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fishing forecast

warmouth

Lepomis gulosus · Centrarchidae · omnivore

Freshwateressential profile

Sunfish from still, vegetated waters of the central-eastern United States, introduced to Mexico and Puerto Rico. It is caught on rod and line and is farmed commercially.

Also called: peixe-sol-goloso, warmouth, chopa negra, mojarra golosa

Scientific illustration of Warmouth
maximum
31 cm
record/max.
1.1 kg
location

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period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the warmouth

overview

who is the warmouth

The warmouth is a centrarchid reaching 31 cm and 1.1 kg. Native to the Great Lakes, the Mississippi basin and rivers of the Atlantic and Gulf in the United States, it was introduced to Mexico and Puerto Rico, where it is exotic. It lives in lakes, ponds, marshes and calm waters of streams, usually over mud and in places with vegetation. It is sought as a sport fish and has commercial use, including in aquaculture. Adults almost always stay over the mud, in calm water.

Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the warmouth; in the meantime, see the similar species.

fun facts

  • Males guard the eggs for 5 to 6 days.
how to recognize it

identification

Short, deep-bodied fish, similar in shape to other sunfish. It reaches 31 cm. It usually stays over mud, in calm water and near vegetation. To tell it apart from the redbreast sunfish and other sunfish of the region, look at the habitat: this species prefers ponds and still areas.

distribution

where found

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Central-eastern United States; introduced to Mexico and Puerto Rico, where it is exotic.

Habitat: Ponds, marshes and calm waters of streams, over mud and in places with vegetation.

what the law says

rules for the warmouth

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.

catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.

The fin spines can injure: hold it by the body and release it quickly, without keeping it out of the water for long.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01445, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

estimated weight

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sources and references

Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.

  1. scientific FishBase: Lepomis gulosus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Lepomis gulosusNames by country and language.
don't confuse

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