# May have caught a world record fish?



## TaylorBassing

Yesterday I was fishing and caught a sunfish. Not sure what type. If it a green, may be world record if hybrid its an Ohio record. It doesn't look like a redear to me because of the fins being orange at the tips. Any other ideas?

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## TaylorBassing

Here's the picture.









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## jonnythfisherteen2

thats no world record. the new world record is WAYYYY bigger. like 16 inches and 5 pounds.


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## TaylorBassing

Ohh I thought it was 2.7 lbs. 


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## Mr. Catfish

The green sunfish record is 2.7 pounds.


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## Fishman

It's either hybrid bluegill (look at the yellow tips of the anal/pectoral fins) OR a black crappie maybe??


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## H2O Mellon

Fishman said:


> OR a black crappie maybe??


No, no, no..... it's clearly a Copperhead!


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## TaylorBassing

This is either a green or hybrid.

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## laynhardwood

That looks like a green but the do often hybridize last a knew world record is 2.2 caught in 1971 


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## buckzye11

It's not a green, it dosn't have the mouth(jaw) of a green. Were you fishing a private place or a lake? It's definatly huge! It has to be a stocked hybrid IMO.
heres a green, notice the jaw, and mouth


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## Bass Assasin Slaton

can i fish there.... ill catch and release..until i catch one to put on a wall for a trophy thats all...

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## TaylorBassing

I was looking online for records and if this is a hybrid it's still over the record. 2.8lbs was this fish.


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## TaylorBassing

Also we have only stocked greens and redears. Do they cross?


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## Lundfish

It's possible that birds or something brought in other species. My uncle has a pond loaded with big sunfish and they didn't stock any in there.


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## Snyd

I would say that it is a Red Spotted Sunfish. What a catch and congrats!


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## BunkerChunker

TaylorBassing said:


> Also we have only stocked greens and redears. Do they cross?
> 
> 
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Green sunfish will hybridize with everything especially in small ponds. it's most likely a hybrid green/Redear.


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## Socom

Did you keep it? Just call a ranger


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## sherman51

hey, even if its no record at all, congrats on a really nice fish. i sure would like to tackle one like that on my eagle claw feather lite rod and 4 lb line.
sherman


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## TaylorBassing

Caught a bigger one. This one is the same looking fish.









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## Star1pup

Could someone have stocked red ears (shell crackers)? Kind of looks like one and we stocked them in Tomahawk. They get nice and big.

I was told that hybrids do sometimes spawn, but the offspring is not true and can be a green sunfish, etc.


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## Rod Hawg

That aint a redear. I'd say hybrid. Looks alot like a greeny but has the mouth of a bluegill. My .2c is its a hybrid


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## Bluegill_Guru

Rod Hawg said:


> That aint a redear. I'd say hybrid. Looks alot like a greeny but has the mouth of a bluegill. My .2c is its a hybrid


+1 

The yellow on the lower fins suggests a Green sunfish hybrid, with Bluegill being the most probable "other half". I wish we had a better, larger photo to view to be able to make sure.


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## TaylorBassing

I'm sorry about the photo but it's not my fault. They are pretty good pictures but the forum makes them small.


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## rylan37

TaylorBassing said:


> I'm sorry about the photo but it's not my fault. They are pretty good pictures but the forum makes them small.
> 
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


make an account on photobucket.com and post a link to the pic on there.


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## Mr. A

Ok.. maybe it's just me but that gill looks like something out of a horror movie or the catch pond at Chernoble! Great fish! LOL

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## Saugeye Tom

Warmouth ????


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## Bluegill_Guru

From the picture we have, I feel with 99% certainty that the body belongs to a Green Sunfish. I feel with the same degree of certainty that the head, face, and mouth of the fish in question belongs to either a Bluegill or a Redear Sunfish. The head, face, and mouth could also belong to various other sunfish species such as Longear Sunfish and Pumpkinseed, but Green Sunfish hybridize with Bluegill and Redear Sunfish with a greater frequency, so the odds are in their favor.


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## firstflight111

fishman said:


> it's either hybrid bluegill (look at the yellow tips of the anal/pectoral fins) or a black crappie maybe??


your kidding ???right


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## firstflight111

TaylorBassing said:


> I'm sorry about the photo but it's not my fault. They are pretty good pictures but the forum makes them small.
> 
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


 when you load them to you pc make them bigger


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## mastercatman

I am a fish management/aquaculture major, ichthyology was one of my best subjects. We also learned about the various green sunfish hybrids in aquaculture. My well educated guess with 99.99999% certainty is green sunfish/redear hybrid.
The red ear tab is obvious still on the hybrids and assuming the picture was taken when fresh caught, the fish appears lighter than most bluegill/green sunfish hybrids I have seen. Green sunfish, as mentioned previously, will readily hybridize with other sunfish species. Probably a first generation hybrid judging by the size (F-1 hybrid vigor). Successive generations will appear more like green sunfish and will not grow as large. The fishing may be fun now, but you'll eventually end up with a pond full of green sunfish down the road! I would never recommend stocking green sunfish into anywhere!


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## Star1pup

Maybe mastercatman can shed some light on this: I have heard that some hybrid bluegills could spawn and produce green sunfish. Is this right? I know of a couple sportsmen's clubs that have stocked hybrids and I'm not sure that is a good idea. Here at Lake Tomahawk we stocked redears and they are getting big. I hope they mostly reproduce as redears and do not cross-spawn.


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## Rod Hawg

Darn Green Sunfish take over... You're right about that Mastercatman. I fish a pond where thats all that you can catch now in it...


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## Bluegill_Guru

mastercatman said:


> I am a fish management/aquaculture major, ichthyology was one of my best subjects. We also learned about the various green sunfish hybrids in aquaculture. My well educated guess with 99.99999% certainty is green sunfish/redear hybrid.
> The red ear tab is obvious still on the hybrids and assuming the picture was taken when fresh caught, the fish appears lighter than most bluegill/green sunfish hybrids I have seen. Green sunfish, as mentioned previously, will readily hybridize with other sunfish species. Probably a first generation hybrid judging by the size (F-1 hybrid vigor). Successive generations will appear more like green sunfish and will not grow as large. The fishing may be fun now, but you'll eventually end up with a pond full of green sunfish down the road! I would never recommend stocking green sunfish into anywhere!


Good post. Thanks for chiming in Catman.


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## rustyfish

firstflight111 said:


> your kidding ???right


No he is not kidding, Its rare but during spawning male black crappie can present some very abnormal color phases. And a black crappie with an under size mouth is not at all unheard of. This likely would have been caused from being caught to much while it was younger. Yes he is kidding ?)


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## rustyfish

Master catman has your answer.

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## rustyfish

Mastercatman has your answer. 

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## jmay

Nice fish regardless!


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