What kind of sunfish is this?

[Tim Overbaugh]

Can anyone tell me what kind of sunfish this is?

It was caught in Minnesota.

[John Sheehan]

ME TOO.

[Copperhead John]

Pumkinseed.

[Richard Hauck]

Hmmm . Even Poor Richard has a second thought now and then. This fish has coloration somewhat similar to Joe Tomelleri's Pumpkin Seed in "Fishes of the Central United States" (Tomelleri, as you all know, is the foremost fish illustrator in the world.) There is a difference in some orange spots. But sorting out the Sunfishes is like identifying warblers--ask the fish/bird god for a pamphlet. The specimen pictured, just to make it more fun, has lost the red rim of its opercular
flap. If it a pumpkinseed, there will be bright almost flourescent blue streaks behind the mouth and across the gill flap.

[Howard Webster]

Its a very nice pumpkinseed

[gillbum]

If someone asked me I'd say definitely a hybrid, but with pumpkinseed genes scattered around in their somewhere. Of course I've been known to be wrong and I'll be the first one to admit it. Sunfish don't exactly conform to the "Ten commandents." Especially the one about not coveting thy neighbor's wife.

gillbum

[John Sheehan]

Good one Ha HA!

[Magnolia Rick]

This is a hybird BG/SF that I have stocked in my pond. Look at the large month of a sunfish. Again that just and oldman from Texas 2 cents

[Tim Overbaugh]

It's difficult to figure out which genes are in a strange colored sunfish. We can only guess with the combination of colors, patterns and shapes, like putting together a puzzle.

Doing a DNA test is costly and time consuming and how important is that to a person?

I'm going to just guess and invest in some cooking oil and seasoning.

Here's one of Matt's replicas I did of the hybrid in question.....

 

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Whatever it is its a beautiful fish, innit?

And you caught it on what? And how?