Frankenfish

Fishing Panfish & Warm Water
1

I was fishing this morning and a couple older men came and fished with worms. The first fish they caught had the body of a bluegill and the head of a bass. It was the stragest thing I have ever seen. Any body have a name for this frankenfish?

2

I was thinking Gilly Bass.

3

Hey ID,

Would this be the one? [url=http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/war/:9b56d]http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/war/[/url:9b56d]
Warm regards, Jim

4

Almost but it was 10-13in. long and had the dark blue and green colors of a BG. It could of been.

5

Sounds like a green sunfish [url=http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/greensunfish/:0a8b7]http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/greensunfish/[/url:0a8b7]

. . . and a big one at that!

[This message has been edited by OkieBass133 (edited 05 September 2005).]

6

It sounds like what we call a rock bass here in Georgia. It looks like a blueish black bluegill on steroids with a much thicker body, It has a mouth that is built much like a bass though not quite as large. I usually catch them very close to cover when fish for bass and they are rarely larger than 8-9 inches long (at least the ones I’ve caught).

Jim Smith

7

I’m with Okie on this one. I remember the first Green Sunfish I caught. I told a friend (who knew fish) I thought it should be called a large mouth Bream

Chuck Hitt

8

The pictures I found when I googled dock bass didn’t look like it niether did the green sunfish. Wish I had a digital camera. It was darker colored than any of the pictures. Also as flat like a bluegill. I think it was a green sunfish.

[This message has been edited by irondragon013 (edited 05 September 2005).]

9

I think I might have to catch one to find out… How sad.

10

I’d bet the lower 40 on it being a green sunfish. I have a story that supposed to be published sometime in Midwest Fly Fishing on fly angling for them. Apparently in all the lower 48. Lots of fun. Very aggressive. Very. And not bad from the skillet. JGW

11

Hey ID,

It’s not unusual for the darkness of the
fish to change fairly drastically in some
waters. Don’t let it put you off. Here is
a picture of two red eared sunfish out of
the same water. Notice the drastic color
difference. [url=http://www.myfishingpictures.com/img/020272.JPG:28353]http://www.myfishingpictures.com/img/020272.JPG[/url:28353]
Warm regards, Jim

12

Definitely sounds like you’re catching green sunfish, they’ve got the bigger mouth than gills which makes hook removal easier (even barbless get tough sometimes). And I have to agree with White43 on the flavor. They’re some of the best eatin’ I know, right up there with crappie!
I used to think they were mutant bluegills, too. I then got a brochure from the MO Dept. of Conservation which clearly shows the green sunfish has the larger mouth, darker color, orange belly, same gill spot, and little blue lines along the side of its head.
The ones I catch here average between 6-10 inches long. Their body thickness varies depending on time of year; thick during Spring through early Summer, thinner as the temps go up from mid to late Summer, then thicker as Fall approaches.
Gotta be one of the best flyrod fish there is in warm water. (based on frequency of hook-ups and fight)

There’s almost nothin’ wrong with the first lie, it’s the weight of all the others holdin’ it up that gets ya’! - Tim

13

from the tpwd site:

Warmouth hybridize (crossbreed) with bluegill and green sunfish.

So the colorization could change dramatically…or at least i’d assume.

14

I just thought this fish was one of the strangest thing I had ever seen. Thanks for the help.