Lake Ouachita Bream

Other Names:
Black perch
 
• Habitat:
  Can be found in any pond, lake, or stream that is capable of supporting fish life Often found in pools and backwaters of streams that become isolated and stagnant during the summer or drought
• Average Size of Adults:
  6 to 8 inches. Maximum size of 10 inches and 1 pound
• Food:
  Carnivorous, feeding on insects, crayfish and small fish
• Most Active:
  Throughout daylight hours
• Identifying Characteristics:
  
  Thick-bodied sunfish with a large mouth, the upper jaw extending to about the middle of the eye. Back and sides are bluish-green, grading to pale yellow or white on the belly. Black vertical bars are sometimes evident on the sides. Blue mottlings and streaks are present on the side of the head. Pelvic fins in breeding males are white or pink; and the tail and anal and dorsal fins are tipped with white or salmon-pink.
• Interesting Facts:
  Most widely distributed fish in Arkansas, at least a few occur in every body of water capable of supporting fish life
  Hybrids of the green sunfish and bluegill have become popular with anglers, and are often stocked in small ponds to provide exciting fishing for kids.

Other Names:
Pumpkinseed, creek perch, sun perch, sunnie, green meanie

• Habitat:
  Abundant in Arkansas waters. Avoids strong currents and is found in pools, inlets and overflow waters adjacent to the stream channel.
• Average Size of Adults:
  5 to 6 inches; maximum size 7 inches and 4.5 ounces
• Food:
  Carnivorous, feeding on insects, small crustaceans and some small fish
• Most Active:
  Daylight hours
• Identifying Characteristics:
  Deep and slab-sided sunfish with a moderate-sized mouth, the upper jaw nearly reaching the front of the eye Back and sides are blue-green speckled with yellow and emerald; the belly is yellow or orange. Side of head is olive or light orange with sky-blue vermiculations Elongated ear flap is black and often bordered in white.
• Interesting Facts:
  Despite its small size, the longear sunfish is an important panfish in Ozark streams because of its abundance and willingness to bite.

Other Names: Shellcracker, bream, stumpknocker

• Average Size of Adults:
  8 to 10.5 inches and 6.5 to 12 ounces. Maximum size of more than 12 inches and more than 4 pounds
• Lifespan:
  6 years
• Habitat:
  Does best in warm, clear waters with no noticeable current and an abundance of aquatic plants In streams, it prefers protected bays and overflow pools and avoids the main channel.
• Food:
  Carnivorous, feeding primarily on snails and other mollusks
• Most Active:
  Daylight hours
• Identifying Characteristics:
  Deep and slab-sided sunfish with a small-sized mouth, the upper jaw not reaching past the front of the eye Back and sides are golden or light olive-green. Belly is yellow or orange-yellow. Sides often have dark, vertical bars. Ear flap is black with a whitish border and a prominent orange or red spot.
• Interesting Facts:
  Stocked in many small ponds and fish hatcheries to control the spread of certain aquatic parasites. Redear prey upon aquatic snails, which are an important link in the lifecycles of certain aquatic parasites. Most closely related to bluegill, green and other sunfishes

Other Names:
bream,brim,

• Average Size of Adults:
  6 to 9.5 inches and 0.5 to 0.75 pounds. Maximum size of 11 inches and 1 pound.
   
• Lifespan:
  4 to 6 years
• Habitat:
  Lowland lakes, artificial impoundments of all sizes, permanent pools of streams, and the quiet backwaters of large rivers Thrives in warm, moderately clear waters with little or no current.
• Food:
  Carnivorous, feeding primarily on insects, but also on small crustaceans and small fish.
• Most Active:
  Daylight Hours.
• Identifying Characteristics:
  Deep and slab-sided sunfish with a small-sized mouth, the upper jaw not reaching past the front of the eye. Back and sides are dark olive-green with emerald and brassy reflections.Breast and belly are yellow or reddish-orange.
  Sides often have dark, vertical bars.Chin and lower part of the gill cover are blue, and the ear flap is entirely black.
• Interesting Facts:
  One of the most popular panfishes in North America and puts up a vigorous fight when hooked. Most closely related to green, redear, and other sunfishes.

Other Names:
Warmouth Bass Warmouth are members of the sunfish family, which includes the largemouth bass. They are also known by more colorful local names such as redeye, goggle-eye, red-eyed bream, stump knocker, mudgapper, mo-mouth, morgan, molly, rock bass, open mouth, weed bass, wood bass, strawberry "perch" and mud bass.

• Description:
  The warmouth is somewhat larger than either rock bass or green sunfish (with which it is often confused) but very similar otherwise in that it is large-mouthed and heavy-bodied. Adult warmouth are dark, with mottled brown coloration. Their belly is generally golden, and males have a bright orange spot at the base of the dorsal fin. Three to five reddish-brown streaks radiate from the eyes, and the gill flaps are often red. Warmouth have three spines in the anal fin, 10 spines in the dorsal fin, and small teeth are present on the tongue. These fish range in size from 4 to10 inches , but can grow to more than 12 inches , and weigh up to 2.25 pounds
• History:
  Young warmouth feed on zooplankton and small insects. Adults feed on insects, mollusks, and small fish. Their predators include larger fish, water snakes, turtles, and herons. Warmouth reach sexual maturity at 3 to 4 inches and spawn in the spring, when water temperatures reach 71° F, and continuing through the summer. Males construct a disc-shaped nest by fanning their tails and removing silt and debris over nesting site. Nests are made in 1.5 to 4 feet of water near a stump, clump of vegetation or other large, submerged object. Females produce 4,000 to 63,000 eggs during spawning season. After an incubation period of three days, the young hatch. The fry leave the nest five to six days after hatching and grow to 1 to 2 inches by the fall.
  
  Warmouth are quite secretive. They seek cover in rocky banks, stumps or weeds, or near other large objects, where they can hide and wait for food. They are sight feeders. When in breeding condition, the males' eyes turn red. After the female lays her eggs, the male fertilizes the eggs and aggressively defends the nest, eggs and fry from any intruder-including other females. Warmouth crossbreed with bluegill and green sunfish. They can survive in polluted, low oxygenated waters where other sunfish cannot. Warmouth are often confused with rock bass. The difference between the two is in the anal fin: warmouth have three spines on the anal fin ray and rock bass have six spines.
• Habitat:
  Lakes, ponds, swamps, and quiet areas of streams with muddy bottoms and vegetation are preferred habitat for the warmouth.
• Distribution:
  Warmouth are found in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins, from western Pennsylvania to Minnesota, south to the Gulf of Mexico; and the Atlantic and Gulf drainages from the Rappahannock River in Virginia to the Rio Grande in Texas and New Mexico.