i went below the riverpark after work today and caught some big bluegills. they had strange bright colors to them like i have never seen before on bluegills. they had bright red and orange bellies and even in their fin was red and orange. i am goig back tomorrow with camera if i can. do they change color during the spawning season? they were all around 9.5 inches, i am still trying for my tarp bluegill.
bluegills
- Thread starter bassnbug
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Ronnie Garrison
Well-known member
Sounds like the males were in full spawning colors to me. They get very colorful and bright.
G
Guest
Guest
In that area the redbreasted sunfish are very common now and they are 9+ inches regularly. If they werent bluegill then that might have been what they were. Check out the TWRA website under fish pictures and see if you might find one that looks like what you caught. The red and orange fins is a trademark of them.
electrofisher
Active member
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2008
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- 31
http://www.tnfish.org/FishIdentificationID_TWRA/TWRA_Sunfish_Identification_Key.htm</p>
A good link for sunfish!!</p>
A good link for sunfish!!</p>
SpurHunter
Well-known member
That is the link I have been looking for! Nice to see them all on one page.
Biofisher I
Well-known member
That's the best sunfish link going for Tennessee right there. Thanks guys
Fly Rod Rob
Well-known member
Drumking:
The "Bream" as a whole can be confusing. emoScratch
I offered to do a presentation in late May to a group of fly fishers in GA about the Sunfish. After doing some research, I found that there are over 30 species within the Family and over 12 within the Genus. I bit off more than I could chew, so my topic is now the "top 5 in the Southeast" that you are most likely to catch.
Depending on where you are in the U.S. the names change too. A Longear to some may be a Redbreast in different parts of the country. Then you can deal with the whole Bream/Brim/Sunfish/Sunperch/Perch/Panfish nomenclature based on your geography.
Heck, when I grew up in TX, we called ponds “tanks” and I still catch myself today using “tanks” as a reference to a small body of water. (ie cattle tanks/watering holes)
I can definitely sympathize with your confusion. I would recommend the TWRA’s website and Thompson's Guide to Freshwater Fishes as a good field guide.
Best of luck with the bream!! emoAngler
-Rob
The "Bream" as a whole can be confusing. emoScratch
I offered to do a presentation in late May to a group of fly fishers in GA about the Sunfish. After doing some research, I found that there are over 30 species within the Family and over 12 within the Genus. I bit off more than I could chew, so my topic is now the "top 5 in the Southeast" that you are most likely to catch.
Depending on where you are in the U.S. the names change too. A Longear to some may be a Redbreast in different parts of the country. Then you can deal with the whole Bream/Brim/Sunfish/Sunperch/Perch/Panfish nomenclature based on your geography.
Heck, when I grew up in TX, we called ponds “tanks” and I still catch myself today using “tanks” as a reference to a small body of water. (ie cattle tanks/watering holes)
I can definitely sympathize with your confusion. I would recommend the TWRA’s website and Thompson's Guide to Freshwater Fishes as a good field guide.
Best of luck with the bream!! emoAngler
-Rob
SpurHunter
Well-known member
Untill I started reading fishing report on here, I called them all blue gills. Now I am combobulated as can be...
G
Guest
Guest
Maybe in the future TWRA will add the redbreasted sunfish to their TARP listing.
Fly Rod Rob
Well-known member
I have a theory, it is not a good one, but it is a theory.
With the ferocity of bream and their willingness to bite bait, flies and other lures, if they grew to over 5 lbs. they would be "the" sportsfish of the U.S. We would have the B.R.E.A.M. as a tournament circuit. A really big bream will put a strain even on some bass tackle.
Keep in mind that black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted [Kentucky], guadulape, coosa [redeye]) are all members of the Centrarchidae Family. Bream are also member of this family. Basically, black bass are over-grown cousins to the bream. The Genus and Species are the only difference.
All Hail the Mighty Bream!! emoWorthy
-Rob
With the ferocity of bream and their willingness to bite bait, flies and other lures, if they grew to over 5 lbs. they would be "the" sportsfish of the U.S. We would have the B.R.E.A.M. as a tournament circuit. A really big bream will put a strain even on some bass tackle.
Keep in mind that black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted [Kentucky], guadulape, coosa [redeye]) are all members of the Centrarchidae Family. Bream are also member of this family. Basically, black bass are over-grown cousins to the bream. The Genus and Species are the only difference.
All Hail the Mighty Bream!! emoWorthy
-Rob
puddle jumper
Well-known member
The comment about a 5 lb Brim made me think of this , Thought I would through this in to the conversation, for you guys that might not have heard of these..Ga Giant Hybrids
http://www.kens-fishfarm.com/bream-history.asp
puddle,,,emoUSA
http://www.kens-fishfarm.com/bream-history.asp
puddle,,,emoUSA
