As the winter comes to a close and the days start getting longer, most anglers start getting the itch for the coming fishing season. The answer to both questions is it depends on the circumstances and preferences. Jun 05, 2018 folks today, i explain ways you can locate bluegill and shellcracker when they are not bedding. Redear sunfish, its habitats, characteristics, fishing methods. Spawning redear can easily attain sizes of 1 to 2 pounds in lakes with an. They are a recently introduced sunfish in iowa waters. Essential fishing bluegill and redear sunfish youtube. I went fishing for shellcracker at clarks hill the week after easter last year.
The following article is a must read, and will give you the insight you need for your next pond management decision. Had around 100 yesterday and saw some boats the last few weeks with coolers full. In his study of trophic specialization in sunfishes, lauder 1983 describes the extensive molar surfaces on the pharyngeal arches of lepomis microlophus and the associated musculature that enables the fish to crack mollusk shells hence the local name shellcracker. We fished the dropshot rig with nightcrawlers as bait and caught to many to put them all on this video. I like to catch plenty of fish that fight hard, test my tackle and my angling skills and taste delicious when i eat them. The redear sunfish lepomis microlophus, also known as the shellcracker, georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch is a freshwater fish in the family centrarchidae and is native to the southeastern united states.
Redear sunfish lepomis microlophus species profile. Fish well over 2 pounds are fairly common here, especially at san vicente. Redear definition is a common sunfish lepomis microlophus of the southern and eastern u. Redear sunfish the ultimate bass fishing resource guide llc. Teresa gardner of spring valley entered the record books on monday with the largest redear. The back and sides are golden or light olive green.
Our report contributors and their latest reports are below. Pending worldrecord redear sunfish plucked from lake havasu. The species epithet microlophus is greek for small nape. Redear sunfish body color varies, depending on water quality, sex and age. With light greentogold sides speckled with red or orange flecks, the redear has a yellowishorange belly. This massive expanse of bayous, creeks, backwaters and big rivers has a strong population of both bluegill and redear sunfish, also called a shellcracker, but they are not always easy to access. Gerald 1971 notes that redear sunfish produce grunting noises during courtship.
Fishing conditions on lake havasu are ideal almost yearround. By the end of march, depending on water temperatures and water levels, redears shellcracker start migrating to the shallows in preparation for the spawn. Shellcrackers are the best tasting freshwater fish in florida, which makes since theyre just a large bluegill and we know bluegills are the best tasting panfish in the midwest. Shellcracker seasons seasonal advice for bluegill and redear sunfish. They are also second to none in the frying pan, so i thought i would take a trip to tavares florida and try my hand at some of the largest bluegills in the states, the shellcracker. Bluegill vs hybrid bluegill keystone hatcheries inc. I hope you enjoyed the video, please leave a like if you did. Robert lawler of lake havasu city with what was a potential worldrecord, 5pound, 7ounce redear sunfish caught in 2011 from havasu. Like many fishes, newly hatched redear sunfish feed on zooplankton. Shellcracker fishing tips sheelcracker fishing florida. The redear is a deepbodied sunfish with a relatively small mouth.
The ear flap is black with a whitish border and a prominent orange or red. When it comes to habitat preference, redear seem to favor hard substrate. The redear sunfish is deep and slabsided, with a small mouth, the upper jaw not reaching past the front of the eye. The best and simplest rig is to tie on a number 4 long shank cricket hook, thread a redworm on and attach a split shot about 12 inches above the hook. Popeyes,wax worms,or about any of the usuals can get you some. Seemed every time i turned off the camera i caught a fish. Found a strange egg just sitting on a log and caught a big redear sunfish. The following article is a must read, and will give you the insight you need for. In the south, shellcracker fishing is common among pan fisherman. The dorsal fin usually has 10 spines, but may range from nine to 11, whereas the anal fin has three spines. What is the best trophy redear, and bluegill lake in america.
Fishing for the shellcrackers in the mid west the bluegill offers a lot of attitude for their size, fighting better than any other freshwater species of panfish. Since it is a popular sport fish, it has been introduced to bodies of water all over. Steves reports cover kentucky lake from paris landing to new johnsonville. I share with you my adventures in the great outdoors, as well as give my honest opinions on different subject. They also eat other food like insects, worms, and crawfish, but feed on the bottom. The redear sunfish is a molluscivorous species of the centrarchid family. Other redear found in rivers prefer, quiet waters and have a tendency to congregate around stumps, roots and logs. Folks today, i explain ways you can locate bluegill and shellcracker when they are not bedding. Shellcracker is the locally popular name for the redear sunfish, the sunshine states largest bream, which is easily identified by the red margin at the edge of its gill flap. To crack hard shells, redears have specially modified teeth in their throat and is how the redear received the name shellcracker. The shellcracker is also known as the redear sunfish and will average between one and two pounds during spawning.
Redear sunfish are also called shellcracker, georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch. All fishing buy, all about redear sunfish, habitats, fishing. A member of the national fresh water fishing hall of fame and legends of the outdoors, steve mccadams is a professional guide and outdoor writer from paris, tenn. Big shellcracker redear sunfish fishing with 1 lb line and worms. Bream is a local term throughout the southeast that includes a variety of deepbodied panfish belonging to the sunfish family. Kentucky or barkley for bluegill and redear my son, wife and i caught a bunch of really good redear, i am talking 1 12 lb redear at ky lake in the spring of 2009. I spend a lot of my lunch breaks fishing a small storm drain adjacent to a wooden dock behind my house, but the usual bass and bluegill targets took a backseat to the unexpected appearance of bedding shellcracker. Most redear are caught during the spawning season by fishing with red worms on the bottom. Redear sunfish are caught most often on earthworms around the full moons of march and april when their spawning activity peaks. A former state record, a 5pound, 1ounce redear, was caught in the canal, which runs through western berkeley county near cross and pineville, in march 1997. Floridas top bream spots make for some lively fishing. Fishing for shellcrackers panfish rambling angler outdoors. Redear oe shellcracker will sometimes utilize water depths of five to six feet to spawn.
We visited a spot called flat swamp expecting little more than a day catching sunfish, but what we didnt expect was that some of those would turn out to be nearly. Two nice redear sunfish caught on barkley lake both over 2 pounds. Shore fishing for redear sunfish back to the roots youtube. Redear bream lepomis microlophus scaled gill cover and small nape respectively red ear sunfish, also know as shellcracker, georgia bream, cherry gill, sunny, sun perch, improved bream, government bream, rouge ear sunfish, and chinquapin, look like bluegills, but the back part of their gillcovering has a red edging male or. May 01, 2015 it was a rare opportunity that i couldnt waste. The redear sunfish is a deep, slabsided fish with pointed pectoral side fins. A pair of big redear sunfish captured during azgfds november, 2018 survey at lake havasu. I like the 57,000 acre barkley lake, and i also like my home lake of kentucky lake. I share my setup, as well as the technique i use to catch these fish. Sep 24, 2010 it is an unarguable fact when bream are bedding, the fish are biting.
The shape and size of their bodies, mouths and fins are similar to bluegill. Among the fish species thriving in the lake are largemouth bass, striped bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish and flathead catfish. As their name tells, they eat snails and muscles, crushing the shell with a tough muscle in their gullet. Best spots for bama bream fishing great days outdoors. Big shellcrackers redear sunfish personal best and possible maryland state record. Big shellcrackers redear sunfish personal best and. Redear sunfish are native from north carolina to florida, west into texas, southern missouri and ohio. This years red ear fishing i want to make this an annual tradition now, and i want to put my dad on some red ears, as he has never caught one of the really big ones, if he has ever even caught one at all. Saturday i found where some shellcrackers are starting to bed in a lake close by the house. The redear spends much of its time in deep water and seldom feeds on surface insects like the bluegill. Jul 30, 2018 shellcracker, or redear sunfish, are the biggest of the beam, with the world record a 4 pound ounce monster caught in florida in 1986. The shellcracker has a cherry red edge to the operculum which is a series of bones found in bony fish that serves as a facial support structure and a protective covering. According to the arizona game and fish department, a pending worldrecord redear sunfish was hauled out of lake havasu, weighing in at a whopping 5. Perhaps the most notable different between crappie and shellcracker is their color.
Pound for pound, there is not another fish that out pulls these little bullies. We both wanted to go after them with our fly rods aka buggy whoppers as acey wall, deceased use to call my fly rod. Trophy fisheries have always attracted the spotlight. These fish were caught in late summer on live bait in 1520 feet of water. Redear sunfish lepomis microlophus do they have any other names. Redear sunfish get their name from the red gill flap but most southern anglers refer to them as shellcracker as they feed on small, freshwater mussels that inhibit the lake bottom. Lets reel in some shellcracker hope you enjoy, and god bless. The redear sunfish gets its name from the red border around a black spot on its earflap. My 5 yr old son and i went back yesterday to try thembut we only caught one. Redear sunfish, also known as shellcracker, is one of the hardest fighting fish in fresh water. May 04, 2011 redear sunfish are mostly known by the red trim along the opercular gill flap. Color ranges from dark olive green above to almost white on the belly. Being bottom feeders, most redears are caught by letting live nymphs, red wigglers or garden worms lie on the bottom near shore. Dodge these march winds and find some shellcracker.
In south florida, shellcracker may spawn as early as the last week of february but more likely around the fourth week of march. Ponds are seldom stocked with bass and redear only because the limited spawning of redear will not produce enough. A big school of mason bream wouldnt hurt my feelings any either. The redear sunfish will reproduce when it is one year old. Redear sunfish represent the largest member of the sunfish family in san diego, exceeding 4 pounds in weight. Redear sunfish primarily feed on the bottom and seldom feed on surface insects, especially compared to bluegill.
When redear fishing, you want the bait on bottom and this guarantees the bait finds the bottom every time. Scale them, remove the head and entrails, wash them off, dip them in buttermilk or an eggmilk mix, shake them in a bag filled with 12 flour and 12 cornmeal, then deep fry. Best time to catch redears is in the spring when they come up to the spawning beds. Florida has more than 7,700 named lakes and ponds and over 10,000 miles of streams and rivers, all brimming with bream. Its most distinguishing feature is a red or orange edge along the ear flap.
The other method is to attach a slip cork setup only do not use a bobber stopper. Shellcracker fishing redear fishing bluegill fishing how to catch bluegill with jigs duration. Video is up of shellcracker fun for those interested. Redear spend a great deal of time offshore in open water, particularly in the winter. If theyre not biting, flip a frog or worm along the bank for bass, or bring a flyrod and cast a popping bug for some extra fun. Fished redworms on the bottom on gravel points, dave stewart gave me the tip to try this and it worked perfectly. Dont forget, you can view 17 years worth of archived fishing reports as well. Big shellcracker redear sunfish fishing with 1 lb line and worms by richard gene the fishing machine. They have a distinct red coloring around its ear flap. Shellcracker and bream fishing robert webster of hamlet, nc who has a camper at the lake tillery family campground, adjacent highway 2427, has been keeping a watch on the fishing conditions for shellcrackers and bream.
Hybrid bluegill the hybrid bluegill is a cross between a male bluegill and a female green sunfish, and is sometimes referred to as a hybrid. What makes redear stand out is the small red colored ear or tab located on the rear tip of the fishs gill cover plate. The souths best shellcracker holes hunting and fishing. Fishing habitat and techniques for bluegill and redear sunfish are much alike. So in the remainder of this post, the word bluegill will be used to refer to both bluegill and redear, except where a distinction is made for redear sunfish. There are tons of great lakes in this country for bluegill, and redear fishing, but what about for trophy bluegill and redear fishing. In bream, some anglers found all they ever wanted in a fish. Redear seldom respond to floating fish food, as do bluegill. Shellcracker, shellcracker where are you march 31, 2018 may 26, 2019 2 years ago stingram 823 views bream, catch shellcracker, catching shellcrackers, red eared sunfish, shellcracker, shellcracker bait, shellcracker bream, shellcracker fishing, shellcracker sunfish, shellcracker tips, shellcrackers, what are shellcracker fish. Lake havasu is the location of over a dozen fishing tournaments and activities a year.
Bluegill fishing fishing for bluegill with a hair jig. In addition to being fun to catch, both species offer tasty fillets. These crushers are bony, toothlike patches capable of grinding snails and small mussels. Naff fishing articles page naff home page naff message board shellcracker, the bully of the shallows by.
These characteristics describe the shellcracker redear sunfish with its nicknames of stumpknocker and yellow bream. If your catching giant bluegill, theyre probably redear. Shellcracker, georgia bream, cherry gill, sunny, sun perch description lepomis, the generic name, is greek and means scaled gill cover. The redear sunfish lepomis microlophus, also known as the shellcracker, georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch, is native to the southeastern united states, but since it is a popular sport fish it has been introduced to bodies of water all over north america. The ear flap is black with a whitish border and a prominent orange or red spot.
There was not a lot of splitting hairs over whether it. We take a step off the boat literally to target one of our favorite fish species to fish for growing up, the mighty redear sunfish. Since it is a popular sport fish, it has been introduced to bodies of water all over north america. It is an unarguable fact when bream are bedding, the fish are biting. The south homes some of the biggest shellcrackers, so named due to the grinding teeth in their throats that crush snails, shells and mollusks, in the nation. We join daren bowen of creek candy lures for some fun fishing for large redear in western kentucky. Thats why we work hard to bring you the information you need to know to manage your pond or lake. People here in the south, have all kinds of generic names for the bream, e. The distinct red gill flap separates them from bluegill and usually theyre larger and somewhat longer.
Ponds are seldom stocked with bass and redear only because the limited spawning of redear will not produce enough offspring to support the growth of many bass. Although we caught only a few fish on that trip since it was too early, it did bring back memories of how much fun bream fishing can be. Florida lake tarpon and lake guntersville shellcrackers. It gets its other name of shellcracker, because it has crushers in its throat. Redear sunfish to biologists, or chinquapin to louisiana anglers, these feisty fish typically favor deeper haunts, but when a. Apr 26, 2012 everyone has his or her own method and gear to take advantage of this window of fishing opportunity, so ill share with you mine. Redear shellcracker at dunns fish farm we know that your satisfaction is essential to our success. Her massive redear settled the official scale on the dock.
I set out to do just that and redear sunfish is what i have my sites set on. Fishing for shellcrackers in florida large bluegills. Dont let windy days keep you from kayak fishing in southwest florida. They will also refuse a popping bug, but will eat a sinking fly such as a beadhead nymph or a black knat. The redear sunfish, also known as the shellcracker, is arguably one of the best fighting, best tasting and hardest to find and catch throughout the season than any panfish you pursue. Florida shellcracker fishing spawning bluegills mwoutdoors. On a good spawning ground, even a neophyte angler can catch fish like an old pro. This is one of the most frequently asked questions when stocking a pond, and usually the second question is which is better. Lepomis, the generic name, is greek and means scaled gill cover. Today, my dad and i are fishing from the bank at a pond with huge bluegill and shellcracker and a couple of surprises. Redear sunfish shellcracker typically begin spawning about one month before bluegill. They are bigger than other sunfish, 7 to 10 inches in length, 1 to 2 pound weight. Redear sunfish panfish florida bass fishing experts. They have a special set teeth in their throat that allows them to grind up snail shells.
Artificial jigs and grubs fished slowly and near the bottom will work as well. As the name redear suggests, shellcrackers are known for having a distinct red color on the side fin, although the reddish hue is more common in males while females tend to have a slight orange tinge to their side fins. It is spooled with 6pound line and a few baits, according to the mood of the fish. You can access steves previous fishing reports in our fishing report archives. It lives in vegetated littoral zones of small to large lakes, marshes, and reservoirs, and streams or rivers with sluggish to slowmoving flow french and morgan 1995. For best delta bream fishing, a small boat of some kind opens up the world of fishing.
May 22 2017 fishing and giant redear sunfish youtube. It was first propagated and stocked into the manmade recreational lakes in the early 1960s. Catching bluegill and shellcracker on kentuckhy lake. Bluegill will typically spawn in shallow water that is 1 to 3 feet deep. From video fishing tips to whats currently happening on kentucky lake and lake barkley, our fishing reports provide the most uptodate information from professional anglers across the lakes. They are called redear due to the red or orange colored border on the ear flap. Also, like many fishes, adults will feed on a variety of food organisms, depending on what is abundant and what is vulnerable. How to catch bluegill and redear sunfish the fishing advice. It is the rare angler who didnt start their fishing career by catching bream, primarily bluegill and redear sunfish shellcrackers. Folks today, we are going to do some wintertime bluegill and shellcracker fishing.