General description of fish
The common sunfish (sunny or Californian perch, kingfish) belongs to a species of ray-finned fish of the perciformes family. This is a small fish, barely reaching the size of the palm of an adult. The lack of size is generously compensated by the bright colors of the scales. The body is yellow-golden in color on the abdomen and bright turquoise on the back. The turquoise color is interspersed with many dark dots, which create a kind of speck. Olive, orange and reddish spots are also found on the body.
The fins on the back are grayish-yellow, under the gills and on the belly they are bright yellow. The rays of the dorsal fin are equipped with spiny tips. The mouth is medium in size, lips have a bluish tint, and small teeth. The body is wide, sometimes with a rounded abdomen. The caudal fin has a small notch. During spawning, males have the most saturated colors. The general appearance and coloring are much brighter than any other species of fish living in the reservoirs of Ukraine. Perch reaches sexual maturity at 12-15 months.
Habitat
The king's homeland is fresh water bodies of the North American continent. Here it prefers to inhabit slow-flowing rivers, stays in the upper layers of water among vegetation, and often stands in one place for a long time. In Ukraine it can be found in rivers with similar parameters. Schools of sunfish “graze” in shallow water under the shade of overhanging trees, in thickets of algae. They rarely go out into the open.
In winter, the kingfish stays in the lower layers of water, where it leads a passive lifestyle. In our reservoirs the water temperature is suitable for it; a Californian can easily overwinter in Ukrainian lakes and rivers even in a harsh winter. At the same time, the fish harms other inhabitants of the reservoir, and therefore is considered a weed species that poses a threat to endemic species.
What does it feed on
The sunflower eats all types of small live food that it can find in its natural environment. These are small crustaceans, leeches, worms, larvae, eggs and fry of other fish. As bait, the fish willingly takes maggots, crawlers and small earthworms. They feed it with food bloodworms.
In artificial reservoirs, sunfish take all types of dry food offered and happily eat live aquarium bloodworms. An earthworm may also be present in its diet. Small amounts of sunfish are given as food for herbivorous fish. You can offer your pets boiled pearl barley and rice.
Fishing Features
Many people believe that the best season for catching sunfish is during the spawning season. During this period, the fish are clearly visible in shallow water. But if the moment is missed, and the American bass goes deeper, then determining its location becomes much more difficult. In this case, complementary feeding helps a lot. Those who purposefully go fishing for sunfish, before starting fishing, walk along the shore and throw a little bloodworm into the water. Feeding simply collects a huge amount of potential prey, and bites begin to follow after casting. Fishing with silicone bait is not recommended, since the mouth of the sunfish is very small, and it is difficult for the fish to swallow even inch twisters.
Fishing in winter
When there are sharp bites in winter, the fisherman has to very often put the next bait on the hook. Therefore, for more intensive fishing from ice at such “hot” spots, bait is better suited, which will attract the sun perch with its smell, as well as taste and game. Another prerequisite is that the bait stays well on the hook.
In the middle of winter, the sun perch sometimes takes it so carefully that the angler often does not notice the bite. In some cases, the fish, having taken the bait, rises up with it
Therefore, experienced fishermen must distinguish even the weakest bites in order to make a reliable hook.
It is better to catch perch in a darkened tent or “closely”, shading the hole with something. This makes it possible to clearly see what is happening under the ice layer. And if the water is also clear, then you can even see the fish swallowing the bait. If the bait is at a considerable depth or the reservoir is already cloudy, then, most likely, it will not be possible to observe such a picture. However, if you take a bait with a very bright color, it is possible to notice when it disappears.
Read How to catch bream and what baits to use for effective fishing
When fishing for sunfish from the ice, the float is difficult to follow, so many anglers install a flashlight. If you raise the light source high, the hole will be better visible, regardless of the power, be it a small candle or a very large lantern. And the play of light and shine of the gear will attract fish such as sunfish.
Where did the sun perch come from in our reservoirs?
As for the ways in which sunfish get into domestic water bodies, there are two versions on this matter. According to one of them, the fish was first brought from America to Europe. There it served as decoration for artificial reservoirs in the palaces and parks of the local nobility, and then was introduced into natural reservoirs. From there, the fish entered the Danube and took root in the lower reaches of rivers flowing into the northwestern part of the Black Sea.
Speaking about the second version, it should be mentioned that the kinglet is a familiar fish for many aquarists. Perches in an aquarium look decorative, so they are often kept as pets. Perhaps the perch was released into the wild by irresponsible aquarists. A careless experiment by lovers of aquarium exotics has led to the fact that today the alien has confidently settled into the rivers of Ukraine and has begun to displace local species: pike, perch, ruffe, roach and others.
Reproduction
During the spawning period, the Sunny Perch's character changes dramatically. He becomes aggressive and territorial. Each male in the spawning area occupies a certain territory. With its lower lobe and caudal fin, it digs a hole in the ground up to 5 cm deep. The male fiercely guards his nest from other males. Drives all other fish away from him, including females. If the aquarium is not too large and the nests of several males are close to each other, then fights often occur. After constructing the nest, the male begins to push the female towards it. He circles her, gets close, and then they circle together. At this time, eggs are laid. The female then swims away, and he continues to guard his nest like a watchman. After a few minutes, the process of circling and laying eggs is repeated. Over the period of several such waltzes, the female Sunny Perch lays up to 300 eggs. Its small eggs stick to the pebbles. After spawning, the male completely loses interest in the female and drives her away from the nest.
The spawning process is interesting when there is one female and several males. All males build nests, but spawning occurs only in the nest of the strongest. Just like the Turkish Sultan...
After spawning, he takes care of the eggs. With strong movements of its fins, it increases the movement of water in the area where the eggs are located, thus clearing the nest of impurities and unfertilized eggs. Hatching of the larvae occurs after 2-3 days at water temperatures up to 24°. The larvae are very small. On the sixth day the fry appear. They leave the nest. The male father makes attempts to return the fry to the nest, but to no avail. It should be removed from the spawning grounds.
The fry should be fed live dust. Young Sun Perches eat a lot. But they grow slowly and unevenly. Therefore, from the age of two months, it is better to sort them into groups by size. The fry begin to show the color of adult fish as early as three months. Full color and resemblance to adults appears in young animals at 7-8 months. By the age of one year, Sun Perches become sexually mature. They can already be propagated.
The sun perch was first brought to Russia in 1965. Their homeland is North America.
They first appeared in Europe, where in 1877. Soon the sunfish began to breed in ponds, and once in the Danube, they settled in the lower reaches of rivers flowing into the northwestern part of the Black Sea region. The sun perch's excellent adaptability to changing living conditions has allowed them to become quite widespread throughout the waters of Europe.
The sun perch reaches a length of 15 to 30 cm. The male is brighter in color and has a black spot with a red border on the gill cover. In the female, the edging is usually absent or weakly expressed.
Sun perch continue to spread today. This is also facilitated by the fact that the fish reaches sexual maturity by the age of one year. Males actively guard a clutch of more than three hundred eggs.
Currently, this fish of the perch family is found even on the middle reaches of the Dnieper. Almost all rivers and even reservoirs in Ukraine are rich in it. It easily tolerates significant increases and decreases in water temperature and can easily overwinter in a pond covered with ice.
Read: Winter fishing for pike perch and choosing suitable gear
American sunfish can be caught in Ukraine all year round. But it bites especially well in sunny weather. Apparently, this is how it got its original name. Living in rivers or lakes, sunfish always stay close to the shore. Accordingly, it is easier to detect it there than in the middle of the river. Preferring shallow depths - up to a maximum of two meters, sun perch moves in small schools, keeping the direction either along the cut of the grass or along the coastal edge. The fish seems to be patrolling its territory. In such a place, sunfish are caught easily and quickly. And some flocks, even occupying a certain area, do not leave it for a long time. Most often this is a place under bushes or overhanging trees, as well as a clearing in algae or reeds.
Can sunfish be eaten?
Anglers wondering what sunfish are and whether they can be eaten need not worry. The king is edible. It has tender white meat with a mild, pleasant taste. For culinary purposes, it can be used in any form: boiling, frying, drying, steaming and drying. The only obstacle to consumption for food purposes is the size of the catch. The sunflower is so small that it rarely gets into the frying pan. Like other small fish, it is most often dried whole and used as a snack for beer.
Tackle for catching sunfish
Despite the fact that the kingfish is not of industrial interest, it is a valuable trophy for sports fishing enthusiasts. Perch exhibits interesting fishing behavior and can give real pleasure to any fisherman. The king actively takes the prey, greedily pounces on it and quickly swallows it. Active bites begin immediately after the predator sees the bait. Due to the fact that it often stays in shallow water and rarely goes to a depth exceeding 2 m, provided the water is clear, the attack of fish on the bait can be easily observed from the shore.
The sunfish has a medium-sized mouth, so a hook No. 8-10 is selected for fishing. You can fish with a float, a spoon, and in some cases with a donk. If the use of these tackles does not give the desired result, try jigs. This option is appropriate when fishing from open water and winter ice fishing.
As for the geography of distribution of the species, sunfish are not yet found in all rivers of Ukraine. You need to catch perch there, where the sunfish lives; it is now found in the southern and eastern regions of the country. But it is possible that it will soon spread everywhere.
If we talk about a good time for fishing, then the predator is most active during spawning (early spring) and in the autumn season. Although, if the fisherman managed to find a school of fish in a pond, then after a little bait it will not be difficult to whet the fish’s appetite even in winter.
A warm, quiet summer day is also a good time to catch a kingling. As bait, you can use not only live bait, but also artificial imitation slugs and worms. Fishermen often release their catch after fishing, but as for the sunfish, this outcome is not always successful for it. When pulling the hook out of the mouth, the fisherman injures the larynx and esophagus of the fish. Injuries are most often fatal to this small creature, and when released back into the pond, it quickly dies.
Whether to be sad about this or, conversely, consider it good luck is the choice of everyone who comes to fish in a pond. Still, we should not forget that this alien poses a great threat to the fauna of local rivers and lakes.
What do perch bite on?
Focusing on the predator’s propensity for the animal component of its diet, it is necessary to choose bait based on this position. The factor of high aggressiveness of fish makes it possible to successfully use artificial imitations of food, both visually similar to food items and causing vibration and sound vibrations that tempt the fish to attack. You can catch perch using inert baits of animal origin and live fry of various species of fish that live side by side with the predator. The use of artificial baits comes down to the use of spinners, wobblers and silicone. Let us take a closer look at the analysis of nozzles of various types and compositions.
Artificial baits
Artificial baits are mainly used in catching large perch. The primacy here is given to shallow-water wobblers such as minnows and crankbaits, with a high-frequency, not sweeping game. In areas free of underwater vegetation, small spinners are used, as well as silicone vibrating tails and twisters mounted on stationary jig heads. In currents, equipment for catching perch involves attaching silicone worms and imitations of insects and aquatic arthropods, which, from the strength of the current, receive animation that arouses the interest of striped fish. Fish are caught from the ice with all kinds of jigs and vertical spinners. In recent years, balancers and rattlins, which are equipped with winter spinning rods, have become especially popular in ice hunting.
Live baits
It is good to catch perch using small fish with a narrow body. These species include verkhovka, bleak, gudgeon, spined loach and loach. If the top and bleak are less resistant to injury to the fish and they are short-lived as bait, then the next three options can be confidently used for a day, without worrying about their survivability. More inert baits, but no less effective than live bait, include the dung worm, which, in a single specimen or in the form of a bunch, will always be a desirable delicacy for the striped fish.
Caddisfly larva, bloodworms, maggots and goose, both individually served and as a sandwich, are also among the most commonly used baits. Perch fishing in the summer is successful using seasonally emerging insects. In particular, dragonflies and grasshoppers are always in the diet of perches in the first half of summer. The predator does not hesitate to hunt for frog tadpoles. Well, in the fall, bait for perch in the form of a small frog mounted by the lip rarely remains unclaimed by the aggressive humpback whale.
In winter, fish are lured by baiting jigs and spoons with pieces of fish fillet cut into small strips, as well as perch eyes. The fragrant, protein-rich bait irritates the predator’s sense of smell and provokes it into frequent and confident bites.
Read Mamalyga for fishing recipe
