Fliers were Active today while the Crappie were not....

Comment

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on November 13, 2012 at 9:35am

For me.....I look for Fliers in areas that don't hold other sunfish....Fliers have adapted to low oxygen environments and the swamps provide excellent habitat and they thrive in many of these regions....once you locate them you can count on them being in that general area....It was a low interest fish for me until the 9 to 10 inch fish became more common, now I target them frequently..... 

Comment by Allen Morgan on November 13, 2012 at 5:13am

I live in NE OK, and I've got a spot that yields up Fliers.  They aren't as big as what Jeff catches.  And it's not from a Cyprus swamp, but the scour hole below a spillway.  Rocky bottom, and some water willow around the edges.

Comment by Jacob Hill on November 12, 2012 at 7:20pm

Nice flier! About the white perch, this may be a bleak hypothesis, but it seems that the white perch are replacing the crappie in the Chicago river. Every year I catch more and more white perch in the Chicago River. And it seems when I'm catching white perch the smaller  7-9" crappie don't bite. Could be coincidence but has anyone else noticed this?

Comment by dick tabbert on November 12, 2012 at 7:12pm

Good job Jeffrey the Fliers are still cooperating I'm sure the crappies will follow suit here real quick.

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on November 12, 2012 at 7:09pm

A Flier mixed in with Bluegill is undetectable in my opinion...They do seem to be concentrated in southern/southeastern Georgia Vince.....White Perch are fun to catch but not as tasty as our Sunfish species but I do eat some cold water white perch every year...just got to remove a blood line....Yellow Perch might be the best eater of the bunch...

Comment by Vince Fusco on November 12, 2012 at 7:05pm

Catching a Flier is on my bucket list, Jeffrey. I have never caught one. I think I need to be closer to the coast to find them here in GA. Do they taste like a gill? A white perch is also on my list of never before caught fish. 

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on November 12, 2012 at 6:56pm

One of the smallest Sunfish Species ranges of any fish....They're concentrated in the state of Florida and coastal ranges in Georgia through Virginia.....very scattered from there though.....They do better in lower oxygen swampy areas than other Sunfish species and bite and spawn in colder water than Bluegill Jason....Everywhere I've ever caught them has been swamp rivers with flooded cypress trees and heavy cover......

Comment by Jason Preslar on November 12, 2012 at 6:50pm

I've never caught one either, I think their mainly found closer to the coast. But their freshwater fish, I wonder why I've never seen them around here? Maybe the temp differences ?

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on November 12, 2012 at 5:40pm

I will gladly share as much information as I can Larry....Feel free to join the group "Friends of the Fliers" and check it out when you get time.....Quite a bit of information in that group about range/spawning etc.....They have crossed before with Crappie in captivity though I've never seen one....They do look like a Crappie/Bluegill mix for sure...