# Not sure what this is



## nuckinfutzracing (Sep 20, 2010)

Hey guys,

I've just started getting back into fishing last year, so I consider myself still pretty new. Sunday I was at Nimisila, working the lilly pads with a plastic that I had Texas rigged. Something hit it pretty hard and I went to set the hook and catapulted this out of the water. Not sure what it is, can anybody help me. I showed a buddy at work and he thought it might be a rock bass but wasn't sure, so I thought I'd consult the pro's. It was no match for my 17lb flouro though.


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## heidlers (May 24, 2010)

looks like a Pumpkinseed


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## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

we have been catching these at presque isle. with plastice, they are really aggressive for their size...I think war mouth? dad thinks a different colored rock bass....


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## Mutley (Mar 24, 2008)

That's a warmouth.

http://ohiodnr.com/dnap/rivfish/warmouth/tabid/1729/Default.aspx


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## heidlers (May 24, 2010)

ya know...check that...looking more closely at that mouth, that might be a Warmouth. Still a member of the Sunfish family.


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## markfish (Nov 22, 2007)

thats a rock bass orange eyes and big mouth


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

I can't see the pic very well on my phone, but if it had some blue/green markings around it's mouth and a yellowish/orange breast it's a warmouth. I catch alot of them on jigs and chigger craws. They're really good for stealing pincers. 

_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors_


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## samfishdyt (Sep 15, 2010)

markfish said:


> thats a rock bass orange eyes and big mouth


I would say rock bass due to the size of the mouth, but I have NEVER seen a rock bass look like that. Maybe a warmouth..they're hard to diferenciate


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## partlyable (Mar 2, 2005)

That is a Warmouth, Sunfish colors and a big mouth. also from the story and its aggressive nature i would say warmouth.


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## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

100% a warmouth, they always bite off more then they can chew

_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors_


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## exide9922 (Aug 9, 2010)

thats a war mouth. my son caught one at nimisila also this weekend. He caught it and I was like, what did you just catch?! looked it up, sure looks like a warmouth


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## Gsxrfanim (Sep 28, 2009)

I caught one of those at Nimisilla as well and I thought a largemouth was foolin around with a pumkinseed...lol
Thought it was a rock bass but I havent seen any that big before. 
So I would have to say that it was the first warmouth that I ever caught, and it was very aggressive.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

it sure looks like a rock bass or red eye as we called them in tenn when i was a kid. if it has a red eye its a rock bass. if not then its probably a warmouth. i cant see the eye good enough to tell. please let us know if it has red around its eye ball.
sherman


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## josephi88 (Jun 7, 2011)

heilders is right, *not* a warmouth. It is a pumkinseed. You can tell by the speckling on it.


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## gapwedge (Jun 6, 2011)

Looks like an Atlanta Braves fan to me.


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## Smallmouth70 (Mar 11, 2007)

Nuckingfutzracing, your fish is without a doubt a Pumpkinseed, and a large one at that. You can tell by the yellow belly, blue/black gill flap, blue streaks through the cheek, and as Josephi88 said the speckling.
http://fish.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/Centrarchidae/pumpkinseed.html


Exide9922, your son's fish is without a doubt a warmouth.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Its either a warmouth or a warmouth pumpkinseed hybrid. What makes me think it may be a hybrid is the blue specs on it, but it is not a pure pumpkiseed because there mouths don't get as big. No way its a rock bass.


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## Cull'in (Nov 21, 2005)

Definitley not a pumkinseed, the mouth is too small. 
It's most likely a warmouth hybrid. Panfish cross breed frequently.
Search google images for warmouth/green sunfish hybrid and warmouth/pumkinseed hybrid. Several fish that look very much like the one you caught.


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## LearningtoFly (Apr 2, 2011)

Sunfish identification in 4 steps or less (from http://www.tnfish.org/FishIdentificationID_TWRA/TWRA_Sunfish_Identification_Key.htm):

1. Pectoral fins long and pointed, extending to or beyond the anterior rim of the eye when bent forward - go to 2.

Pectoral fins shorter and tips rounded - go to 4.

2. Dark spot on the back portion of the dorsal fin; body with vertical bars - *bluegill*
No dark spot and body without bars - go to 3.

3. Pectoral fins very long and extending to or beyond the dorsal fin base - *redear *(shellcracker)

Pectoral fins shorter not extending to the dorsal fin - pumpkinseed

4. Tongue with a tooth patch - *warmouth*
No tooth patch - go to 5.

5. Lateral line scales 43-50; relatively large mouth, jaw extending to or well beyond front rim of eye- go to 6.

Lateral line scales 32-43; small mouth; white margin on the opercular lobe - *longear* 

6. Large mouth; body "bass-like"; dark spot on the back portion of the dorsal fin; opercular lobe bony and inflexible - *green sunfish*
Mouth smaller, deeper body, no dark spot on dorsal fin; opercular lobe fleshy - *redbreast*

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From the picture it is hard to make an absolute identification since we can't see the pectoral fin well at all, we don't know if it had a tooth patch and we can't tell if the fins have a orange/yellow or white outline which is common of green sunfish nor can we see if there is a dark spot near the back of the dorsal which is also common in green sunfish.

Crossbreeding makes identification even harder.

The body shape and large mouth give us some clues though.

If I had to guess, I'd say it is a green. If it absolutely had no light colored outline along its fins then I'd change my answer to warmouth. If it absolutely had no tongue tooth patch then I'd change my answer to "I don't know".


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Now that I look at it more I do see some green sunfish in it.

These pics might help

Here is a green sunfish in full spawning colors








and here's a warmouth


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## young-gun21 (Mar 14, 2006)

gapwedge said:


> Looks like an Atlanta Braves fan to me.


I believe that would be an Alabama Crimson Tide that was pushed up north by the tornados! Very rare around these parts. Distressed hat, pants probably have a Copenhagen ring...and the cut off flannel is somewhere in the bottom of the boat!! 

_Sent from my HTC Evo_


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## barf (May 10, 2009)

looks like a warmouth....could be a rockbass though...


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## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

My guess is 2 parts green sf since he was aggresive enough to hit a texas rigged worm..., 1 part warmouth, 1 part regular bull gill! anybody's guess is good on that one..... good specimen.


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## PolymerStew (Feb 17, 2009)

I'd say warmouth or warmouth hybrid with another Lepomis species.

Easiest way to tell the difference between a warmouth or rock bass is count the number of spines on the anal fin (belly fin behind the anal opening). A rock bass has 6 spines, a warmouth and other sunfish has only 3. 

There's lots of warmouth in Nimisila, I've caught many while fishing spinnerbaits or plastics for bass.


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## n8als (Oct 17, 2006)

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/_/viewer.aspx?path=BCE&name=31033.jpg

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/spe...Index/warmouthsunfish/tabid/6782/Default.aspx


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## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

hahaha I love how the odnr gives the crummiest picture ever!


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## guppygill (May 8, 2004)

Warmouth, if you want to see real rockbass, catch them off the rocks at erie,they get to be nice and they have red eyes. Not a pumpkinseed.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

heidlers said:


> looks like a Pumpkinseed


coloration of a pumpkinseed for sure, but it looks to have about the right size mouth for a largemouth bass of that size.. hmmmmm maybe a pumpkinseed/bass hybred?? a basseed or maybe a pumpkinass.lol.


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## Smallmouth70 (Mar 11, 2007)

ezbite said:


> coloration of a pumpkinseed for sure, but it looks to have about the right size mouth for a largemouth bass of that size.. hmmmmm maybe a pumpkinseed/bass hybred?? a basseed or maybe a pumpkinass.lol.


Lol pumpkinass


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## WhoolyBugger (Aug 25, 2008)

Tipping my cap to the green sunfish theory.. Hybrid possible.


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## nuckinfutzracing (Sep 20, 2010)

Based on the evidence and arguments, I have drawn my own conclusions. 
A) The fish is a Warmouth. 
B) It's Alabama fan ROLL TIDE ROLL!!! 
Transplanted via the USMC and marriage. I really appreciate all the input and hope to see you on the water. Be safe


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Not a rockbass. Shares traits of a green sunfish, pumpkinseed, and warmouth....would have to see it in person.

And no, it's not FOR SURE a warmouth...sry.


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## ptlmbutler (Apr 29, 2005)

I am about 99.9% sure that it is a Muskie...


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## Twitch13 (Jun 13, 2009)

rock bass, google image search it


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## Thesilverback (Mar 5, 2011)

Yeah its for sure a warmouth I'd put the farm on it!!!!

_The Silverback_


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## Thesilverback (Mar 5, 2011)

Have you ever seen a pumpkinseed or a green sunfish with a mouth Like a bass?????? If you answered yes than you have crossed paths with a warmouth (hints) where it got its name!

_The Silverback_


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## barf (May 10, 2009)

what did it taste like ?


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## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

100% warmouth


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## exide9922 (Aug 9, 2010)

this warmouth sure has gotten a lot of attention!


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## WhitewaterJay (Aug 4, 2010)

been catching a lot of those at Moggie this year too...


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## JSykes3 (Oct 14, 2010)

ptlmbutler said:


> I am about 99.9% sure that it is a Muskie...


I would have to agree with you on that one. lol. Maybe a sailfish? Kind of hard to tell the difference.


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## Dabassassassin (May 2, 2007)

As others have stated...Warmouth, Ive lived on nimi my whole life and i cant tell you how many warmouths i have caught bass fishing. Some proposed a Green sunfish hybrid but Warmouths don't hybridize as easily as other sunfishes and nimi doesnt hold many Green Sunfish anyways because they prefer more rocky substrate, which nimi is lacking


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

n8als said:


> http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/_/viewer.aspx?path=BCE&name=31033.jpg
> 
> http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/spe...Index/warmouthsunfish/tabid/6782/Default.aspx


i think after looking at this picture and if it doesnt have any red around the outside of its eyes it is in fact a warmouth.


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## Brentbrown22 (Sep 18, 2013)

I caught one of these at nimi yesterday I would say a green sunfish


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## guppygill (May 8, 2004)

I would guess a speckled trout, caught many of them at Nimi using Here Fishy Fishy Plugs...................I blew up the pic and enhanced it.............the most POPULAR WARMOUTH out of all the posts like this.


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## flylogicsteelhead (Oct 4, 2006)

I think it's adopted. 


Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire


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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

sherman51 said:


> it sure looks like a rock bass or red eye as we called them in tenn when i was a kid. if it has a red eye its a rock bass. if not then its probably a warmouth. i cant see the eye good enough to tell. please let us know if it has red around its eye ball.
> sherman


Its a warmouth. They can have red eyes also, but not all the time.


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