How to 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.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Identify Bluegill, Rock Bass and Longear Sunfish

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 a while edging.

Identify Pumpkinseed, Warmouth and Green Sunfish

4. See the orange and yellow coloring on the Pumpkinseed Sunfish, large, flat fish with a small mouth. It has a multitude of spots on its body of various bright colors.
5. Determine the dark brown and olive coloring of the Warmouth Sunfish along with the bars that run down its body. The belly is yellow as is the top back fin and parts of the face.
6. Know that the Green Sunfish is true to its name with emerald coloring among browns and olives in the form of vertical bars running down the sides. They have a compressed body type and the jaw extends to the middle of the eye.

Identify Redear, Redbreast and Spotted Sunfish

7. Understand that the Redear Sunfish, also known as the Yellow Bream, resembles the Pumpkinseed. Its body is a bright yellow background with olive and brown spots down the sides. There are also orange and red flecks on the breast of the fish.
8. Learn that the Redbreast Sunfish are just that, they have a bright red breast with red eyes, red in the fins and red spots along the body. The background coloring is yellow or orange and the tail is green. There are white and blue streaks on the cheeks.
9. Find the Spotted Sunfish to be brown and olive-green with red-brown spots in horizontal rows along its body. The breast is yellow and there is yellow in the fins, too. There may also be some bluish coloring on the belly.