Help with fish identity...

[Chris England]

During a bass tournament last night on Lanier, a friend of mine caught an interesting looking Bream. It had an abnormally large mouth (you could lip hold it with no problem), bright red colored eyes, and darker, more bass like coloration. The fish had that grey to black coloration on it's underbelly like older smallmouth, and shoal bass get.

Any clues? It was caught *way up* the Chestatee, where navigation nearly becomes impossible.

-- tight lines.

[bbell]

Maybe a warmouth or a shadow bass (sort of a southern rock bass). They have larger mouths, orange or red eyes, and darker coloration. Don't know about the gray/black belly, although I know what you're talking about on smallies.
The only other bream I've caught with a lip-able mouth was a green sunfish, but I don't believe they are found in this part of Georgia (someone please correct me if I am mistaken).
I love weird species of fish...hopefully someone can identify this one.

[dredger]

Sounds like a warmouth to me.

[Chris England]

Yup. I'm in agreement... warmouth. Haven't caught one of those in years, and forgot completely about it.

Thanks all.

-- tight lines

[captfredfish]

Warmouth...
bbell- I was in BPS Duluth a few years ago and saw a dozen or so Greenies in the big tank...One got chomped by a BIG Largemouth while I was watching! I tried to find someone to inquire as to their origin but no one knew. I do know of a river near Atlanta which is wadeable and has some in it; but they tend to be small...

[dredger]

I caught my first warmouth down at Marben in Fox lake. I thought it was some kind of mutated bass until I looked it up!

[Sic Puppy]

I caught a green sunfish off some rip rap at Lake Russell, and a friend caught on at Sandy Creek near Athens, so they're around.

[TROUTNUT]

Chris,
I agree, it sounds like a Warmouth.
Troutnut

[bbell]

Thanks for the information on the greens. Has anyone caught a shadow bass? My cousin swears that he has caught them in this area and my fish field guide says they are found throughout Georgia and reach a pretty good size. They look just like a rock bass in the pictures I've seen.
I have caught bream all over the south: redears, redbreasts, longears, rock bass, stumpknockers, greens, pumpkinseeds, warmouth, fliers, and the rare bluegill...but I have never seen one of these guys.
For that matter...does anyone know where I can find some stumpknockers (spotted sunfish) in the central to north Georgia region?

[NiteOwl]

I know you did not just say you've never seen a bluegill? http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/wink.gif


Owl


they're everywhere....

[bbell]

Isn't the bluegill a rare and fabled fish, like the Apache trout or the Montana grayling? Where can I find this endangered species?

[rollcast]

Could be a warmouth, but also sounds suspiciously more like a rock bass (Ambloplites spp.). Did it have black spots on the scales?

See the following URL for an illustration:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_and_wildlife/fish/rock_bass.html

Regards, DA

[Chris England]

You might be right...

It definately had the red eye.

It was dark. Can't say for sure on the black spot on the scales, unless what they mean is that grey to black coloration toward the lighter side of the underbelly.

-- tight lines.

[dredger]

Here are some more interesting links.
http://www.state.ia.us/fish/iafish/sunfish/warmouth.htm
Other names -- redeye, goggle-eye, red-eyed bream, stumpknocker, mudgapper, mo-mouth, morgan, molly, rock bass, open mouth, weed bass, wood bass, strawberry perch, mud bass.
The warmouth is a sunfish species that is synonymous with lakes and ponds. It is rarely found in river lakes, overflow ponds or oxbows. There is some speculation that there are longitudinal differences in the distribution and abundance of warmouth in southern Iowa. Warmouth are common in the southeastern lakes and rare in the southwest. The reason for this occurrence is unknown.
The warmouth is a thick-bodied, stout-appearing sunfish with a rich olive-brown color on the back and sides. The sides are covered with dark brown mottlings, and the belly is light yellow. A characteristic feature is 4 or 5 reddish-brown streaks radiating from the eye across each side of the head. The iris of the eye is red, and the fins are spotted with dark brown, forming bands which are more prominent on the soft parts of the dorsal and anal fin. The warmouth can be easily distinguished from the other sunfishes by the patch of small teeth on the tongue. Most often this fish is confused by fishermen with the rock bass, but they are easily separated by counting the spiny rays in the anal fin; the warmouth has 3 spines, and the rock bass has 6 spines. The spiny dorsal fin, which is broadly connected with the soft part of the fin, contains 10 spines.
Warmouth are sight-feeders that consume largely insects, crayfish and fish that they prey on in the soft-bottomed, weedy areas that they prefer for habitat. The young feed heavily on zooplankton and insects that are abundant in these locations.
Warmouth, like all members of this family, reproduce by constructing a nest for egg deposition. Nest building begins in mid-May and peaks in early June, but spawning may extend into August. Nests are built near underwater structures, a stump or clumps of vegetation but seldom on clean sand. The nests will be separated unless sites are limited; then they may adjoin each other. Most nests are constructed in 1 1/2 to 4 feet of water. The nest is constructed and guarded closely by the male until the fry depart. The male is very aggressive in his territory, approaching all intruders with flared gills, open mouth and blood red eyes. Eggs hatch in about 3 days, and the fry leave the nest in 5 to 6 days.
Young warmouth reach 1 to 2 inches in length by autumn and attain maximum size of about 7 to 8 inches by the fifth year of life. There is no record-size warmouth in Iowa, but the largest fish listed elsewhere was over 11 inches in length.
http://www.iglou.com/fishincom/articles/how-tell.html
The warmouth, or warmouth bass, warmouth sunfish, goggle-eye, redeye, stumpknocker or logperch, is found statewide in lakes and streams. This species is often confused with rock bass, being dark olive to gray with brownish sides and yellow markings. Each side of the head has five dark lines radiating from the snout and eye. The anal fin has three spines (the rock bass has five to six spines). Warmouth rarely grow longer than 10 inches.
This fish, preferring clear water and vegetated areas, is usually found in small numbers compared to other members of the sunfish family. The warmouth is an aggressive fish, and can be easily caught by conventional methods using live baits such as earthworms, crickets, meal worms, wax worms or artificial baits ranging from small jigs and spinners to poppers and wet or dry flies.

http://www.agfc.state.ar.us/fishing/gamefish/warmouth-large.html
The warmouth or "goggleye" is seldom sought for its own merits, but many are caught while fishing for other species. It is usually found in quiet lakes with mud bottoms and abundant vegetation where it often hides in hollow trees or stumps. Color is typically olive-brown with dark markings, and unlike its lookalike cousins, the rock bass, the warmouth has three anal fin spines and a rough patch of teeth on the tongue.

http://www.agfc.com/fishing/gamefish/rock_bass-large.html
The name "rock bass" actually describes three species of Arkansas sportfish --- the shadow bass, Ozark bass and rock bass. At one time all were considered a single species. These fish are found primarily in clear, cool, gravel-bottomed streams in the Ozark and Ouachita mountains. Like warmouths, they have red eyes and large mouths and usually weigh less than 1/2 pound, but rock bass have six, rather than three, anal fin spines. Color is typically greenish with brassy reflections and dark brown mottlings or spots.

There you go! You can't tell your players without a program, and you can't identify your warmouth without counting the spines on the anal fin?!?

dredger

[This message has been edited by dredger (edited 07-27-2000).]

[This message has been edited by dredger (edited 07-27-2000).]

[This message has been edited by dredger (edited 07-27-2000).]

[Chris England]

How about that! I guess it will forever remain a mystery cause I have not a clue how many spines it had. I'll have to ask my fishing partner if it had a patch of teeth on it's tongue.

Thanks!

-- tight lines

[RScott]

Chris,

My two cents says it is a goggle-eye, even though I've not seen or heard of one in GA. I caught gobs of them in Missouri, they look just like an artist rendering of a b*** / bluegill hybrid. They are not only voracious, I caught them on 8" culprit worms intended for smallies, but EAT very well.