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Green Sunfish

This is my Green Sunfish that I caught last Tuesday evening in my pond in NC. It was about 7pm and the full moon was rising high in the sky. I think this fat monster was on the bed as "she" hit close to shore in shallow water on a bright yellow jig. I didn't have a scale but she measured 10.5 inches. I googled pics of the NC state record and my fish "looks" bigger....I released the fish, but now I know that when/if I catch her again, I will put her in a live well until I can have an official come out and weigh/measure her....I am so stoked to think that I may have a record fish in my pond. Maybe next summer she will be the record!!

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Albums: Green Sunfish
Location: Durham, NC

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Comment by Bob Garner on May 30, 2013 at 4:39pm: great fish congrats

Comment by Tony Livingston on May 30, 2013 at 2:48pm: Yep, that's how it starts......first, you're simply admiring a huge BG....then you begin to wonder, "How big is it really?" So you purchase a scale.....then you realize that having the scale does you no good if you don't lug it with you everwhere you go.....so you do. About this time, you start wondering how your big BG stack up against everyone else's big BG. That's when you discover relative weight charts, and print one off, laminate it, and stick it somewhere easily accessible. Of course, all this fancy measuring mumbo-jumbo is practically worthless if you don't know the age of the BG, so you begin studying scales, and counting growth rings until your eyes cross...... Then you discover that while it's big, it COULD be even BIGGER if it had more to eat.....so you begin a supplemental feeding program.

Naturally, this excess feed and fish waste products contributes to an enhanced growth of algae and other aquatic plants.....so you look into aeration to ensure your fish always have enough to breathe, in the event of a disastrous O2 crash, brought about by the expensive pond chemicals you sprayed to get rid of the algae.....decomposing plants use up a lot of oxygen after all......

Vicious isn't it?

Welcome to your new addiction............ It seems so simple in the beginning......

Seriously though, that's a great fish Lori, and welcome to BBG!

Comment by Leo Nguyen on May 30, 2013 at 1:54pm: Excellent catch Lori. You might as well haul that weighing scale with you. Never know when you're catching that beautiful thing again, or something even bigger.

Comment by Aquiles Olguin Jr on May 30, 2013 at 1:06pm: Very Awesome Lori , is that a private pond ? I hope there is no chance of you losing that opportunity to someone that is not as knowledgeable and just eats her or damages her . My nephew is a green sunfish enthusiast and has caught a few nice ones out here in Dallas . In fact we are having problems finding anything but greens out here . I'll have him post a pic , right now he is just so fascinated by their mating colors.

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on May 30, 2013 at 8:25am: Great catch Lori....North Carolina represents.....welcome to a great site......I don't know any better people at sunfish identification than Walt and Tony.....it wouldn't bother me a bit to have big hybrids swimming in my pond....

Comment by LedHed on May 30, 2013 at 6:56am: A trophy in my book. Congrats on the photo & release.

Comment by dick tabbert on May 30, 2013 at 6:42am: Congrats on the great looking fish and the smile to go along with it.

Comment by Walt Foreman on May 30, 2013 at 6:09am: Though many hatcheries breed and sell this cross, they can and do also occur naturally in the wild, which may have been what happened with your fish. That, or someone may have bucket-stocked your pond without your knowledge (an angler decides a pond needs a few fish he just caught and doesn't bother checking with the owner).

A pure green sunfish has a much more fusiform-shaped body, shaped more like a largemouth bass; it also has a larger mouth, and a smaller opercular tab. The coloring is also different, a darker olive predominating with turquoise specks.

Comment by Tony Livingston on May 30, 2013 at 4:43am: That's a great catch Lori! I also believe it's a hybrid....a cross between a Bluegill and a Green Sunfish. Awesome fish!!