How to recognise it
- A red edge on the ear (gill) flap of males, orange on females; the flap is never long.
- Dark olive back, yellow to green sides, nearly white belly; a small mouth.
- Long, pointed pectoral fins.
- Other names: shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, sun perch.
Habitat: where it lives
- Near the bottom in warm, clear, quiet water with little current and plenty of aquatic vegetation.
- Native to the eastern two-thirds of Texas and widely stocked elsewhere.
Habits: behavior, spawning and growth
- Spawns in late spring and early summer, in deeper water than most sunfish, in beds of saucer-shaped nests set so close they nearly touch.
- Rarely rises to the surface to feed.
- Grows to about 12 in and 2 lb; few live past six summers.
Where and when
- Look past the bluegill beds along a bank, in slightly deeper water. Catching bluegill instead? Move a little deeper.
- Backs of bays with gravel bottoms and vegetation, and around logs and brush.
- Spawning starts when the water reaches the 70s°F; that's when they're concentrated and easiest to catch. Once you catch one, keep fishing the spot.
Bait and lures
Live and natural bait
- Redworms or other earthworms
- Wax worms
- Mealworms
- Crickets
Lures
- Small black or brown jigs that look like a snail or insect
- Soft-plastic "bluegill bugs" tipped with a wax worm
Why these baits work
- It feeds on the bottom on snails and larvae, so baits fished on or near the bottom work, and topwater baits rarely do.
Rod and reel setups
Grouped by lure fishing (artificial baits) and bait fishing (live or natural bait).
On the table: cleaning and cooking
- Scale it and cook it whole, or fillet it with the panfish method in the handbook.
Step-by-step cleaning, keeping fish fresh and eating safely are in the handbook.
Size and bag limits vary by state, species and lake. Current limits: Texas (TPWD); elsewhere, your state's fish and wildlife agency. Check before you keep a fish.
