Help Identify this Species

[texas john]

Hey all I posted a picture in the fishing photos and need some assisitance IDing this fish. It was caught in a pond in the Ft Worth area of Texas. My brother sent it to me today any help or ideas would be great, Thanks in advance.

[RipnRog]

it is a crappie



http://www.westernbass.com/forum/album_ ... pic_id=836

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

I was going to say it is a black crappie..Its markings do look a lot like a rock bass, but the mouth just doesn't seem the same..

mac

[texas john]

That is exactly what I told my brother upon seeing this picture, he reassured me that is was no crappie. He has been an avid fisherman for all species for many many moons and I trust him when he says it is not a crappie, however it looks like one to me too. Any other possible candidates?

[spyongbob]

I caught one at berryessa that looked like that. At first I thought it was a crappie/bluegill mix, or sacto. perch, but now I don't know. There was a whole colony of them spawning in Markeley Cove and their beds were a little deeper than the bluegills that were also spawning.

[texas john]

My brother said this pond was full of them, but this was the first one he has caught.

[RipnRog]

I still say it is a crappie..... maybe a mutant one but none the less it is in the crappie family.

[Oldschool]

Hard to tell from the photo; looks like a Sacramento perch or hibrid with black crappie mix.
Tom

[Dan McKenzie]

warmouth.

[BassManDan]

It's not a crappie, at least not a normal one, the second dorsal fin is too small.

My money is on warmouth, they sort of have that half bass/half sunfish style, that irregular spotting pattern on the body and a relatively large mouth (compared to the Lepomis and Pomoxis groups)

Just call it a Centrarchid and you'll be 100% correct!

[Guy Williams]

Rock bass

[texas john]

Lots of opinions, two for rock bass, two for warmouth and a lot of hybrid ideas. I talked to my brother and told him all the ideas so he is gonna talk to a local fish and game guy in Texas and try to find out for sure.

[bassmonster]

Its a warmouth

[texas john]

Its a warmouth Issue solved.

[durobi]

We caught these in Missouri and they were called a Warmouth or Green Perch

[Oldschool]

How did I miss Texas, though tnis was the bay area; crappie.

[jimmy87]

for you bay area folks I use to catch fish that looked exacly like that one at cull canyon. I never figured out what they were except ugly as hell. they were darker in color.

last time I checked cull canyon was full of silt and pretty much dry

[revrat]

Depending on where you are, that fish goes by different names. Rock bass and warmouth are the usual names. Growing up in Texas I always heard them called Goggle-eye. Taste like crappie, just not as big. Fun to catch.

[Steve]

Depending on how technical you want to be or care to be, rock bass and warmouth are two separate species. Regional slang can confuse which species one is actually talking about, but to my knowledge only the rock bass is regionally referred to as goggle eye.

[Oldschool]

Depending on how technical you want to be or care to be, rock bass and warmouth are two separate species. Regional slang can confuse which species one is actually talking about, but to my knowledge only the rock bass is regionally referred to as goggle eye.

Agree, zoomed the photo; warmouth.
Tom

[SloppySeconds]

Definitely not crappie.

That is a warmouth for sure. Its the only sunfish that has that color and big ol' mouth.

Oh son! That's a big ol' mouth!

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Some other sunfish also have big mouths, especially Lage mouth black bass..Small mouths, and crappie are also sunfish..

mac

[ONTHETHING !!!]

Its a rock bass or depending where you are from a goggle eye. I have caught them in Table rock and up in Canada .The guy I was fishing with on table rock said they were quit tastey. ONTHETHING !!!

[basshunter4u]

It looks like a sand bass to me. Rock bass I thought was darker. I bet its a sand bass which are good to eat but dont get much bigger than a pound.

[fishnuts]

Squawfish or rock bass, depending on what side of the equator you were born on.

[896J]

Green Sunfish. I catch them all the time around the Port of Stockton when fishing for Largemouth. They'll eat anything they can fit or not fit in their mouth.

[Scott Shambre]

It is a Warmouth, caught one out of Folsom once and was amazed at the size of their mouth. Looks like a LM and Bluegill hybrid, but is actually it's own sub-species of the sunfish family. Check out this link....

http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/Fresh ... rmouth.htm


The one I caught at Folsom choked down a 6" Fat Robo on a 3/16 darthead in of all colors....WARMOUTH!!!!!

[Bassinlee]

It's bait.

-Bassinlee

[Scott Shambre]

Squawfish or rock bass, depending on what side of the equator you were born on.

Squawfish...WTH??????

Guess it also depends on what planet your from!!!!

Here is Sacramento River, salmon/steelhead eating machine of a Squaewfish!!!!

http://www.norcalangler.net/photos/disp ... um=3&pos=9

[cib11b]

Really looks like a crappie/blugill mix.. Look at the gill.. the black dot is exactly like a sunfish/bluegill. Orange tint like a sunfish but markings like a crappie.. very weird!

[midwesttransplant]

Rock bass

+1

[jimmy87]

cetinaly NOT a squaw fish. squaw fish are fun to catch though.
I first caught one years ago at lake pilsbury and thought I had a bass at first. those squaw fish are aggrisve as all hell.
they hammer crank baits and explode on top water.
get big too. I got one about 6 pounds.

[texas john]

My brother spoke with some people back in Texas and it is in fact a Warmouth. Wow of all the things I thought people would suggest I did not think Squawfish would pop up... Anyway it is a Warmouth!!!!

[Hillbilly in Cali]

I think it is a rock bass or any other name you want to call it.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... 4&ct=image