Spawning Redear

[everythingthatswims]

I found a ridiculous school of spawning redear when I was bass fishing today, so I went home, got my ultralight, and went back with some worms. There were at least 500 of them in a 30'x30' area, I've never seen anything like it before. In an hour and 15 minutes I caught 27 redear and 17 bluegill, most of the time I was pulling the bait away from the bluegill when I saw them trying to eat it. The redear were surprisingly difficult to catch, nothing like spawning bluegill. They would mouth the bait and spit it before I could set the hook most of the time. I don't think any of them were under 8", most were between 9 and 10", and I did get one that was a hair over the 11" Virginia citation size. 

This was the coolest looking one I caught

And here's the big one 11"

[N Florida Mike]

Nice catch.I love shellcrackers.I caught around 30 0ne time in about 1/2 hr. In the st johns river.They were all caught under an old broken down dock.with worms.They pick up the worm and swim with it like a bass.Biggest one I ever caught was 11 1/2 inches long and 11 inches around.

[lakeannaangler]

Those are some nice fish! Last week I caught one that was a hair under 12 inches

[slonezp]

First one is uuuuugly! Wonder if it is some strange hybrid. Maybe 1/2 redear 1/2 Frankenstein.

 

[the reel ess]

Pretty fish. There's a large pond I go to that has a landing. They spawn on the gravel at the landing every spring. Shellcrackers are pretty hard to catch the rest of the year. But they'll bite in plain sight when spawning.