BLUEGILL SUNFISH (Lepomis macrochirus) are stocked in lakes and ponds to provide a reliable food source for larger fish species like largemouth bass and channel catfish. They are popular due to their abundance, ease of fishing, and quick growth, making them ideal for recreational anglers. Their presence also supports a healthy food chain, ensuring sustainable fishing opportunities.
ALIAS: Bream, brim, sun perch, copperbelly
IDENTIFICATION: Deep, compressed, profile rounded under dorsal fin; body and median fins dark olive-green; sides lighter, olive with brassy reflections, often with dusky bars; belly whitish. Mouth terminal, not extending past front edge of eye; opercular flap broad, moderately long, dusky to black. Pectoral fin long, pointed; second dorsal fin with black blotch near middle of posterior rays; anal fin base about half length of dorsal fin base. Lateral line complete. 39-45 scales.
DIET: Insects, small fish, leeches, snails, zooplankton, and algae.
HABITAT: Clear, warm pools of streams, lakes, ponds, sloughs, and reservoirs, usually in shallow water with vegetation.
SPAWNING: May through mid-summer when water temperatures are 65-85°F. Nests are constructed in 1 to 4’ of water on firm sand and gravel bottoms.
FISHING TIPS: Live bait such as red worms, meal worms and fathead minnows on a small hook work great in catching these slab-sized fish throughout the spring and summer.
USE: Available East & West Slope; West Slope – CPW Authorization Required