Go Fish Sunfish

ODNR Division of Wildlife - Fishing - Go Fish Sunfish

General Information: Sunfish are found in almost any water area in the state. They provide fishing opportunity to anglers of all skill levels and are considered one of the best eating fishes in Ohio.

State Record:

Sunfish	Weight	Length	Location	Date	Angler
Bluegill	3.28	12 ¾	Salt Fork Reservoir	4/28/1990	William Nichols
Green	0.99	10 5/8	Farm pond	5/8/2005	Timothy Hively
Hybrid	2.03	12 ¼	Farm pond	7/21/2003	Ray Durham
Longear	0.20	6 ½	Big Darby Creek	6/6/2004	Brian Zimmerman
Pumpkinseed	1.10	10 ½	Farm pond	6/12/2009	Scott Boykin
Redear	3.58	15	Farm pond	10/2/1998	Burt Redman
Warmouth	1.32	10 ¾	Farm pond	7/19/2009	Douglas Koening

Fish Ohio Length: 9 inches

Tips:

Keep moving fishing different areas and fishing different depths until you find a school of sunfish. Use a slip bobber to easily fish different depths and to consistently fish the same depth once the fish are located.
Fish near structure (cover). Sunfish like to hold near any type of structure including vegetation, submerged trees or brush, rock piles, and drop offs or old road beds.
Look for spawning beds in spring.
Fly fishing especially in evenings during mid summer is very effective.

Tackle: Use a light spinning rod and reel with 4-8 pound test during most of the year and ice fishing rods gear during winter. Fly rods are very effective for sunfish. Fishing for sunfish is a good way to learn to fish with a fly rod.

Regulations: See the current fishing digest for special regulations on selected waters.

Where to go:

Central	Northwest	Northeast	Southwest	Southeast
Hoover Reservoir Buckeye Lake Indian Lake Kiser Lake	Lake La Su An Oxbow Wildlife Area Killdeer Pond 33 Upground Reservoirs Pleasant Hill Reservoir	Mosquito Lake Pymatuning Tappan Lake West Reservoir	Caesars Creek Lake Cowan Lake Lake Loramie Paint Creek Lake Rocky Fork Lake	AEP Recreation Lands Piedmont Lake Blue Rock Lake Salt Fork Lake Turkey Foot Lake

See current fishing reports for current information on additional areas to fish for sunfish.

Seasonal Fishing Approaches:

Season (Months)	Spring (March - April)	Pre-summer (May)	Summer (June - mid-September)	Fall (mid-September - November)	Winter (December - February)
Peak Activity	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Presentation	Use a single hook with light line. Bait the hook with wax worms (better than meal worms), earth worms, red worms, crickets, or wigglers. Slip bobbers allow you to easily fish at different depths. Once you locate the depth fish are holding the slip bobber allows you to be consistent fishing the same depth.	Use a single hook with light line. Bait the hook with wax worms (better than meal worms), earth worms, red worms, crickets, or wigglers. Move around until you locate a school of sunfish.	Most reservoirs are stratified with no oxygen in deep water at this time of the year. You must locate the fish. They may be suspended in deep water areas or in shallower areas near the bottom. Use the same presentation as spring. Try fishing shallow water in evenings with top water poppers or dry flies.	The reservoir usually turns over in the fall with uniform temperature and oxygen from top to bottom. On sunny fall days the fish may stay near shore close to structure. Use the same presentation as spring.	Ice fishing for sunfish can be very effective. Jigging with small ice jigs tipped with a wax worm, wiggler, spike or mousie.
Location	This time of the year is pre-spawn. Fish are generally in deeper water offshore and suspended. Water temps are beginning to warm and sunfish are actively feeding. Find fish using a depth finder, aqua viewer, or fishing at different depths until you locate them by catching one.	By May the sunfish move in the shallows on spawning beds. Look for the beds in clear water. Fish in water as shallow as 1 to 2 feet deep. Be cautious not to scare the fish in shallow water. Try fishing on the edges of vegetation beds or trees.	The majority of sunfish spawn in May. However, sunfish may spawn all summer long. After May, sunfish might be nearshore or suspended in deeper water. Keep moving around until you locate them.	Fish mid-water depths above the thermocline. On sunny fall days the shallow shoreline may be warmer than the rest of the lake. Try fishing close to shore around structure. If not successful then look for them suspended in deeper water.	Fish may be near the bottom, around structure (trees or vegetation), or suspended. Find fish using a depth finder, aqua viewer, or fishing at different depths until you catch one. You may have to drill many holes to locate them. Some times you may catch many sunfish out of one hole and not catch any out of a hole right next to it.

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