Sebring's Finest Sunfish Lake Charter Experience

Redbreast Sunfish

Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus) Fish Description

Redbreast Sunfish has a bluish-green color with rusty brown spots on a moderately deep body.  They have a red-yellow breast and belly. The males have a bright red head when spawning.  Its mouth reaches just below the leading edge of its eye. It has short, round pectoral fins that are shorter in length than its head.  But, The distinguishing feature of the Redbreast Sunfish is their long, narrow extension of its gill cover. These flaps are black and reach up to one inch or more making them look like "ears." 

Diet and Size

Redbreast Sunfish are opportunist feeders that generally feast on snails, insects, and other invertebrates. Their favorite items on the menu are dragonfly larvae, mayflies, and small fishes  They also feed on clams, crayfish, and shrimp.

The Redbreast Sunfish grow up to 12 inches and weigh up to 2.5 pounds though more often found at  9 inches and 1 pound. They can live up to seven years but seldom beyond.

Interesting Facts 

• The Redbreast Sunfish is one of the brightest-colored sunfishes although female Redbreast Sunfish are less colorful than the males.

Fishing Techniques - How to Catch Redbreast Sunfish

 Anglers can use many types of live bait like waxworms, grasshoppers, crickets, nightcrawlers, and mealworms to capture Redbreast. Small lures of flies are also effective. They are also popular with fly anglers during cooler weather (look for them in waters as deep as 30 feet) because they tend to be an easier catch when the water is cooler. During most of the year, the Redbreast Sunfish remains in shallow water no deeper than 20 feet.

Most anglers arm themselves with a light spinning tackle to capture this species of fish. Anglers can capture them by fishing from a drifting or slowly powered boat; angling from the bank can also be as effective. Anglers must not use a heavy line to avoid scaring the Redbreast Sunfish away. Smaller fishing tackle and hooks must be used as well as a small ⅛ to ¼ ounce sliding sinker and a 12-inch leader.

Habitat and Distribution

The Redbreast Sunfish inhabit sand-bottom areas, rocky and vegetated pools, and freshwater lakes. They like cool rivers and streams around the banks with temperatures ranging from 60.8 to 78.8º F. 

The Redbreast Sunfish is native to the river systems in the US and eastern Canada, as well as the watersheds of the  Atlantic Ocean. This species has been introduced to West Texas and Louisiana, among others. They run throughout central and northern Florida.

Redear Sunfish

Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) Fish Description

The Redear Sunfish is a popular small freshwater game fish. It is dark-olive in color, yellow-green in the middle, and white at the bottom. It closely resembles its cousin, the bluegill sunfish, except the redear has an orange to red spot near its gills, hence the name “redear”.

The redear sunfish is also called shellcrackers because of their ability to eat a variety of shelled prey, such as snails and mussels. They also eat algae, worms, small fish, and fish eggs.

Interesting Facts

• This species has specialized teeth to crack shells called, pharyngeal teeth, which is why it is so adept at breaking shelled creatures.
• Their nests are called redds. These are small basins that the males make to attract females. The females lay their eggs in these basins and then the males fertilize them.

Size

The average length of the redear is between 6 to 10 inches and they weigh less than a pound, around 0.2 lb. The biggest redear sunfish caught was measured 17 inches long with a girth of 19.5 inches and weighed 5.80 pounds.

Habitat and Distribution

The redear sunfish is originally native to Florida and North Carolina. They then were introduced to Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Michigan, and Texas. They like to stay in parts of the water where they can hide such as vegetation, logs, and branches. Popular spots for the redear sunfish are the Wamplers Lake in Michigan and False River in Louisiana.

They thrive in still waters such as lakes, ponds, streams, reservoirs, and also slow-moving rivers. They breed and spawn with temperatures between 66-70°F. Their spawning season is in late spring to early summer, this is the best time to catch shellcrackers.

How to Fish Readear Sunfish

The redear sunfish is a great game fish that provides a good fight. They’re not bait shy, so you can try and practice your baits with this fish. Anglers say that catching redears are easy, the hard part is finding them. Look for vegetation or redds where they can be hiding. They’re bottom-feeding animals so make sure to use some sinkers, which is why fly fishing isn’t the popular choice for the shellcrackers since they dwell in the bottom of the water most of the time (but it is definitely doable). Cast your fly and let it sink for 5-10 seconds, then slowly pull it in for an inch or 2, then pause, wait for the fish to take your bait.

To fly fish redears, you need to use heavy-weighted flies or sinking fly lines. Recommended gear by anglers is a 7-9 foot 5 weight rod with an 8-foot leader attached to 4 feet of 12 lbs mono. Wrap the 20-gauge lead wire around your hooks to help it sink and use a drop shot light sinker of 1/8 to 1/4. 

For hooks, you can use sizes of #6 to #8 fly of triangle bugs, wet flies, poppers, or bucktails. For baits, anglers have had success using nightcrawler worms, corn, and even leeches.