Unknown fish!

[killakella]

Hello everyone, I was fishing in a small lake in eastern Kansas today when I caught what looks like a bluegill, but it has the largest mouth of any bluegill I've ever seen. The lip was toothy just like a largemouth bass, is it possible this is some sort of bass/bluegill hybrid or is this just a type of bluegill I've never seen?

[flipinstick88]

Looks like a green sunfish to me.

[fatmanslim247]

I have caught those and i will agree with flipin

[Needemp]

Definitely a green sunfish. They do compete with smaller bass for food, but they are typically too small to have a negative impact. They are great for using for live bait for bass and catfish. They are also great for kids. Almost any water anywhere (at least here in the midwest) will have an abundance of them. For kids, all you need is a very small hook and a small piece of worm (or a small piece of hot dog skin) and put it directly in front of any rock, log or seawall and they will come out and grab it with lightening speed. My 11 year old and I compete to see who can catch the most. We have caught a total of 70 in an hour and a half before. Kids love them.

[BIG M]

Green sunfish, my local lakes are full of them.  

[Red]

I have never seen a sunfish with a mouth like that on it!!  Is that common for a green sunfish?

[aa_wiscfan]

Yep! All green sunfish have a mouth about twice the size of a similar sized bluegill. They're fun to catch i agree, they also have a weird texture to their flesh. It's sort of rubbery squishy like, nothing else like it.  

[Koop]

Neat, I have never seen a green sunfish.  Looks like it is a crappie / sunfish cross.

[Fastbasser]

Nope, it's a Warmouth or the slang term, "goggle eye"

[405z06]

Nope, it's a Warmouth or the slang term, "goggle eye"

That's not a goggle eye. At least not in Missouri. Here is what we call a goggle eye:

[Needemp]

That's not a goggle eye. At least not in Missouri. Here is what we call a goggle eye:

Absolutely right 405z06. A Green Sunfish is not a Warmouth.

http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/Nonnative_FW_GreenSunfish.htm

Warmouth- Chaenobryttus gulosus Common Names - warmouth bass, warmouth perch, goggle-eye, redeye and goggle-eyed perch. Description - The warmouth closely resembles a bass or a bream. It has a stout, deep body similar to that of a bluegill or redear sunfish, yet has a large bass-like mouth. The red eye and large mouth are the first conspicuous field marks of mature warmouth. They vary from brassy to dark-olive green and often have a purple tint overall.

Green Sunfish- Lepomis cyanellus Description: A slender bodied bream with a maximum depth that is less than the distance from the snout to the origin of the dorsal (most sunfish are deeper bodied). Mouth relatively large, extending to the middle of the eye. Color is blue-green on back with mottled yellow green streaks. Gill cover is dark but has a light yellowish margin as does the edge of the fins.

[skillet]

 Fastbasser, here in the Mid-South our goggle eye might have a body shape like that (maybe thicker) but the mouth is a lot larger. Color is a lot more brown and they have these turquoise lines radiating from their mouth. Pretty fish and put on a great fight...

skillet