FISHBUOY Pro Fishing App for North Americal Anglers
FISHBUOY Pro Fishing App for North Americal Anglers

PUMPKINSEED

How to identify a Pumpkinseed Sunfish

Pumpkinseed sunfish have a flat, disk-shaped body with a small mouth and an upper jaw that stops just under the eye pupil. The gill cover has an inflexible rear edge and short, thick rakers on the first arch. The front dorsal fin is spiny and the pectoral fin is long and pointed and can be extended past the eye when bent forward.Its color ranges from olive-green to brown, yellow, green and blue on the top and sides. The breast and belly are usually a light color such as cream, white or yellow and occasionally orange.

Where to catch Pumpkinseed Sunfish

Pumpkinseed sunfish can be found in shallow areas with cool to warm water. They are common in farm ponds, small lakes and weedy bays of larger bodies of fresh water. They are also found in upper reaches of creeks and rivers. They are commonly found around cover such as aquatic vegetation or submerged brush and are seldom found in open water. The greatest concentrations of pumpkinseed sunfish are found in the northeastern region of the United States. They are rarely or never found in the south-central or southwestern United States.Groups of young pumpkinseed sunfish school close to shore in substantial numbers in shallow, protected areas but adults tend to travel in groups of 2-4 in slightly deeper yet still covered waters. Pumpkinseed sunfish are more likely than other sunfish to be found in moving water.This species of sunfish are active throughout the day, but will often rest at night near the bottom of the water column or in protected areas in rocks or near submerged logs. They sometimes show a preference for a home range and will remain close to particular areas of a pond or lake. Even when fish are captured and released into a different part of a pond or lake, a significant percentage of them will return to their original location.

IDENTIFICATION

How to Identify a Pumpkinseed
 1 Upper jaw stops just under the eye pupil

 2 Orange-red spot on black gill cover

 3 Long, spiny dorsal fin

TARGET AREAS

  • Cliffs and Steep Shore Banks
  • Inlets and Outlets
  • Islands or Sand Bars
  • Open Water
  • Piers, Docks and Pilings
  • Rocks
  • Spring Holes
  • Walkways and Bridges
  • Freshwater Lakes and Ponds
  • Inside Turns and Coves
  • Lily Pads
  • Overhanging Trees and Bushes
  • Points and Break Lines
  • Shoreline Shallows
  • Sunken Objects
  • Freshwater Weed Beds

 

Acknowledgements:  We thank TAKEMEFISHING.org (www.takemefishing.org), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for their contributions to these FISH FACTS.

  • WEATHER

    ALL NEW chart provides you with the ability to check out weather, wind and moon phase conditions.

Real-Time Weather Data for Anglers
  • LAKE MAPS

    Plan for places to fish with detailed lake contour maps by Navionics (Uses your existing Navionics app login)

Real-Time Weather Data for Anglers 8
  • MARINE

    Before you head out on the water, make sure to check out real-time NOAA marine buoy data.

Real-Time Marine Buoy Data
  • GAUGE DATA

    Watch river and reservoir water levels, flow rates, temps and even turbidity across North America.

Real-Time Water Gauge Data
  • LOGGING

    Automatically log your catch details every time you take a photo.

Fish Catch Digital Logs
  • GALLERY

    Conveniently search your fish photos using species and date range filters.

Manage and control your fishing history in one place!
  • TRIP STATS

    View your top three fish species, lures and bait colors at the end of your trip.

Post-Trip Personal Fishing Stats
  • DERBIES

    Create private events, invite competitors to join, share live feeds of your fishing derbies!

Fishing Derbies and Event Management
  • LOGGING

    Quickly add fish details to your photo - select from fish species, size, lure and primary lure color.

Fish Data Entry
  • WEIGHT

    Automatically estimate fish weight.  Simply measure the fishes length and girth to see the resulting weight.

Fish Weight Estimator
  • FISH ID

    The Fish Identification Tool was designed to help anglers correctly identify freshwater and saltwater sports fish.

Fish Identification Tool
  • LURE COLOR

    The Lure Color/Depth Tool was designed to help anglers pick the best lure color based on depth.

Lure Color Depth Tool

More than just a photo.

Anglers now have the ability to automatically log fish catches with a single photo.  Why wouldn't you?

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