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bulldog1935
Post 27 Mar 2018, 15:48 • #1 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19104
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Lepomis megalotis
Male long-ear sunfish are on their redds year-round in Texas. You can catch them on lures as big as they, because they attack everything that comes anywhere near their redd (including your toes if you're wearing sandals).
They're the smallest sunfish, but they don't know that.
West of the Medina, there are no native bass in Texas - the bass there now were stocked. Long-ears are the genetic baddest boys on the block.
When hooked, they'll flare their gills and shake their bodies to scare you off.

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Every drainage has its own strain markings, ear shape, colors.
show some of yours - we'll let other species play, too, especially L gibbosus - pumpkinseeds, and dollar sunfish L marginatus

Here are some from Texas, east to west.
Brushy Creek
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upper Guadalupe
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Seco Creek
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upper Sabinal
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Frio
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Nueces
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Last edited by bulldog1935 on 28 Mar 2018, 07:45, edited 2 times in total.

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jhuskey
Post 27 Mar 2018, 15:52 • #2 
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Joined: 05/19/14
Posts: 3928
Location: USA - Illinois
Those are such beautiful fish! A true fish for all ages!
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Lunker75
Post 27 Mar 2018, 15:54 • #3 
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Joined: 05/20/12
Posts: 984
Location: Eugene, OR
Awesome. Thanks for sharing, Bulldog. Those fish are so pretty and weird. They look positively unreal, and like they might taste like Swedish gummies.
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skunked_
Post 27 Mar 2018, 16:15 • #4 
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Joined: 02/14/15
Posts: 684
Location: NM
That Frio fish is a stunner.
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Spigot Ferrule
Post 27 Mar 2018, 16:42 • #5 
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Joined: 03/16/18
Posts: 51
Location: Bangor, ME
Beautiful colors, I see why they call them “long-ear”.
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bulldog1935
Post 27 Mar 2018, 16:49 • #6 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19104
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
thanks guys - I'm hoping others have photos of their own, more long-ears and especially pumpkinseeds, to add to this thread.
If so, this will be a colorful thread.
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Little kern golden
Post 27 Mar 2018, 17:33 • #7 
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Joined: 11/11/13
Posts: 782
Location: US-CA
Bull dog, can’t agree more I love panfish. Your fish are truly spectacular!!!
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the hersh
Post 27 Mar 2018, 18:12 • #8 
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Joined: 02/27/16
Posts: 2334
Location: US-IL
One of my favorite sunfish and they live in a variety of waters.
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Odonata
Post 27 Mar 2018, 21:19 • #9 
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Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1769
Location: SJC
Photogenic fish, and natives too ! All the bluegill around here are stocked fish. Still a lot of fun to catch though.
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Featherlight
Post 27 Mar 2018, 23:36 • #10 
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Joined: 02/19/08
Posts: 2462
Location: Seattle, WA
Nice pics. I used to catch a lot of Sunfish while growing up in PA especially on golf course ponds that were near my house but we didn't have Longears anywhere I fished. Very unusual.
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Char Hunter
Post 27 Mar 2018, 23:39 • #11 
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Joined: 06/28/16
Posts: 930
Location: Northern WI
Love the colors on those fish. There used to be more longears around here but I haven't caught one for a long time. Still get the occasional pumpkinseed which are beauties in their own right. One time I was out prospecting for new trout water and found a small pothole lake which ended up being filled with pumpkinseeds. Orange and yellow flashes on almost every cast made for an exciting day. Wish I had some pictures.


Last edited by Char Hunter on 28 Mar 2018, 02:56, edited 1 time in total.

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Newfydog
Post 27 Mar 2018, 23:45 • #12 
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Joined: 04/06/15
Posts: 1249
Location: Central Oregon
bulldog1935 wrote:
I'm hoping others have photos of their own,... especially pumpkinseeds, to add to this thread.
If so, this will be a colorful thread.


A friend gave me a fly and said"you have to try this on bluegill" Fine, except as much as I love where I live, bluegill are tough to find. I kept trying, and ending up with trout. Finally, I was visiting Vermont, and tossed it out to see what might be in a backcountry lake.

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I envy you who have abundant sunfish....thanks for the outstanding long ear collection!
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ARReflections
Post 28 Mar 2018, 00:52 • #13 
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Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 1720
Location: US-TX
Image

They are purty.
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bulldog1935
Post 28 Mar 2018, 05:13 • #14 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19104
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
perfect - thanks for playing guys - keep up the good work
Eric, what water body? As expected, those markings are different from any I posted.
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tiptop
Post 28 Mar 2018, 05:31 • #15 
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Joined: 06/10/09
Posts: 1655
Location: US-OH
Here's a closeup of a pumpkinseed that was only about 4" long but colors to knock your eye out

Image


Last edited by tiptop on 17 Apr 2018, 07:25, edited 1 time in total.

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Driftless
Post 28 Mar 2018, 06:29 • #16 
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Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3585
Location: US-MN
Beautiful fish and "generous."
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swamp
Post 28 Mar 2018, 07:45 • #17 
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Joined: 02/26/15
Posts: 219
Location: US-north ga.
Tennessee river bluegill
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bulldog1935
Post 28 Mar 2018, 08:10 • #18 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19104
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
swamp, some of the muddy waters your way have the most vividly colored sunfish.
Growing up, both sides of my family had farms in western TN, McNairy Co.
Muddy canal through my dad's family farm had stunning, refined-scale sunfish with powder blues and yellows that reminded me then of coral reef fish. Got to use my first fly rod on them when I was 16. Muddy Canal drains to the Hatchie R. swamp and, finally to the Mississippi.
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DFason
Post 28 Mar 2018, 08:26 • #19 
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Joined: 07/13/17
Posts: 330
Location: US-NC
The Frio is incredible. Thanks for sharing.
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karstopo
Post 28 Mar 2018, 08:36 • #20 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/25/18
Posts: 553
Location: Brazoria County, TX
Those long-ear and pumpkinseeds are nice. I don’t believe I’ve seen any long ear around here, but will have to pay more attention. Oyster Creek, that part I’ve fished is in the saltwater zone as defined by TP&W, has at least green sunfish as I’ve caught a few of those. The natural oxbow lake I live on seems to be dominated by redear and bluegills. The lake has some warmouth. There are tons of freshwater clams in the lake so maybe that’s why the redear, a.k.a. Shellcrakers, are so common.

I enjoy the photos of the sunfish. There’s a lot of variation place to place.
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bmbailes
Post 28 Mar 2018, 08:44 • #21 
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Joined: 01/05/14
Posts: 689
Location: North Alabama
right up my alley!! I love catching these little guys and the same goes for here in north Alabama...each watershed has a variation. heres the Panther Branch strain from my back yard.
Imagelongear by brandon bailes, on Flickr
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bulldog1935
Post 28 Mar 2018, 09:31 • #22 
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Joined: 08/10/05
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Perfect.
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DinoC
Post 28 Mar 2018, 11:06 • #23 
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Joined: 12/31/12
Posts: 326
Location: US-MA
Nice pictures and nice looking fish. The Frio is a beaut. What flies did you use, unless it is a secret?
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s fontinalis
Post 28 Mar 2018, 11:11 • #24 
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Joined: 02/28/12
Posts: 154
Location: Philadelphia, PA
they small near me too - but they love a good nibble on foam hoppers. Also caught them on soft hackles under the hopper and some other nymphs....

the top water action is best though - this is the type of fishing my daugher likes.. .the little 1wt she uses is a treat for these guys.
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bulldog1935
Post 28 Mar 2018, 11:29 • #25 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19104
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
DinoC wrote:
Nice pictures and nice looking fish. The Frio is a beaut. What flies did you use, unless it is a secret?

it's almost a joke to ask me what fly I'm fishing - cats whisker
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everything from long-ears to stripers
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