The small fingerlings will range in size from 1 inch to 4 inches by fall providing a wide range of forage for bass and crappie. Redear are capable of growing
1/4 pound per year after the first year
, reaching average sizes of 1/2 to 3/4 pound with some reaching 1 to 2 pounds if well fed and live long enough.
How fast do shellcrackers grow?
Disappearing Redear or Shellcracker Populations
It typically takes
three years for stocked fingerlings to enter the catch as fish that are one-half pound or larger
. Fingerling redear as small as two inches can be used to successfully re-establish fishable populations, even in lakes with large numbers of small bass.
How big can a redear sunfish get?
Redear sunfish have the ability to grow
up to 12 inches long and weigh as much as 2 pounds
, making them an excellent addition to a fishery.
How long do red ear fish live?
They are considered to be a sportfish. Redears reach sexual maturity at 2 years of age and do not live past
six years old
. They can grow up to 12 inches and weigh as much as 2 pounds.
How fast do redear grow?
It typically takes
three years
for stocked fingerlings to enter the catch as fish that are one-half pound or larger. to crush snails, clams and mussels.
How deep do redear sunfish live?
They tend to relate to deeper depths as compared to other sunfish in the same area. The actual depth will depend on the particular body of water that you are fishing, and could be
as deep as 30 feet or more
. You should search for redear bream anywhere that you can find hard or soft cover.
Are redear good for ponds?
Adding redear sunfish to any pond is a great way to reduce parasites in bass, bluegill, catfish, and other non-game fish such as golden shiners
. They are usually stocked in small ponds and lakes because they are specialized feeders and do not compete much with other fish.
How big can a shellcracker get?
Shellcracker grow quickly and reach larger sizes than many other sunfish species.
Adults typically are 7-10 inches in length, with large specimens reaching up to 12 inches in length and 2lbs in weight
. Many lakes and ponds throughout the United States stock Shellcracker as a sportfish, with fish reaching up to 4 lbs.
What is the difference between bluegill and redear?
Redear sunfish have a more gold and green coloration with faint vertical bars, while bluegills have more yellow or orange coloration
. The main difference between the two is their operculum colors. The bluegill features a deep blue or black color while the redear sunfish has red or orange tips near its head.
Can you eat redear?
Often mistaken for bluegill, redears are distinguished by a red ear patch on the gill plate. The popular sunfish of the south are
great fun to catch and delicious on the dinner plate
. Redears are also found in parts of southern Missouri.
Where can I find redear sunfish?
Redear sunfish were originally found in the southeastern US from Texas north to a line even with southern Illinois and east to the Atlantic Ocean. As a result of introductions, the range has been expanded and now extends
west into New Mexico and north into Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania
.
How do you fish for shellcrackers?
Because shellcrackers aren’t particularly susceptible to lures, most anglers use
live bait
. Worms, grass shrimp and crickets are probably the top three in popularity, but waxworms, meal worms, leeches, catalpa worms and bits of crayfish tail or mussel meat also get their attention.
Why are redear sunfish called shellcracker?
Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) Fish Description
The redear sunfish is also called shellcrackers
because of their ability to eat a variety of shelled prey, such as snails and mussels
. They also eat algae, worms, small fish, and fish eggs.
What is the difference between a bluegill and a shellcracker?
Is a crappie a sunfish?
Bass and Crappies Are Actually Sunfish
They have more elongated bodies than other centrarchids and include the largest and most famous family member, the largemouth bass, as well as smallmouth bass, spotted bass, and several other species. Crappies belong to the genus Pomoxis.
Does bream spawn every full moon?
Expert bream anglers have a quick answer for that question, and the answer is
when the moon is full
. These anglers bet their success on the firm belief that the best bream fishing is done on that moon phase. If all the other conditions are right, a full moon pulls bream onto the beds where they are easy pickings.
What do bream eat?
Bream eat
small fish, crabs, prawns and worms and other small animals
that depend on healthy estuaries to flourish. Estuaries are the most vital habitat for bream.
How many eggs does a bream fish lay?
Reproduction of the Bream
Females lay
between 1 and 300,000 eggs
! It takes about a week for the eggs to hatch and the young fish, known as fry, to emerge.
What is the best bait for redear sunfish?
Rister said
meal worms and crickets
are the preferred live baits for redear sunfish, while red worms and crickets are tops for bluegills. The recommended strategy for both species is suspending the bait under a float.
How many eggs can a sunfish lay?
Sunfish can lay
up to 300,000,000 eggs at once
, more than any vertebrate. They generally hang out at depths of 160 to 650 feet, but can go much deeper on occasion. During the 1600s and 1700s, Mola mola was used as payment for taxes by Japanese shoguns.
What’s the biggest shellcracker ever caught?
The existing world-record shellcracker, which weighed
4 pounds and 10 ounces
, was caught in the same pond in May 1985.
What is the largest shellcracker ever caught?
It was five years ago — Feb. 16, 2014 — when angler Hector Brito set the existing world record with a
17-inch, 5.78-pound
shellcracker caught in Havasu on a nightcrawler.
