Warmouth

I found this guy a while back. He has more red than I've ever seen in a warmouth, so I thought I would share some pics.

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Edited by fishlvr, 26 October 2008 - 11:59 AM.

About 12 years ago in a rock quarry that got filled up back in the 50's i caught 2 fish kind of like this but they had the face of a bass (warmouth) near his face where colors of a green sunfish, his pectoral pelvic and anel fins where bright orange like a perch, his belly was a cream color, he was really soft to the touch and they loved worms. Does any one at all have any idea what these fish could have been?

What a great looking fish, dont understand the red highlights but ive found that if you feed a fish with red highlights, a lot of mysys shrimp it will enhance those colors.

About 12 years ago in a rock quarry that got filled up back in the 50's i caught 2 fish kind of like this but they had the face of a bass (warmouth) near his face where colors of a green sunfish, his pectoral pelvic and anel fins where bright orange like a perch, his belly was a cream color, he was really soft to the touch and they loved worms. Does any one at all have any idea what these fish could have been?

A Sunfish of some sort.
maybe this link will help.
i have also seen sunfish in rock quary that don't look like the normal pics posted here.
ok now i have done it.
here comes Irate Mormon



http://msucares.com/...tions/p1893.htm

http://www.springerl...g357126g6h580g/

That is a _very_ odd fish. Got any more photos of it?

That is a _very_ odd fish. Got any more photos of it?

Looks like the warmouth of Florida. More red than other warmouth.

That is a _very_ odd fish. Got any more photos of it?

No more pics ATM, but I can try to get some more. He's over-wintering outside, so I don't know how vibrant his color will be if I bring him in. I've caught 3 or 4 like this and if I can get a female (out of 10 or more I've caught in the past couple weeks, all males. ) I'm going to spawn them in a pond outside and see how the young turn out.

Looks like the warmouth of Florida. More red than other warmouth.

Are the ones from FL even more red than this?

Steve, I have been keeping up with your posts and I must say that is a nice lookin warmouth. Did you collect him in GA? I have yet to find any warmouth in the breek behind my folks' house in Athens, but I just wanted to know if you got him in our area.

Edited by UncleWillie, 28 October 2008 - 09:36 PM.

I've seen plenty of warmouth with varying amounts of red on them, but never with blue in that kind of pattern. I've seen them with bluish green markings, but not powder blue and not in that pattern. That's what I find unusual about it.

Mark

Here's one from Indiana with greenish spots:

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Mark

I've seen plenty of warmouth with varying amounts of red on them, but never with blue in that kind of pattern. I've seen them with bluish green markings, but not powder blue and not in that pattern. That's what I find unusual about it.

Mark

I have seen another color pattern variant / morph in a population of warmouth of southern Indiana (White River drainage). About one in twenty has a barring pattern not unlike that of the rockbass clan. I think it is genetic. The blotching pattern makes them look a little like a holstein cow. The greenish spot pattern we get in lab with animals (females most pronounced) getting a diet low in carotenoids. Otherwise spots would be yellow and in males orange to red.

Jim

Edited by centrarchid, 30 October 2008 - 08:34 AM.

They definitely are the chameleon of sunfishes. Each population seems to show a variant, and some are pretty extreme.

Edited by natureman187, 30 October 2008 - 08:48 AM.

They definitely are the chameleon of sunfishes. Each population seems to show a variant, and some are pretty extreme.

Some of my fish can change from the color pattern in the upper right to one of the others and back within seconds. The bland color pattern I associate with dominant warmouth.

One of mine used to bleach like that as well. I've only caught a few that looked like that though and normally before I can get the camera out they're dark again.

Natureman, you have a nice variety of warmouth shots there. Where did that first one come from? I wouldn't say that any of those are as unusual as the one that originated this thread. The light blotches are either arranged loosely in vertical bands or kind of randomly scattered. This is what I have seen before. The original photo by fishlvr, however, seems to have the blue spots on the body arranged in a loose, arching, horizontal pattern. Kind of like what you see in a lot of Haplochromine cichlids, not that I think there's any cichlid in it! I know it's subtle, but I still think it's strange.

Mark

Natureman, you have a nice variety of warmouth shots there. Where did that first one come from? I wouldn't say that any of those are as unusual as the one that originated this thread. The light blotches are either arranged loosely in vertical bands or kind of randomly scattered. This is what I have seen before. The original photo by fishlvr, however, seems to have the blue spots on the body arranged in a loose, arching, horizontal pattern. Kind of like what you see in a lot of Haplochromine cichlids, not that I think there's any cichlid in it! I know it's subtle, but I still think it's strange.

Mark

Mark, have you or anyone else seen photographs of warmouth from Florida? I understand they are different although I have yet to see any other than the juveniles (<2") we have in the lab. The source population of the fish starting this thread maybe in part derived from such a stock.

Thanks for the compliments guys.

Itsme: He's definitely an odd specimen. The second one I have with that much red doesn't have the powder blue speckles and "warpaint" like this one does. He's my pride and joy.

Natureman: Nice WM. I especially like the first photo.

UncleWillie: Yes, I caught this one right here in GA (Flint River drainage, Morrow, Clayton County, GA to be exact. ). Warmouth have just about out-competed the bluegill around here. I catch more of them than I do anything (besides bullheads).

Natureman, you have a nice variety of warmouth shots there. Where did that first one come from? I wouldn't say that any of those are as unusual as the one that originated this thread. The light blotches are either arranged loosely in vertical bands or kind of randomly scattered. This is what I have seen before. The original photo by fishlvr, however, seems to have the blue spots on the body arranged in a loose, arching, horizontal pattern. Kind of like what you see in a lot of Haplochromine cichlids, not that I think there's any cichlid in it! I know it's subtle, but I still think it's strange.

Mark

The first pic is the coloration of spawning males in a lake here in central IL. They turn black and metallic blue only while on beds.
All of mine have a similar pattern but differing colors. The warmouth that started this thread definitely is a complete different variant than anything I've seen with an unorganized mottled pattern unlike the bars I'm familiar with. Mark is your green spotted warmouths an isolated group or are all of them in IN have that pattern? The red fins may be a local strain - my green warmouth is from a clear running rocky creek in TN and they all had red caudal tips. I would also be interested to see how different florida warmouths are. It may shine some light on the unique pattern and maybe the red fins.

Who knows, we may end up having warmouth split into subspecies like longears and bluegill because of the vast regional variations.
I'm definitely proud of my baby. I'm hoping to get him to spawn next spring if I can ever find a local (I'm picky when it comes to my breeders coming from the same locality) female.