Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Colorful Green Sunfish
By: Tom Berg
Most fishermen around here have caught their fair share of sunfish. Although there are many species of sunfish, some anglers never learn the differences. That’s a shame, because different species of sunfish have their own distinctive color patterns and their own fascinating behaviors.
Green sunfish are one of the more interesting sunfish. As the name implies, they have an overall greenish coloration, but they also sport some other bright colors that will really catch your eye. The bright, fluorescent blue streaks on their cheeks are unforgettable, and breeding males often have bold yellow or orange-yellow margins on their fins. They are a very beautiful fish.
Even though they look elegant and lovely, these fish are fearless predators. Unlike bluegills and some of the other smaller sunfish species, green sunfish have a huge mouth that they use to catch all types of prey. Minnows, other juvenile fish, crayfish, tadpoles, insects and even snails are routinely eaten by them. If they can fit it in their mouth, they consider it fair game!
These aggressive predators are always on the lookout for their next meal, and that’s how many of them are captured by fishermen. They can be caught on live bait like worms and minnows, but small artificial lures like spinners usually produce the largest green sunfish. Although most individuals are relatively small, these sunfish can reach lengths of eight inches or more.
Green sunfish can become overpopulated and stunted in small ponds with no major predators, and the best ponds have a good population of largemouth bass or channel catfish that keep the sunfish numbers in check. The IGFA All-Tackle World Record green sunfish was caught in Missouri in 1971, and it weighed 2 pounds, 2 oz.
Just like bluegills and other sunfish, green sunfish are very good to eat. So feel free to catch a few and bring them home for dinner!
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