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Illustration of Redear sunfish
fishing forecast

redear sunfish

Lepomis microlophus · full profile

location

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period

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the species

everything about the redear sunfish

how to recognize it

Short, deep-bodied fish with the typical shape of sunfish. The common name refers to a red ear, a reference to the edge of the gill cover. To tell it apart from the warmouth and the redbreast sunfish, which were also introduced to Puerto Rico, look at the food and the habitat: this species prefers mollusks and warm, clear, calm waters with vegetation.

Also called: peixe-sol-orelha-vermelha, redear, chopa caracojera, mojarra oreja roja

don't confuse with:

We don't have tips on season, bait or technique for this species yet.

Where to look: Ponds, marshes, lakes and pools with vegetation, usually over mud or sand, in warm, clear and calm water.

Southern United States; introduced to Panama and Puerto Rico, where it is exotic.

rules for the redear sunfish

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.

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

estimated weight

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how we calculate

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0138, b = 3.08; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

more about the redear sunfish

The redear sunfish is a centrarchid reaching 43 cm. Native to the southern United States, from the Savannah River to the Nueces River in Texas, and from the Mississippi valley to southern Indiana and Illinois, it was introduced to Panama and Puerto Rico, where it is exotic. It lives in ponds, marshes, lakes and vegetated pools, usually over mud or sand, in warm, clear and calm water. It has a preference for mollusks in its diet, so it has already been studied as a means of controlling the snails that carry schistosomiasis. It spawns in ponds, lakes and shallow streams, in well-defined pairs. It is of interest to anglers and is caught on rod and line.

Family: Centrarchidae · omnivore

fun facts

  • Pairs form in a very well-defined way during the breeding season.

similar species

sources and references (2)

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 microlophus (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 microlophusNames by country and language.