Only 8" but nice and bright blues and orange. Pic doesnt do it justice.

Also had a 10" PS and BG that were not quite as colorful.

They hit a Rapala Scatter Rap crank in Bluegill. The bream , bass, perch, cats, and crappie have been loving that bait. Even got two 20+ pound grass carp on it.

 

 

 

That's a pretty fish right there!

That's a male longear sunfish in full spawning garb. They're pretty little fish and can be very protective when they're guarding their nest, which is probably why he attacked such a large bait!

Thanks for the info. Someone else said it was a Longear.

Pretty fish! I have a lot of those longears in my local pond. I think it's interesting to see the variations in colors that the fish gain during different times of the year. Another lure that works is the Zoom Fluke in green black fleck. When I'm bored, I go down there and either slay them on the fly rod or on the fluke! Nice fish though!

This is about as colorful as they get here. Extremely red fins, shiny, blue heads. Caught this one today.

 

Nice. Looks like a skirt I made

 

This is about as colorful as they get here. Extremely red fins, shiny, blue heads. Caught this one today.

Now that is a pumpkinseed. That is about as good of flathead bait as there is out there. They get big like a bluegill but stay alive on the hook like a green sunfish but they don't try to swim under rocks like a greenie. They look pretty similar to a longear except they have a bigger mouth like a green sunfish and the "ear" flap (black tab on the gill) is short like a bluegills. 

Now that is a pumpkinseed. That is about as good of flathead bait as there is out there. They get big like a bluegill but stay alive on the hook like a green sunfish but they don't try to swim under rocks like a greenie. They look pretty similar to a longear except they have a bigger mouth like a green sunfish and the "ear" flap (black tab on the gill) is short like a bluegills. 

Haha! I wouldn't have known the difference. I really don't fish with live bait much. Might have to give it a try sometime. 

That's a male longear sunfish in full spawning garb. They're pretty little fish and can be very protective when they're guarding their nest, which is probably why he attacked such a large bait!

thanks that explains why one of those close to two pounds grabbed my swimbait when i was bass fishing.

thanks that explains why one of those close to two pounds grabbed my swimbait when i was bass fishing.

Better go back and catch that sucker! Pretty sure the world record is just over a pound and a half. 

Nice!

Nice color on that fish

The OP's fish is a redbreasted sunfish. Longears have a white line on the edge of the "ear": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Longear_sunfish.jpg

 

The one posted in reply is a green sunfish.

 

I know a redbreasted when I see one because those spawning males are very pretty and they are great eating too haha.