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Scientific Name
Lepomis cyanellus
Other Names
Goggle eye, Pool perch, Green perch, and Pond perch
Description
Green sunfish are shallow-bodied sunfish with a fairly large mouth. Their back is brownish gray to olive, the sides are a lighter green or slate with light blue or emerald flecks, and the undersides of the head and body are bright yellow or yellow-orange. Their cheek is marbled with iridescent blue-green markings. Their average length is 4 inches and they range between 2 to 8 inches in length.
Habits and Habitat
Green sunfish are able to tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions and are found in streams, oxbow lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. Green sunfish nest in shallow water colonies where nests are often closely packed. Spawning occurs in late spring, when water temperatures rise above 70°F, and may continue throughout the summer. Adults feed on insects and small fish. Because of their enormous spawning potential, green sunfish often overpopulate small lakes and ponds. Small green sunfish often swim from lakes and streams up very shallow, running water after heavy spring rains to colonize new waters, often showing up in new ponds, giving the impression they were “rained in” or “came in on bird feet”. They may establish a population early in new ponds and may eat stocked bass and bluegill fingerlings. Green sunfish are often caught fishing for other sunfish, but are usually too small to be of much interest.
State Record
The state record is 1.26 pounds, caught by Craig Jones in 1986.
Fishing Fact
Green sunfish are commonly used as live bait on trotlines, set hooks, and jugs for catfish. Hybrids between a female green sunfish and a male bluegill (“hybrid bream”) often are stocked in small ponds as a put-and-take fishery. These hybrids may be fertile, despite claims to the contrary, and will back-cross to less desirable hybrids in a few years.