February 26, 2020 Outdoors Guide 27 PANFISH: Scrappers are great sport just about anywhere FROM PAGE 26 look somewhat like a hybrid streams with moderate between a black crappie and flow. Green sunfish can peaks in May. a bluegill. Also called gog- weigh more than a pound. Redears sometimes hit gle-eye, these thick, dark fish Redbreast sunfish can also floating poppers, but more with red eyes love swamps, weigh more than a pound commonly feed near the shallow weedy lakes, slug- and mostly live in the bottom. In deeper water, gish streams or canals with Choctawhatchee, Coosa and slow-roll beetle spinners thick vegetation and soft, Tallapoosa river systems. just off the bottom. Also, try muddy bottoms. A war- Redspotted sunfish also diminutive crankbaits that mouth may weigh more than occur in the Tennessee, resemble crawfish, small two pounds, but few reach Perdido, Coosa and Mobile fish or insects. a pound. With their large River drainages. Although redears occur mouths, warmouth also hit Many young anglers Photo by John N. Felsher throughout Alabama, they spinners, including bass- began to fish by catching predominately live in the sized ones. They also hit bluegills and other panfish southern part of the state. plastic worms, crankbaits in park ponds. Today, nov- They can withstand higher and other lures. ice anglers and seasoned salinity levels than other Photo by John N. Felsher Anglers can also catch veterans alike can both still panfish species. For the best Panfish variety: From top other panfish species. Fliers enjoy catching bluegills redear action, head to the are a bluegill, redear sunfish, look similar to crappie, but and other species in many rivers, creeks and backwa- also called a shellcracker, and typically weigh less than state-managed public fishing ters in the Mobile-Tensaw a redspotted sunfish. half a pound. Like war- lakes throughout Alabama. Delta. People without a boat mouth, fliers like oxbow For more information on can fish from the banks or lakes and other weedy south Alabama public fishing piers at Live Oak Landing that loves the weedy waters Alabama backwaters. lakes, see www.outdooral- on the Tensaw River near of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta Known for their long, abama.com/where-fish-ala- Stockton. or lower Alabama and Tom- narrow black “ear flaps,” bama/alabama-public-fish- Another popular panfish bigbee rivers, warmouth longear sunfish prefer ing-lakes-pfls. BUZZ IN FOR THESE GREAT DEALS & MORE
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