I caught this in Boynton beach, Florida this afternoon.  I did "Google up" 'Florida Sunfish," but I can't figure out whether this is a Redbreast sunfish, or a Spotted sunfish.

 

I can promise you it’s NOT a redbreast sunfish. To me, it looks like a darker colored bluegill. 

What type of sunfish is this ?

I'm going with Dead.

A-Jay

Flier?

https://bassonline.com/freshwater-species/flier/

 

Thats a copperhead bluegill if you’re from Florida. Some people  call em “coppernose “.

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

What type of sunfish is this ?

I'm going with Dead.

A-Jay

It swam away very very healthfully when I released it.

Just your average bluegill

 

fish has a frown on his face ?

Looks like every bluegill I’ve caught in Florida.

Thanks for the replies.  I'm a new resident of the state.  The Bluegill and Sunfish that I've caught in new York State over the years have different colorings and I wasn't sure what this one was.

x2 on the coppernose. Look very similar to a regular bluegill. 

it's very typical for river drainages to have their own strains of fish species that vary in pattern and color from the strain across the next divide.  

None are more dramatically different than long-eared sunfish, which are on their spawning redds year-round here.  These are also the species that will readily hybridize with any Lepomis sp. female.  

Here are a few examples all within the Texas hill country.  

Especially west, they're used to being the baddest boys on the block, and hooked up, will flare their gills and shake their bodies to scare you.  

 

West - Nueces River

West - Seco creek (isolated by aquifer recharge - the creek disappears into the ground)

West - Frio River

central - Guadalupe river

east - San Gabriel river

2 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

it's very typical for river drainages to have their own strains of fish species that vary in pattern and color from the strain across the next divide.  

None are more dramatically different than long-eared sunfish, which are on their spawning redds year-round here.  These are also the species that will readily hybridize with any Lepomis sp. female.  

Here are a few examples all within the Texas hill country.  

Especially west, they're used to being the baddest boys on the block, and hooked up, will flare their gills and shake their bodies to scare you.  

 

West - Nueces River

West - Seco creek (isolated by aquifer recharge - the creek disappears into the ground)

West - Frio River

central - Guadalupe river

east - San Gabriel river

This is slightly off topic, but within the next few years get ready for the longear sunfish to be broken up into several different individual species (not subspecies like the northern bluegill and coppernose bluegill). From my understanding the research is basically done and it's now just a matter of time until the researchers decide to publish. 

Looks like a coppernose to me.

On 2/6/2021 at 3:44 PM, Pkfish49 said:

I caught this in Boynton beach, Florida this afternoon.  I did "Google up" 'Florida Sunfish," but I can't figure out whether this is a Redbreast sunfish, or a Spotted sunfish.

 

The fish you show in this picture is a copperhead bluegill. I have caught many of them including some over 2 pounds in South Florida. There are also northern bluegill and painted bluegill in the Florida panhandle.

On 2/6/2021 at 9:31 PM, Born 2 fish said:

Looks like every bluegill I’ve caught in Florida.

There are at least 3 types of bluegill in Florida and many other species of sunfish.

On 2/6/2021 at 10:42 PM, Pkfish49 said:

Thanks for the replies.  I'm a new resident of the state.  The Bluegill and Sunfish that I've caught in new York State over the years have different colorings and I wasn't sure what this one was.

The bluegill you catch in New York are northern bluegill.

On 2/6/2021 at 5:00 PM, A-Jay said:

What type of sunfish is this ?

I'm going with Dead.

A-Jay

My guess is Bluegill.