# Green Tiger Sunfish



## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

Went to Nimi today, got out at 630 stayed till 230. good overall day... only thing we didn't catch was a walleye. Some good size Crappie and Perch. Small Cats a few Bass, and plenty of gills. And this odd one. I know it's a regular old Green Sunfish, but ive never seen one like this. I'll call it a "Green Tiger Sunfish" Oh yeah... the other highlight of the day... My wife hooks a Bluegill and is bringing it in when a monster Bass(6+) trys to take it under but there wasn't enough hook for two. The Bass kept trying to swallow the gill right infront of the boat for about a minute. tried to lure him in with a senko, but all he wanted was that gill. Stayed there for another hour trying to coax that thing in again, but he was gone or not interested anymore. I know i can't say it was 6+ without boating it...... but it was 6+.


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## KingFisher89 (Feb 22, 2007)

That would be a cool fish for an aquarium


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## barf (May 10, 2009)

thats a pretty sunfish


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## Ross (May 27, 2011)

looks awesome, cool story too. would you rather have gotten the tiger gill or the monster bass?


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## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

Ross said:


> looks awesome, cool story too. would you rather have gotten the tiger gill or the monster bass?


That Bass would have made my year! I was really hoping for my wife to get it, but i knew the hook was too small. Caught a small perch right after that and had it on a bobber in the area. i thought it would be back for sure, but.....


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## barf (May 10, 2009)

I know it isnt common if you have not seen one before youcatch a lot of sunfish


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## lakota (Oct 28, 2009)

That almost looks like one of those african ciclids


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## mishmosh (Jul 22, 2007)

KingFisher89 said:


> That would be a cool fish for an aquarium


I was thinking the same thing! I might have kept it for mine. Have Orange-spots in there now.


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## Lynxis (Sep 21, 2009)

cut a few up that look like that for channel bait in bresslers


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

I have never seen a sunfish like that.


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## JFeeds (Apr 14, 2008)

i caught one like that at mosquito causeway last week. my dad has african ciclids and jack dempseys in an aquarium and they look a lot like that. doubt they can survive in a lake though. nice little surprise either way.


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## LadyAngler22 (May 30, 2011)

I've never seen a sunfish like that. What a beautiful creature!


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## LipRipper79 (Mar 26, 2011)

Never seen one like that! Im guessing he was the dominant male, goin off my cichlid experience (most central and south american), they usually display the brightest most attractive coloration


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## topwater (Dec 22, 2004)

jack dempsey!


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## barf (May 10, 2009)

rattle gill.....

sorry buckzye11 i'm just jellous. havent been out much this year.

have you been to east for any of them wonderful shell cracking beauties?


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## aap1970 (May 7, 2010)

Jack Dempsey which I have two about five feet away from me in my tank. Someone must of dumped it in the water this year unless there is somewhere in the lake that the water stays 70's plus year round.


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## JimmyMac (Feb 18, 2011)

Looks like a cross between a Convict Cichlid and a greener, lol. 


















=


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## JimmyMac (Feb 18, 2011)

aap1970 said:


> Jack Dempsey which I have two about five feet away from me in my tank. Someone must of dumped it in the water this year unless there is somewhere in the lake that the water stays 70's plus year round.


Look closer at its fins and mouth, certainly not a JD. As JD's mature they also lose the stripes for the most part, end up looking something like this. That fish being nearly the size of his hand, if a JD, would be mature and have adult colors.


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## LipRipper79 (Mar 26, 2011)

LOL! Does kinda look like a convict/ green sunfish cross jimmymac! I knw its not though. But that would be one aggressive fish!


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## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

barf said:


> rattle gill.....
> 
> sorry buckzye11 i'm just jellous. havent been out much this year.
> 
> have you been to east for any of them wonderful shell cracking beauties?


Ive been at Nimi nearly every time out this year, found 3 new good areas for the Redear there. Ive just been sticking to whats working. Only shore fished East lately... got some OK Cats there. Neighbor pulled a 9 lber out last week. Thanks for all the replies, didn't think a little Sunfish would draw this much action. I should have mentioned in my first post that the Green Sunfish was caught tight to some big rocks on one of the gas well points, and is still swimming out there to make more mutations.... I think the fact that he was surounded by these rocks all of the time somehow brought on the color change.


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## JFeeds (Apr 14, 2008)

here's the fish i caught a week or so ago from mosquito. it's obviously a little smaller than the original picture, but the colorings on the cheek and the fins appears to be the same.


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## heron153 (Apr 30, 2008)

buckzye11 and jfeeds: I HAVE kept green sunfish in an aquarium. Like all fish, they have some ability to change coloration based on stressors, water conditions, sexual maturity, etc. One of my greenies showed stripes for a while when the bigger one was harassing it. IThey both lived more than a year in a tank that was really too small for tem. They were tons of fun to have. I can't wait until I get my 55 gal up and running so I can get some more. As far as ID - I have taken ichthyology courses and am agreeing with everyone on this thread who says green sunfish for these two. The one with really obvious stripes MAY have some hybridization in it - possibly crossed with a warmouth.


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## oz1222 (Jun 16, 2010)

I believe that is a green sunfish. This Fish Identification picture shows some of the vertical stripes that everyone is talking about. http://www.landbigfish.com/fish/fish.cfm?ID=40







Also, here is ohios state record green sunfish. It has stripes as well, just not as pronounced.


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