Redear Sunfish
Lepomis microlophus. A bright red or orange mark on the back edge of the gill cover, the trait that gives the species its name.
Photos
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Identification
- A bright red or orange mark on the back edge of the gill cover, the trait that gives the species its name.
- Deep-bodied like bluegill but grows larger, with fish over a pound routine and a state record near 4.86 pounds.
- Nicknamed 'shellcracker' for its strong preference for snails and clams over the insects other sunfish favor.
- Prefers hard-bottom areas and tends to hold in deeper water than bluegill in the same lake.
Depth by season
| Season | Depth | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | – | Fish move onto hard-bottom spawning beds, with the best fishing concentrated around the March-April full moons. |
| Summer | – | Fish hold over hard bottom in deeper water than bluegill in the same lake. |
| Fall | – | – |
| Winter | – | – |
Active times
- day
Top lures
- Popeye feather jig (1/32 oz) (jig , yellow/black): Tipped with a piece of nightcrawler or a wax worm and suspended under a bobber just above bottom.
- Small inline spinner (spinner , silver/black): Cast and retrieved slowly around hard-bottom cover and spawning beds.
- Small soft-plastic grub on a jighead (jig , chartreuse/white): Worked slowly over hard bottom, an artificial option where natural baits are most effective.
Top baits
- Earthworm: Fished on a small hook near hard bottom, the top bait during the spring spawn, especially around full moons.
- Cricket: Hooked through the collar on a light hook and fished under a bobber near spawning beds.
Line & tackle
- Line: 4–6 lb
- Rod power: Ultralight spinning rod under 6 ft for most water; step up to a 6 ft light-power rod in weedy lakes
- Hook sizes: Size 6 or 8 Aberdeen-style hooks for worms and crickets
Stocked behavior
Redear sunfish typically reproduce naturally once established, so agencies mainly stock fingerlings to start a new fishery rather than replenish an existing one. They favor hard-bottom areas over the vegetation bluegill prefer, and their diet leans heavily on snails and clams, with the strongest bites tracking the spring full-moon spawning peaks.
Common mistakes
- Fishing soft, vegetated bottom; redear congregate over harder bottom and in deeper water than bluegill in the same lake.
- Assuming one spawn date; the peak follows local timing, the March-April full moons in Florida, late April into May in Kentucky.
- Hunting redear beds blind; find the bluegill nesting nearby first, then fish the same area deeper.
Where it's stocked
No stocking events recorded for Redear Sunfish yet.
Sources
- identification (accessed 2026-09-19)
- identification (accessed 2026-09-19)
- depth_by_season (accessed 2026-09-19)
- stocked_behaviour (accessed 2026-09-19)
- top_baits (accessed 2026-09-19)
- line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-19)
- top_lures (accessed 2026-09-19)
- top_lures (accessed 2026-09-19)
- common_mistakes (accessed 2026-09-19)
- common_mistakes (accessed 2026-09-19)
- active_times (accessed 2026-09-19)