what kind of panfish is in your area ?

[cal okeefe]

im from ILL .. in my area we have regular bluegill( some of you refer to these as northern strain i think) we have some hybrid bluegill   some warmouth and some green sunfish  some crappie..

 

so what types do you have..

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

This is right. The term, "brim," is generally accepted in the South by it's residents. Indeed, no born-and-bred Southerner would call them anything else. The word seems to be an adaptation of the widely used term "bream," first applied on these shores by English colonists. They were familiar with similar, small native fishes back home so the term stuck.

However, the word "brim" is very particular and descriptive in use. It is almost always based on the fishes color.

- For any of the various and sundry green/brown/dun colored sunfish, "brim," is the acceptable term. For example, the almost slavish devotion to species definition seen here on Big Bluegill is utterly lost on the Southern fisherman. He won't haul out a book or leap to the internet in an attempt to pinpoint what kind of fish he has caught. To him, they are all just "brim."

At the same time, there are two members of the lepomis clan that do hold separate places of honor in the South. These are universally known as....

1. "Redbreast"(most often heard pronounced as 're'bresses')

2. "Shellcracker" (what most non-southerners refer to as Redear sunfish).

These two are highly prized and seen as distinct fish by most Dixie anglers. They are often spoken of in reverent, even magical, tones.

In fact, the first time I heard the word, "brim," I didn't know what folks were talking about. "You're catching what?" I asked. When I finally caught on, I said, "Oh you mean 'sunfish!'" That's what I knew them as, after living in Minnesota.

But, this year marks my 22nd season below the Mason Dixon Line. I live in South Carolina and have become, for all intents, a Southerner. Today, when someone says "bream," "sun fish"or "bluegill," my usual response is,

"So... ya'll aint from around here then, are ya?"

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

There is seven species caught on this trip last May from a different river.......We do not count White & Yellow perch against our sunfish total but love to catch them........

[Vic Tankersley]

We have just about all spieces of sunfish and basses.. all of which taste great with FFries and cole slaw..Yum.....

[harald kronemeyer]

Holland Michigan, We have Gils, sunfish, rockbass, perch, black crappie, white bass. Now what you guys call warmouth is probably what we call rockbass. At least judging by the pics i see. We have lots of catfish,large mouth and small mouth as well. Also growing up crappie were called specs, or speckled bass. Its interesting all the different names out there for the same type of fish.

[JBplusThuy]

California delta area: bluegill (don't know what strain), redear, crappie.

[Leo Nguyen]

From the boys' reports that fished up there, they indicated they found pumpkin seed, both the introduced Florida and northern (not sure by deliberate introduction) strains.

[John Sheehan]

Alec -Do you target Golden Shiners or are they an incidental catch like happens to me ? Cant say I agree about the taste of Smelts  but then again I cooked them so that might be the problem .I do want to give Smelts another try .Talk me into it ,what is so good about Smelts?I know that netting them is an old tradition and has favored generation after generation with meals and memories .

 

 I am also curious as to why you favor White Perch over Yellows .When I 've fished in Maine the only fish I caught were numerous White Perch and Smallmouth Bass on split shotted Nightcrawlers.

 

[John Sheehan]

yes the whites fight better  and swim faster than the Yellows making them special.If I favor the yellows its because they are more plentiful and willing to be caught in waters I fish.White Perch like a faster retreive than Yellows it seems.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Ah I see white perch in the list - I also like them.

[George Auburtin]

If you ever get a chance come to Marion, Al. the Cahaba River is the cleanest river in the state,we have a wonderful boat ramp under the Cahaba river bridge, no launch fee, mostly just local people fish because no one knows about it. Good fishing  , George  [ PS, about 45 miles south B'ham]