Texas Fish Species: Longear Sunfish

 Like many of the sunfish family, Longears are deep bodied fish with small mouths. Their name comes from the long ear flap. Longears are native to eastern North America stretching from the Great Lakes to northeastern Mexico. These beautiful sunfishes have a dorsal fin with 10 to 12 rays and the anal fin has three spines and nine or ten rays. Back and sides are typically olive to brown, turning yellowish orange on underside. Breeding males are brilliantly colored with the red and blue coloration. Females are less intensely colored and a shorter ear flap.  A smallish fish, they seldom get much over 7 inches.
 
Densely vegetated, shallow waters in lakes, ponds, and sluggish streams are their preferred habitat.   Its diet can include insects, aquatic invertebrates, and small fish. Like bluegill, Longears for spawning colonies, just not as large. Spawning sites are typically shallow and on a gravel substrate near cover. They may spawn multiple times throughout the summer when temperatures over seventy.  Nests may contain over 20,000 eggs and are zealously guarded by the males.   
 
 Newly hatched fry feed on plankton and microscopic animals. As they grow and approach adulthood, larger insects, crustaceans, and even small fish become part of their diet.
While not monsters of the fishing world, on ultra-light tackle, with small baits they offer fast paced action and fun for young and old alike.