If a small flat fish with a bright blue cheek and a dark spot on its gill cover bites the worm a kid dangles off a dock, you have just met a Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). They are the most common pond fish in North America and probably the first fish every American kid pulls out of water.
What it looks like
Adults are 15 to 25cm long with a flat oval body shaped like a hand. The body color shifts depending on water and mood, from olive green to dark blue with darker vertical bars on the sides. The cheek and gill cover have a brilliant electric blue stripe in bright males, fading to pale blue in females and juveniles. The distinctive feature that gives them their common name in some regions, "sunfish," is the round black spot at the rear edge of the gill cover, which looks like a small ear.
When and where
- Season: Active March through November. Slow down dramatically in winter but never fully stop.
- Habitat: Ponds, slow rivers, lake shallows, weedy bays, farm dugouts. Anywhere with calm water and submerged plants.
- Best time: Early summer mornings during spawning season when males defend round nests in the shallows.
The bluegill nest is a backyard event
In late spring, male bluegills sweep out shallow circular nests in the sand or gravel, each about 30cm across. A whole colony of nests, sometimes 20 or 30 in a line, looks like a series of pale circles on the bottom of the pond. The male guards his nest aggressively from any approaching fish for about a week, fanning the eggs with his fins to keep silt off. You can stand on a dock and watch the entire process without scaring them off.
Spot one this weekend
Bluegills are Common across almost every state in the lower 48 and most of southern Canada. Walk to the edge of any pond, look down into shallow weedy water, and within a minute you will see a small flat fish hovering just above the bottom. They are unafraid of people, so if you stand still you can watch a whole school go about its day from a meter away.