far as Tennessee an possibly Alabama. Rock bass have also been introduced into other states including some western states. They prefer small, cool, weedy lakes and streams and the outer edges of larger lakes, always over rocky bottoms (hence the name “rock” bass) where no silt is present, turbidity is low and cover is extensive. They are scrappy fighters but tire quickly. The flesh is firm, white, and makes excellent eating.

This is a large and robust sunfish that looks like a cross between a bluegill and one of the black basses. Its body is less compressed than most sunfishes of the genus Lepomis, including the bluegill, and longer in profile. It has been known to reach 3 lb (1.36 kg) but the more common size is about 8 oz (226 g). There is a black spot at the edge of the gill cover. The mouth is larger and more “basslike” than in most small sunfishes, the upper jaw reaching beyond the beginning of the eye, but not to the back of the eye. The two dorsal fins are clearly connected. The eyes are red.

The rock bass is frequently confused with the warmouth (Lepomis gulosus), it can be distinguished by the number of spines in front of the soft rayed anal fin; 3 spines in the warmouth, but 6 in the rock bass. Also, the warmouth has teeth on the tongue unlike the rock bas

Sunfish, redbreast Lepomis auritus

Linnaeus, 1758

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also called yellowbelly sunfish, sun perch, redbreast bream, longear sunfish (not to be confused with Lepomis megalotis which goes by that name)

It is native to the east coast of North America from New Brunswick in Canada south along the Atlantic slope, east of the Appalachians, to about central Florida, but only as far west in the Florida panhandle as the Apalachicola River. It has been introduced into nearby states, and into lakes in northern Italy.

The belly, or ventral surface, ranges in color from yellow to orange red or crimson red and the “ear lobe” (a lobe or flat on the gill cover) is usually long and narrow. In adult males of this species the lobe is actually longer than in the longear sunfish (L. megalotis). The two species are readily distinguished by the fact that the gill cover lobe of the redbreast sunfish is completely black (or blue black) all the way to the tip and is narrower than the eyes. The lobe of the longear sunfish is much wider and is bordered by a thin margin of pale red or yellow around the black. The pectoral fins of both species are short and roundish as compared to the longer, pointed pectoral fins of redear sunfish (L. microlophus), and the opercular flaps are softer and more flexible than the rigid flaps of species such as the pumpkinseed sunfish (L. gibbosus).

This is an excellent panfish and a scrappy fighter. It can be caught with baits or lures and it can even be taken at night

Bass, shoal Micropterus cataractae

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY


The shoal bass occurs in the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint river drainages of Alabama, Florida and Georgia. It has been introduced and is now established in the Altamaha River drainages in central Georgia. It inhabits shoal areas of rivers and large creeks throughout its range.

Over the past 40 years, the shoal bass has been referred to as the Redeye Bass, M. coosae, as an undescribed subspecies or variety of the Redeye Bass, or as an undescribed species. In a paper written by James D. Williams and George H. Burgess, A New Species of Bass, Micropterus cataractae, the confusion was finally clarified. After examining the records for the “Redeye Bass” at IGFA, it was determined that all of the existing records are Shoal Bass, Micropterus cataractae. All of the Redeye Bass records have been transferred to the new designation of Shoal Bass.

The Shoal Bass coloration is olive green to dark olive to almost black, a dusky to black blotch is present on the posterior portion of the opercle and another one right before the tail. Three diagonal dark lines are present laterally on the head. The iris is typically bright red.

Although the Shoal Bass has been most often confused with the Redeye Bass, it is most similar to the Spotted Bass, M. punctulatus. It differs from the Spotted Bass by the absence of teeth on its tongue. The Shoal Bass also has more lateral lines scales (usually 67-81, not 59 to 70), more rows of scales above (usually 8 to 10, not 6 to 9) and below (usually 15 to 21, not 12 to 15) the lateral line and more caudal peduncle scales than the Spotted Bass. The color pattern of adult Shoal Bass is characterized by the presence of 10 to 15 midlateral and 6 to 8 supralateral dark vertical bars along the sides, these bars, which are also present in juveniles, easily distinguish the Shoal Bass from Spotted Bass. The Redeye Bass and has an oval to rectangular patch of teeth on the tongue, fewer lateral line scales (usually 62-73, not 67-81) and fewer scale rows above (usually 7 to 9, not 8-10) and below (usually 13 to 16, not 15-21) the lateral line.

The American Fisheries Society Endangered Species Committee lists the Shoal Bass as a species of Special Concern. With the continuing loss of habitat favored by the Shoal Bass, this species will undoubtedly continue to decline

Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus

Rafinesque, 1819

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also called bream, sun perch, blue sunfish, copperbelly

Native to approximately the eastern half of the U.S.A. and a small portion of northeastern Mexico, the bluegill has been widely introduced elsewhere in North America as well as into Europe and South Africa. Today it is one of the most popular panfish species in North America. It has a greatly compressed, roundish (in profile) body that is typical of the sunfishes. Its color is highly variable and many range from dark blue or bluish purple to yellow, and in some cases (notably in quarry holes) it may even appear to be clear and colorless. Usually, there are 6 8 vertical bars on the sides, which may or may not be prominent. The gill cover (operculum) peaks into a broad, roundish flap that is black in color; however, it is not surrounded by a lighter colored trim as it is in some other sunfishes. It has the small mouth and head that are typical of sunfish species. The pectoral fins are pointed. Fly fishing for bluegills has become increasingly popular and light tackle anglers have long found it to be one of the best action fish, ounce for ounce, that can be caught

Bass, smallmouth Micropterus dolomieu

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also call black bass

The smallmouth bass is native to the eastern half of the U.S.A. and southeastern Canada from Manitoba and Quebec south to the Tennessee River system in Alabama and west to eastern Oklahoma. It has been widely transplanted so that today it occurs in almost every state and many other countries. It is not as widespread as the largemouth bass, (Micropterus salmoides).

The smallmouth bass is the second largest member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae, attaining a weight of almost 12 lb (5.45 kg). Only the largemouth bass, which reaches a weight of over 20 lb (9.08 kg), is heavier. The smallmouth is easily distinguished from the largemouth by its clearly connected dorsal fins, the scales on the base portion of the soft rayed second dorsal fin, and the upper jaw bone which extends only to about the middle of the eye. The coloration is also distinctive being usually more brownish in the smallmouth and more greenish in the largemouth. The smallmouth also has faint bars on the body (prominent in the young), while the largemouth has a fairly wide streak of oval or diamond shaped markings or blotches down the midline of the sides. In either species the colors may vary and the markings may be inconspicuous or absent in individuals based on time of year and various biological factors. Generally, the smallmouth has bars radiating back from the eyes, and though similar bars may be present in individuals of other species, including the largemouth, they seem to be more prominent and more consistently present in the smallmouth. The eyes are red or orangish. In young smallmouths there is a distinctive band of orange at the base of the tail. This is followed by a black band with the tip of the tail being white or yellow.

They prefer deeper water than the largemouth and areas of clear, fast flowing streams and pools with gravel/rubble bottom. In waters cohabited by both smallmouth and largemouth, the largemouth bass will spawn a little earlier due to the fact that the shallower nesting sites they choose in protected areas with emergent vegetation warm to the optimum temperature sooner than the deeper, rockier sites chosen by the smallmouths.

There are many who say that the smallmouth bass is gamer than the largemouth. There is no doubt that it rivals the largemouth in popularity

Warmouth Lepomis gulosus

Cuvier, 1829

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also called stump knocker, goggle eye, goggle eyed perch

Occurs in North America in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from western Pennsylvania to Minnesota in the USA, and south to the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic and Gulf drainages from Rappahannock River in Virginia to Rio Grande in Texas and New Mexico. It has been introduced into Mexico and Puerto Rico.

This small panfish can be found wherever dense weed beds and soft, muddy bottoms exist, and it is frequently caught near stumps. It is better able to tolerate turbid or muddy waters than most species.

It is a stocky, bass like sunfish and like the rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris) and the green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), its body is slightly thicker and longer than most sunfishes. It can be distinguished from the rock bass by the presence of three spines at the start of the anal fin. The rock bass has 5 7, usually 6, spines. Of these three species, the warmouth is the only one that has teeth on the tongue. Its color ranges from olive to gray with mottling on the sides and back, and small spots on the dorsal and anal fins.

Although it is an excellent panfish, it is not actively sought by a great many anglers

Bass, spotted Micropterus punctulatus

Rafinesque, 1819

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also called Kentucky bass, Kentucky spotted bass, northern spotted bass, Alabama spotted bass, Wichita spotted bass, black bass

There are three recognized subspecies of the spotted bass: the northern spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus punctulatus), the Alabama spotted bass (Micropterus p. henshalli), and the Wichita spotted bass (Micropterus p. wichitae). spotted bass can be found throughout the central and lower Mississippi basin to the Gulf of Mexico (from Texas to the Florida panhandle), including Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and other nearby states where it occurs naturally or has been introduced. The Wichita spotted bass appears to be limited to the West Cache Creek, Oklahoma. The Alabama spotted bass has been introduced into California.

Many anglers who catch a spotted bass believe they have caught a largemouth bass (M salmoides), undoubtedly because the coloration is similar, both having a greenish hue and a broad stripe of diamonds or blotches along the midline of the body. The spotted bass, like all black basses except the largemouth, has scales on the base portion of the second dorsal fin, its first and second dorsal fin are clearly connected, and its upper jaw bone does not extend back to or beyond the rear edge of the eyes. The spotted bass is also often confused with the smallmouth bass (M. dolomieu), but it lacks the vertical bars that are present on the sides of the body in the smallmouth. The spotted bass also has small black spots below the lateral line (the rear edges of certain scales are black) unlike either the largemouth or the smallmouth. Juveniles of the species resemble the young of smallmouth bass in having a broad band of orange at the base of the tail, followed by a broad black band and white edge. Because of the difficulty in recognizing the species, it is probable that record size specimens of spotted bass have gone unnoticed.

The smallmouth bass is known to hybridize in nature with the spotted bass, which could make identification of some specimens where both species are known to occur, even more difficult. Where depth permits, it appears that spotted bass usually stay deeper than smallmouths. In one lake in the TVA system in Tennessee, spotted bass have been taken at depths of up to 100 ft (30.4 m). Smallmouth bass, on the other hand, were not caught below 60 ft (18.2 m), and largemouths were always caught right near the surface

Sunfish, redear Lepomis microlophus

Gunther, 1859

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also called shellcracker, stump knocker, yellow bream

This species is native to the U.S. Gulf states from Texas to Florida, including all of the Florida peninsula, and north to Indiana and North Carolina. Through introductions, the redear's range has been extended northward to the Great Lakes and transplanted populations also exist in the West.

This is a rather large sunfish known to reach over 4.5 lb (2.04 kg). As is typical of sunfishes, the redear has a small mouth, connected dorsal fins and a roundish, laterally compressed body. Its long, pointed, slightly falcate pectoral fins distinguish it from both the longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) and the redbreast sunfish (L. auritus), which have short, roundish pectoral fins. The opercular flap is also much shorter than in the other two species and is black, with a red spot or margin at the tip. It can be distinguished from the similar looking pumpkinseed (L. gibbosus) by the fact that its gill cover flap is semi-flexible and can be bent at least to right angles, whereas the flap on the pumpkinseed is rigid. It also lacks the spots on the dorsal fin and the bluish emerald lines on the sides of the head that are characteristic of the pumpkinseed. The body is slightly less compressed than that of the bluegill (L. macrochirus), which differs from the redear most noticeably in the fact that its gill cover flap is entirely black without any spot or trim.

Like the bluegill and other sunfishes, it is an excellent panfish with white, flaky meat. It is less likely to be caught on artificials, such as spinners or poppers, than the other sunfishes. It prefers small live baits such as worms, grubs, insects and sometimes shrimp. Rarely, the redear will take a small fly or other small lure. It is strictly an angler's fish and has no commercial value

Bass, largemouth Micropterus salmoides

Lacepede, 1802

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also called black bass, Oswego bass, green bass, green trout, Florida bass, Florida (or southern) largemouth, northern largemouth

Originally confined primarily to the eastern United States of American and portions of northern Mexico and southern Canada, this member of the sunfish family can be found in every state in the U.S.A., throughout Mexico and Central America, and in many other countries throughout the world.

The largemouth bass very closely resembles the smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) and other species of the genus Micropterus (i.e., spotted bass, redeye bass, etc.). Together these fishes form a group that is referred to as the black basses. The largemouth can be distinguished from most similar species by the fact that its mouth extends at least to, and often beyond the rear edge of the eyes. Also, its first and second dorsal fins are almost separated by an obvious deep dip, and there are no scales on the soft rayed second dorsal fin. These characters are equally true of the Florida largemouth bass and the northern largemouth bass. In all other species of Micropterus the mouth does not extend to the back of the eyes, the two dorsal fins are clearly connected, usually with a slight dip between them, and the scales overlap the base portion of the second dorsal fin.

They are the most popular freshwater game fish. Much of its popularity is due to its pugnacious attitude and willingness to strike a lure or bait with explosive force. Research indicates that the largemouth bass is also the most intelligent freshwater fish, able to distinguish and avoid a particular type of lure after only one encounter with it. In fact, some bass lakes believed to be “fished out” contain plenty of bass but the fish have learned to recognize virtually all the lures in common use on the lake. In such cases, a lure that is new to them will often work where others have failed. By comparison the brook trout will strike a particular lure two, three or four times before it learns; sunfish and crappies will take the same lure repeatedl

Crappie, black Pomoxis nigromaculatus

Lesueur, 1829

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also called calico bass, papermouth, bachelor perch

Native to most of the eastern half of the U.S.A., the black crappie has stocked throughout been so extensively transplanted that today it almost entirely blankets the U.S. and reaches up into southern Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec in Canada. It is only noticeably scarce in a swathe of the midwest stretching from western Texas up through Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and western Montana, and even these states have black crappies either along their borders or in limited internal areas.

Crappies are members of the sunfish and black bass family, and though they show a definite family resemblance, they are distinctive enouth that they shouldn’t be confused with any other speciesl. The black crappie and the white crappie (Pomoxis annularis) are most often confused with each other. Despite their common names, both species are the same color (dark olive or black dorsally with silvery sides) and both have spots on the sides. However, the pattern of the spotting is distinctly different. In the black crappie the spots are more or less irregular and scattered while in the white crappie the spots may be more vague and are clearly arranged into 7 9 vertical bars on the sides. Another distinction; the black crappie has 7 8 dorsal spines while the white crappie has only 6, the same number as in its anal fin. In body shape the black crappie is somewhat deeper than the white crappie.

The black crappie inhabits large ponds and shallow areas of lakes, with sandy or muddy bottoms and usually in areas of abundant vegetation. It requires a deeper, clearer, somewhat cooler habitat than does the white crappie. It is an abundant species and is important both commercially and as a sport fish. Black crappies are easily caught, often as fast as the hook can be rebaited

Sunfish, green Lepomis cyanellus

Rafinesque, 1819

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also called green perch, sand bass, blue spotted sunfish, rubbertail

Occurs naturally west of the Appalachians throughout the eastern and central U.S.A. and into Ontario, Canada and northern Mexico. Its range has been extended so that it is found east of the Appalachians in Oregon, Nevada, and California, as well as throughout the southwestern U.S.A. and Germany. It is absent from peninsular Florida and most of the northwest portion of the U.S.A.

It has a larger mouth and a thicker longer body than most sunfishes of the genus Lepomis, and in this respect more closely resembles the warmouth (L. gulosus) or its larger relatives of the genus Micropterus, such as the smallmouth bass. Most species of sunfish in the genus Lepomis are deep bodied, notably roundish in profile, and extremely compressed laterally. As in other sunfishes the dorsal fins are connected and there is an extended gill cover flat, or “ear lobe”, which is black edged with light red, pink, or yellow. The body is usually brown to olive green with a bronze to emerald green sheen, paling to yellow green on the lower sides and yellow or white on the belly. There are emerald or bluish spots on the head and sometimes, wavy or radiating lines of the same color. Seven to twelve dark bars are vaguely visible on the back.

This is a panfish with white, flaky flesh. it is taken by angling with worms or other small live baits, flies, spinners, or poppers

Crappie, white Pomoxis annularis

Rafinesque, 1818

CENTRARCHIDAE FAMILY
Also called papermouth, bachelor perch

Native to the eastern half of the U.S. and southern Ontario west of the Appalachians, this species has also been introduced throughout the continental United Stares. It is missing from most of peninsular Florida and from some north, central and midwestern states.

The white crappie and black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) are two of the most distinctive members of the sunfish and black bass family. Crappies closely resemble the sunfish with their deep, roundish (in profile), greatly compressed bodies and small heads. The crappies can be identified even at a distance by their lighter colored bodies (olive to black above, with silvery sides) generously covered with black spots (though the spots are often more vague in the white crappie), and by their almost identical dorsal and anal fins.

Crappies can be distinguished from each other by the number of spines in the dorsal fin; 6 in the white crappie and 7 8 in the black crappie. The white crappie is the only sunfish with the same number of spines in both the dorsal and anal fins. Also, the spots on the white crappie are neatly arranged into 7 9 vertical bars on the sides, whereas in the black crappie the spots are scattered in an irregular fashion. In the white crappie the spots are sometimes vaguer, which may explain the names “white” and “black” crappie since in fact both fish are essentially the same color. The dorsal, anal, and tail fins are also spotted or mottled in both species, but the paired fins (pectorals and ventrals) are never spotted. As in all the sunfishes, the dorsal spines run together with the dorsal rays, but in the crappies, the spines and rays look distinctly like a single fin rather than like two connected fins.

The white crappie is not a bottom dweller and prefers shallower water than the black crappie. It is also better able to tolerate areas of high turbidity, being found in warm, weedy bays, silted streams, lakes, ponds, and muddy, slow moving areas of larger rivers. Like the black crappie, it is considered an excellent food and sport fish and has white flaky meat that is of excellent quality