We both wanted to go after them with our fly rods aka buggy whoppers as acey wall, deceased use to call my fly rod. The reclusive redear sunfish known reverently as shellcracker has rushed the spawning period for this spring. As their name tells, they eat snails and muscles, crushing the shell with a tough muscle in their gullet. Shellcracker fishing tips and information on shellcracker fishing in florida on some of the top lakes in the country. February 12, 2018 august 23, 2019 2 years ago stingram 802 views redear sunfish, redear sunfish fishing, redear sunfish fishing tips, redear sunfish shellcracker, redear sunfish spawning, shellcracker, shellcracker beds, shellcracker fishing, shellcracker fishing 2017, shellcracker fishing in alabama, shellcracker fishing techniques. Redear sunfish body color varies, depending on water quality, sex and age. Thats what weve been looking for, says bryan, who takes a few days off from bass fishing each spring to check out the spawning beds of shellcracker in the waters of wilson lake, a tva. They will begin spawning beds as early as late march, however, if water temperatures remain low throughout march then expect shellcrackers to concentrate for spawning between the second and fourth weeks of april. Florida lake tarpon and lake guntersville shellcrackers.
The state record and onetime world record is a 5pound, 712ounce fish. In the south, shellcracker fishing is common among pan fisherman. From the harris chain in lake county to the kissimmee chain, fish camp owners are ignoring the bass to scout the beds of shellcracker, or redear sunfish. I was just trying to understand if shellcracker only bed once and then its bluegill for the rest of the season. If water temperatures remain low through march in central florida waters, then expect shellcrackers to concentrate for spawning. In south florida, redear spawned as early as march. From a fisheries perspective, high estuarine productivity may be largely influenced by the diverse and complex shallow estuarine habitats e. Fishing for jumbo bluegill and shellcracker with squirrel tail jigs duration. Instead this is a fish that likes to be in deeper water. Ive been wanting to put together a bluegillshellcracker trip to lbl for the past three or so years and have never really had the time or money to do so. Thats why we work hard to bring you the information you need to know to manage your pond or lake. The bass bite is very good for polk county area anglers.
Its with good reason, because santee cooper is one of the top shellcracker fisheries in the world. Its shellcracker fishing time on the santee cooper lakes. These areas are predominantly openwater patches of hard bottom sand in the 4 to 6foot depth range. Most redear are caught from spawning beds in early summer. A pond i fish you can do the best on catching brim on the beds in april, may, and june around the full moon. I spend a lot of my lunch breaks fishing a small storm drain adjacent to a wooden dock behind my house, but the usual bass and bluegill targets took a backseat to the unexpected appearance of bedding shellcracker. Shellcrackers spawn about 1 month before the bluegills copperheads spawn. In 2014 it was knocked off the top by a 5 pound 12.
Increasing the spawning ability of a fish population may reduce pressure on a fishery and improve the productivity of supplemental stocking. As the water warms through the summer, bream normally move their spawning sites to deeper waters away from vegetation. In most cases, after a severe cold front passes through the shellcracker will pull off into deeper water that is nearest to their spawnig colony. Fishing for crappies before the spawn can actually be better than fishing during the spawn. In south florida, shellcracker may spawn as early as the last week of february but more likely around the fourth week of march. I tried this method behind other anglers who left a spawning bed and it worked. Shellcracker, bluegill bedding times near outdoors. On a good spawning ground, even a neophyte angler can catch fish like an old pro. The dorsal fin usually has 10 spines, but may range from nine to 11, whereas the anal fin has three spines. They generally bed only one time each spring, when the water warms into the 70s.
Productive for bream in no particular order for the year 2014 see top sites map 250 listings. That is not to say you cant catch them thru out the month on the beds, im just saying they seem to be more concentrated at that time of the month. If water temperatures remain low through march in central florida waters. As may enters the fishing scene along kentucky lake, so comes peak time for these two popular panfish that are. Locating bluegill and shellcracker when they are not on. And they are some of the best eating freshwater fish that swim. Many lakes have spawning fish and now is the time to hook a trophy size bass. A spawning bed is an underwater solid surface on which fish spawn to reproduce themselves in fishery management, a spawning bed is an artificial bed constructed by wildlife professionals in order to improve the ability of desired game fish to reproduce.
Folks today, i explain ways you can locate bluegill and shellcracker when they are not bedding. Shellcracker fishing tips sheelcracker fishing florida. Whats the better choice for big shellcracker, barkley or ky lake. Since it is a popular sport fish, it has been introduced to bodies of water all over north america. The following article is a must read, and will give you the insight you need for your next pond management decision. Cohoon, meade, prince, little creek, chickahominy, robertson, western branch, lone star, and briery creek.
Redear are equipped with a set of crushers in the back of their throat. These crushers consist of an upper and lower pad attached to a set of very strong muscles. The name shellcracker was derived from the ability of this fish to capture and eat snails, clams, small mussels and other mollusks. Shellcracker plane a powerful zigzag course, turning their broad bodies at angles against pressure. Spawning fish have been reported in many spots and a good number of trophy size fish have been caught.
Redear sunfish, sometimes called shellcracker, feed on aquatic insects, snails, small fish. It is the rare angler who didnt start their fishing career by catching bream, primarily bluegill and redear sunfish shellcrackers. Daylight temperatures need to range from 75 to 77 degrees. Fishing for shellcrackers in florida large bluegills. Believe it or not, shellcracker will associate a cork with danger. Bluegill and shellcracker fishing with bobbers great technique. Grandson caught 17 of these in an afternoon fished with red worms. Bedding time for bream in freshwater fishing liveabout. Shellcrackers will move into their feeding areas as early as late february depend on the weather.
You may be supervised to learn that the full moon plays a major role. Florida shellcracker fishing spawning bluegills mwoutdoors. Depending on the population density, there may be from three to twenty beds in the same area. They also eat other food like insects, worms, and crawfish, but feed on the bottom. I think may is the month also, but i will be chasing red fish during the full moon in may. The majority of the time, it is easy to locate shallow beds using a pair of polarized sunglasses. The prime earlyseason spawning sites are usually in 2 to 3 feet of water and normally on hard sand or shell bottom with no vegetation. See what triggers this bully bluegill to bite and what bait to use. A light subtle presentation and a slow fall can actually trigger strikes from fish. This is because crappies go through a gorging phase a.
Pay attention to both points and inlets in these weed beds. In bream, some anglers found all they ever wanted in a fish. Shellcracker and bream fishing robert webster of hamlet, nc who has a camper at the lake tillery family campground, adjacent highway 2427, has been keeping a watch on the fishing conditions for shellcrackers and bream. Anglers often anchor in open water adjacent to main lake shoreline vegetation or edges of the four islands within the lake and use weighted crickets to lure bluegill off their spawning beds. In many lakes around here, bluegill are smallish and you just cant get much meat off of them so the natural choice becomes a shellcracker. Redear sunfish often utilize snails as a major food item, hence the common name shellcracker. Outside edges of shoreline weed beds are some of the top spots for shellcrackers. Spawning dominates their whole attitude, so the fish sometimes let their guard down.
As the water warms through the summer, bream normally move their spawning sites to deeper waters away from. Although we caught only a few fish on that trip since it was too early, it did bring back memories of how much fun bream fishing can be. This seems to be the year that i finally get it all lined up. Redear shellcracker at dunns fish farm we know that your satisfaction is essential to our success. These areas usually conform to the shape of the shoreline, and are easy to locate. Catching crackers news tuscaloosa news tuscaloosa, al. Several fish usually spawn in the same area creating beds which are very close to each other. In central florida, the spawning occurs between late march to late april. The redear sunfish lepomis microlophus, also known as the shellcracker, georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch is a freshwater fish in the family centrarchidae and is native to the southeastern united states.
This will keep the eggs compacted in one area which will help the adult fish to guard against turtles and other predators. These fish appear much larger than they actually are. Shellcracker anglers do best in these areas using red wigglers instead of crickets. Redear sunfish to biologists, or chinquapin to louisiana anglers, these feisty fish typically favor deeper haunts, but when a. A few of my buddies have been looking for shell cracker beds on old hickory and are catching a dew here and there but not finding any beds yet. Limits are high and they can be found from the smallest stream to the largest lake. Id like to hear from people who have personal experience too but everyones welcome to chime in. Ive started to fish 100% of my time for crackers, theyre just an amazing fish thats not only smart but tough as a street fighter. When you locate a spawning bed, its important not to let your boat drift too close to the beds. Shellcrackers redear sunfish on spawning beds youtube. Locating bluegill and shellcracker when they are not on bed duration. Drop your flies right against the weeds at first, then move away until you contact fish.
I like to catch plenty of fish that fight hard, test my. Bass, crappie, and bluegill will all spawn by building beds or bowls, and laying their eggs inside them. Growing up fishing the upper midwest, redear sunfish were one of those. However, insect larvae and cladocerans may also be found in their diet. There are two types of crappie fish which is black crappie and white crappie. From the gaudy pumpkinseed to the toughsounding shellcracker, they are the first fish many of us caught in our youth. Lets say that you have found an active bed and have had success. Indiana division of fish and wildlifes animal information series. Severe cold fronts can turn spawning shellcracker to a neutral mood. These deeper beds can often include both bluegills and shellcrackers, which are known to crossbreed. Fishiding crappie pomoxis is a popular panfish which belongs to genus and found in north american fresh water.
In central florida, they went onto spawning beds during the april full moon, and began congregating to spawn in the panhandle of florida in midmay. Most are caught from spawning beds in early summer. I have three places on ohl that they will bed in one of them every year and one good is all a person needs to put a bunch in the freezer. In central florida, they could first go onto spawning beds during late march. Can be taken on artificial lures, but natural baits, such as earthworms and grubs, are most effective. Fishing floridas largest bluegill, the shellcracker. The 50 fish daily possession limit has already been caught by many area anglers. Bluegill and shellcracker fishing with bobbers great. But the worldclass shellcracker fishing produces an overflow of anglers to the shallow sectors of both lakes. Crappie beds tips to consider when building crappie. An excellent panfish, the redear sunfish contributes significantly to the creel in impounded waters where it has been introduced. A shellcracker bed that goes from hot to cool can fire up again with bluegills in another month or two. The species is usually found near the bottom in warm water with little current and abundant aquatic vegetation. Locating bluegill and shellcracker when they are not on bed.
Best time to catch redears is in the spring when they come up to the spawning beds. I went fishing for shellcracker at clarks hill the week after easter last year. Crappie spawn faq how to catch spawning crappie best. Bluegill will begin spawning about a month after shellcracker in each region.