The term panfish typically summons images of perch or bluegills or crappie. They get the most press, are more widespread, and undoubtedly have greater numbers of avid fans than other smallish fish species. But In-Fisherman has always emphasized the unique nature of each of them, and the challenge of what we sometimes call “other fish.”

Across the U.S. and Canada, 7 sunfish species besides bluegill can be considered small gamefish or panfish: the redear, redbreast, green, longear, and spotted sunfish, plus the pumpkinseed and warmouth. In addition, several other members of the Centrarchid (sunfish family) qualify.

Redear: Though bluegills get far more press, the redear, commonly called “shellcracker,” is king of the sunfish clan in terms of size. The world record, a massive 5-pound 7-ounce specimen, was caught in Santee-Cooper’s Diversion Canal in South Carolina. Six states boast records over 4 pounds and two others are within ounces of that mark.

The species’ native range covers southern East Coast waterways from Virginia to Florida, west to Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. Popular wherever they’re found, stocking has greatly expanded redear distribution out to California, where big ones are common in clear lakes and impoundments. They’re easy to identify, having a bright yellow belly and sides, and a red tab on the gill flap.

The peak of redear popularity likely occurs in Florida, where they thrive in weedy waters rich in lime and calcium, which produce plenty of mollusks and grass shrimp that shellcrackers savor—indeed, the term shellcracker comes from this diet, and they possess powerful pharyngeal teeth in the throat designed to crush shells. They’re also highly prized in Georgia and Alabama and frequently stocked in man-made ponds, along with bluegills and largemouth bass. 

Many anglers key on the redear spawn, when colonies of big fish gather in shallow bays and hard-bottomed flats, once water temperatures approach 70°F. Pole-fishing with live shrimp, redworms, or crickets, either with a float or dabbling vertically, works great when shellcrackers are bedding. Outside the spawn, Beetle Spins, small jigs, and even downsized crankbaits catch lots of fish, as they tend to feed near bottom on a variety of invertebrates. 

Redbreast: Wherever they’re abundant, redbreast sunfish are highly prized, despite their moderate size (a 3/4-pounder is considered a trophy specimen). Look for them in Atlantic Coast drainages from Maine to Florida and west along the Gulf Coast to Texas. The world record is a massive 38-ouncer from Florida’s Sante Fe River.

Though river anglers in New England and Mid-Atlantic states often target them, redbreasts achieve peak popularity in Georgia and South Carolina rivers such as the Satilla, Altamaha, Edisto, and Waccamaw. It’s here that local anglers and fishery managers have fought to reduce numbers of introduced flathead catfish that consume these sunfish. Anglers and fish watchers appreciate redbreasts for their brilliant coloration—a fiery chest with orange, greens, and browns along the flanks. Around spawning time, males become even brighter, a trait common among the sunfish species. Redbreasts are sporty panfish that strike spinners and small topwater lures, and they’re popular with fly anglers.

They spawn slightly later than other common sunfish—mid-April in Florida, June in Mid-Atlantic states, and July in New England. Unlike redear and bluegill, they build solitary nests, usually close to shore and in sandy substrates, often sheltered by a log or stump.

Pumpkinseed: This colorful species is common throughout the Atlantic Coastal region from Nova Scotia to central Georgia, ranging west into southern Canada, and through the Midwest to southern Illinois. Introduction has brought them to the Northwest and western states. Like the redear, they favor shelled invertebrates and have the dentures to crush them.

Wherever they’re found, pumpkinseeds favor shallow to middepth weedy flats and river backwaters. Though their diet is mostly ­invertebrates, they take small minnows along with any rig fished for other sunfish species. They rarely exceed a pound (the world record is 1 pound 6 ounces), but pumpkinseeds often grow faster than bluegills and quickly reach “eater size” of at least 6 inches.

Their aggressive nature, abundance, and good average size make them loads of fun. And “punks” are every bit as tasty as bluegills. Like bluegills, they move to spawning areas when water temperatures reach 68° to 70°F. Spawning colonies aren’t nearly as dense as those of bluegills, and some fish even build solitary nests within vegetation on harder bottom. In northern waters, they frequently hybridize with bluegill, producing fish that remarkably intermediate between the two species.

Green Sunfish: Though widespread in distribution, greenies are not as highly prized as some other sunfish species. Perhaps their penchant for living in waters of marginal quality impairs their reputation, since their aggressive nature, capacious mouth, and rather large size (occasionally over a pound) make for fun fishing. And edibility matches that of related species, unless waters are especially muddy or algae-ridden.

Greens sometimes hybridize with bluegills, redear, and pumpkinseeds in nature, producing large, brilliantly colored offspring. Hatcheries in the Southeast cultivate hybrids of the bluegill and greenie for stocking and these crosses can attain 3 pounds. Greens are aggressive and hit all types of livebait and small lures fished near the bottom.

Warmouth: Warmouth are most common in swampy lowland waterways of the Southeast, though they’re found as far west as New Mexico and north to Lake Erie and southeastern Minnesota. In the heart of their native range they reach large size, and the world record is 2 pounds 7 ounces from Florida. It’s sometimes called a “stumpknocker,” allegedly for bumping woody debris to dislodge aquatic invertebrates, though this name also is used for spotted sunfish. As with other sunfish, stocking trucks have brought them west of the Rockies where they’re mostly ignored.

Warmouth tend to hole up around stumps and shallow brushpiles, often in groups. In tannic waters where they’re common, they turn very dark, with some blotching along the sides. In clearer systems, they carry more tan between dark bars. Lowering a worm or cricket often results in a tug and hookup. In open areas and old ponds that warmouth occasionally invade, ultralight artificials work well, too.

Longear: Named for the large black tab on its gill plate, the longear is one of the most widespread but least recognized of the sunfish species. Its range includes the central U.S., in a swath down from southern Canada and the Great Lakes, through central Texas and into Mexico, as well as the Atlantic Coast from Florida to New York. Longears thrive in clear streams but have been successful in clear impoundments with some rock and gravel substrate.

The world record exceeds a pound, though most longears weighing just a few ounces. Like other lesser-known species, they eagerly hit worms, tiny jigs, and spinners, though they typically feed on aquatic insect larvae. Their coloration is a unique blend of subdued blue, orange, and brown that varies geographically. 

Spotted Sunfish: A common fish throughout the Southeast, spotted sunfish also inhabit the Mississippi River drainage as far north as central Illinois. This common species typically is a blotchy mix of brown, tan, and gold. Like members of other sunfish species, spawning males become much brighter, their spots turning orange, with orange margins also at tips of fins and tail. It’s a stocky, broad-shouldered fish resembling rock bass. The Florida record is just over 3/4 pound, caught in the Suwannee River. They’re reportedly good eating and easily caught on livebait and tiny spinners, but they’ll also bite a small popping bug worked near grassy or brushy lairs.

Other Members of the Sunfish Family

A handful of other species within the sunfish family but not of the sunfish genus (Lepomis) are popular panfish, though several have limited distribution.

Sacramento Perch: This large species is the only member of the Centrarchid family native to the West, and is named after its home in the Sacramento River drainage. The California record is 3 pounds 3 ounces, caught at Crowley Lake, though historical accounts suggest it may have grown much larger at one time. Draining of sloughs and competition from introduced sunfish have limited populations of this fish in its native range, though some reservoir fisheries remain strong.

Populations transplanted to other states have thrived, however, particularly in alkaline waters. Utah’s record is 4 pounds 5 ounces, from Garrison Reservoir, while Nevada maintains a 4-pound 9-ounce mark. Livebait and small lures including marabou jigs and small spinners reportedly are successful.

Unlike the eastern sunfishes, Sacramento perch typically do not build nests, groups of spawning fish instead scattering eggs and fertilizing them in weedy shallows, though spawning details are debatable. Some researchers have reported egg-guarding behavior by this species, while others report no protection of eggs or fry, noting that the lack of native competitors may have lessened the need for this behavior in the evolutionary process.

Rock Bass: The northern rock bass is the most widespread of the four members of the rock bass clan in the genus Ambloplites. Rockies are common from New England and southern Quebec west through the Dakotas, and south to Mississippi, Alabama, and north Georgia. With a varying scale pattern of brown and black, the rock bass is a plain fish, males developing only a black border on the edges of fins and tail at spawning time. State records generally run from 2 to 3 pounds but most catches weigh a pound or less.

Rock bass are opportunistic feeders and eager biters, sometimes plaguing those seeking walleye or bass. But on light tackle, they’re fun to catch and fine eating, if more difficult to clean than sunfish. Rockies are popular sportfish in Ozark streams, where they coexist with smallmouth bass, and length limits protect them there.

Ozark Rock Bass: This species is native to the White River system in Arkansas and Missouri, and in tributaries of Missouri’s Osage River. It’s often confused with the rock bass, as their ranges overlap. Where abundant, such as in Arkansas’ Buffalo River and the upper White River, anglers target them with bait and small artificials. The world record stands at just over a pound.

Shadow Bass: This rock bass species has a wider distribution, occurring through the Gulf Coast drainages and above the fall line, from Florida’s Apalachicola River to Lake Ponchartrain in Louisiana, and in tributaries of the lower Mississippi Valley as far north as southeastern Missouri. Prime habitat is clear, unimpeded streams with sand or gravel substrates. They’re popular gamefish where abundant and readily take lures and livebait. The world record is 1.8 pounds.

Roanoke Bass: This species is native to the Roanoke, Chowan, Tar, and Neuse river drainages in Virginia and North Carolina. It differs from other rock bass in having a concave profile over the eyes and minute, almost invisible scales on the cheek. Its habits are similar, however, and it co-occurs with the northern species in much of its range. Virginia imposes a 5-fish limit and 8-inch minimum-length limit, to protect populations of this large species which often approaches 2 pounds.

Flier: The flier is another Southeastern member of the sunfish family, commonly found in swamps, bayous, and oxbow lakes rich in fish and insect life. It’s never a common species, however, and few waters harbor enough of them to provide targeted fishing opportunities. But the flier is always a remarkable catch for its seemingly oversized dorsal and anal fins, giving it a crappielike profile.

It’s marked with dark spots punctuating dark scales, and the eye has a distinct vertical bar. Its name allegedly comes from a habit of leaving the surface in acrobatic pursuit of surfacing bugs. Local experts fish them with crickets, worms, and dragonfly nymphs fished on or just below the surface.

The U. S. panfish group is marvelous for the diversity of species it offers, particularly for the strictly North American sunfish family. Several miniature members such as the pygmy sunfish are too small to fish for, but their coloration and habits are so fascinating that many species make excellent aquarium pets for those interested in native piscene fauna. Anglers geared toward all these special fish can also glimpse their habitats and behavior, gathering specimens for a quick inspection and release, or for the pan.  

Happy Fishing!