One of the lakes I usually fish has a nice population of Green Sunfish.  In my book they're the bass of the panfish world! Very vicious little sunfish, though, they tear up my plastic grubs and get snagged in plugs much too big for them to eat.  In my oppinion they fight just as hard or harder than Bluegill or Pumpkinseed Sunfish.  I'd like to know if anyone has any tips or tricks for catching Green Sunfish.  Also, the lake I fish for them in is extremely clear with a relatively sandy bottom and lots of vegetation.

The Classic Michigander 

Posted By tekellJ on 22 Aug 2010 04:45 PM
Small (or sometimes BIG, see below) crankbaits

The Classic Michigander 

They look good to eat. Has any one tried these fish?

They eat just fine. Good candidates for catch and release into grease.


Posted By bassmasterbk on 04 Sep 2010 09:32 AM

They look good to eat. Has any one tried these fish?

Posted By mr bill on 04 Sep 2010 08:09 PM
1 of the nice things about green sunfish is even thou they are small in length they are thick in body

Posted By slipperybob on 05 Sep 2010 04:04 PM
Green Sunfish are extremely weed and structure orientated fish. They simply don't cruise around. They merely just sit there and dart out to eat and dart back into their hiding spot. They really don't provide any competition for Bluegill or Baby Bass. Bluegill and Baby Bass have a totally different method for foraging. You usually find them in small schools and they tend to do more roaming around in the more open water next to the weeds. It's a definitive boundary between the majority of the species prefered habitat and foraging methods. If there was food swimming around the bluegills and baby bass will get first dibs on it. The green sunfish needs the larger mouth to sneak in afterwards to steal whatever scraps are left.

By far the most important fact is regarding fresh pond stocking of fingerlings/fries.  While I appreciate the opposing fact, but about the only thing that clears up is a narrow ecosystem of pond stocking.  A pond in Ohio does not reflect a pond elsewhere.  If a lake is such that has abundant shallowness of weed and structure suitable for the Green Sunfish, then yes they will out compete your brood of Bluegill and Baby Bass.  If the lake has a deep water ecosystem that supports the movement of Bluegill and Bass into deep water or openwater during the warmer summer months where Green Sunfish don't move into.  Then there is a clear separation of foraging.  Thus the Green Sunfish cannot compete for that food source, else they being small will become food for the larger predators of the more open water variety.  Furthermore the reason why some panfish move out to openwater is to avoid predation by the lake's top predator.  Those Green Sunfish are food.

I've heard many people complain about Green Sunfish outcompeteing other species, but those people merely don't know about openwater fishing for panfish out in the middle of the lake, nor are they aware of finding Bass schooling in deep water either structure oriented or roaming the expanse after open water forage species.  Even from shorefishing, if I'm catching Green Sunfish in the shallows and want to catch something else, I go straight to the open water and many times I find openwater Bluegills or Pumpkinseeds.  Never a Green Sunfish out there.  If they're out there, those Bluegills or Pumpkinseeds are getting first dibs, long before I can retrieve my lure close enough to shoreline structures or weeds for any Green Sunfish.

Posted By slipperybob on 17 Nov 2010 01:07 AM
...and when you're not quite done with the squid head, you use it for catfish bait.