Bream (Sunfish)
Banded Sunfish
- A very small sunfish, banded sunfish live in a few weedy locations in the lower Coastal Plain.
Bluegill
- Alabama's most common sport fish, the bluegill has a long pointed pectoral fin that extends past the eye when bent forward; and the flexible ear flap is always black and as wide or wider than long.
Bluespotted Sunfish
- The tiny bluespotted sunfish are only found on the Coastal Plain, but they are abundant where found.
Dollar Sunfish
- Dollar sunfish look very similar to a longear sunfish, but dollar sunfish do not grow as large as longear sunfish, and the black ear flap of dollar sunfish have bluish green spots and a light green margin.
Flier
- The grayling of the South are often mistaken for a crappie because of their broad dorsal and anal fins; fliers are a small sunfish that like weedy and swampy areas and readliy take surface flies.
Green Sunfish
- Green sunfish are one of the first fish caught by kids in streams and ponds; voracious eaters, they rarely grow to large sizes.
Longear Sunfish
- Alabama's most beautiful game fish, longear sunfish are common in small to moderate flowing streams, rivers, reservoirs, and oxbow lakes. Spawning usually extends from March into August in Alabama.
Orangespotted Sunfish
- Smaller than but similar in appearance to the redear sunfish, the ear flaps of orangespotted sunfish do not have prominent red or orange spots.
Redbreast Sunfish
- Adult males are one of the prettiest sportfish in Alabama; redbreast sunfish are distinct in that their long narrow ear flaps are all black.
Redear Sunfish (Shellcracker)
- Redear sunfish (shellcracker) are prized by anglers because of their large size.
Redspotted Sunfish
- Redspotted sunfish are very similar to and hybridize with the more eastern spotted sunfish.
Rock Bass
- Rock bass are known as goggle-eye and are only found in the Tennessee Valley and northward; the similar shadow bass are found in the Mobile basin.
Shadow Bass
- Shadow bass are the southern version of rock bass; both of which are commonly known as goggle-eye.
Warmouth
- Warmouth are know locally as stumpknocker and goggle-eye, a name also used for rock bass and shadow bass.
Use of Bream for Bait
- Bream (sunfish) are the only game fish that may be used for bait.
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