Anyone every catch one of these?

[FishOn!]

Orange Spotted Sunfish. If Iowa kept records for this species it may have been close to the record. I think it went about 6 inches. Iowa DNR says most in Iowa reach about 4.

[quivira kid]

Cool-lookin fish!

[FishOn!]

Yeah, I'm going to try and catch a few more next year. They don't get big but they make up for it in looks!

[Bluegill222]

They are fairly rare around here. In fact I've only found them in one stream in the area. Both the ones I caught were females, not so bright and pretty as the male you've got there. Yours would also be about 2 inches bigger than the ones I caught. Nice fish!

[zhoyt]

IMG_0030.jpgIMG_0023.jpg

Lots of them around here. Dry flies on a small stream in the summer is a blast.

Edit: Can't seem to get the pictures bigger. You can click on them though.

[FishnDave]

zhoyt, your first picture is (I think) a Longear Sunfish...those are even MORE rare around here! That's a beautiful, colorful fish as well!
Your second picture is a Green Sunfish.

[zhoyt]

Good catch Dave. I skipped over the "Orange Spooted Sunfish" in the original post. These are a dime a dozen down here. About every stream that holds water year round has them. This was a small creek we fished last summer. Foam beetles and crickets did well. About the time the fly hit the water, one of these brutes would hit it.

[cycler68]

I used to seine minnows in a creek near our farm just to see what I'd catch. I caught a few orange spotted sunfish but none nearly as colorful or as large as the one you have pictured.

[Red Diamond]

they are in every lake in east texas that i have fished pretty easy to catch and pretty cool to look at

Robin

[Red Diamond]

i forgot to ask Fishon! what is the name of the fly you are using it looks very good

robin