 GREEN SUNFISH
Scientific
Name: Lepomis cyanellus
Other
Common Names: green perch
Identification
The green sunfish
has a moderately compressed body but is not as round as other sunfish.
It is bluish green with emerald
and yellow iridescent flecks and streaks. Its mouth is far larger
than other sunfish with an upper jaw that extends back to the middle
of the eye. Its pectoral fin is short and rounded, and its ear
flap is black with a white to yellow margin. It frequently has
a black
spot near the end of its dorsal and anal fins.
Habitats and
Habits
Green sunfish
are native to the extreme western mountains in North
Carolina. They have been widely introduced throughout
the Piedmont but are absent or rare in the Coastal Plain. In
North Carolina, green sunfish prefer small creeks and streams
with hard,
rocky bottoms. However, they tolerate greater levels of turbidity
than other sunfish and are often found in polluted or degraded
streams with heavy silt loads.
Green sunfish eat aquatic and terrestrial insects and insect
larvae, small crayfish and small fish.
Fishing Techniques
Green sunfish
will strike small crankbaits, spinners, wet or dry flies, and
an assortment of natural baits.
Anglers should
fish close against the shore, and under overhanging banks
or small dugout areas in shallow water. Green sunfish are often
found near
rock piles, dense vegetation, and other types of thick
cover. Although they are aggressive fighters, green sunfish rarely
reach large
sizes and are not highly regarded gamefish.
Good Places
to Fish
In North Carolina,
they are predominantly found in the Piedmont and Foothill regions
and are absent
or rare in the
lower Coastal Plain due to their inability to tolerate
acidic or saline waters.
NCARP Minimum
Requirements: 1 pound or 9 inches
State
Record: 1lb 14
ounces from a private pond in Caswell County on July 27, 2008.
World
Record: 2 lbs., 2 oz., from Stockton Lake,
Mo., June 18, 1971*
* Anglers
provide information on their potential world-record catches directly
to the International
Game Fish Association, which maintains the world records
for sport fishing.
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