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Return to All About Sunfish   

Pumpkinseed
Lepomis gibbosus
Common Name(s):

Punkies, yellow sunfish
Description:

The pumpkinseed sunfish is a very colorful, deep-bodied, slab-sided fish with a small mouth. Breast and belly are orange to yellow, with lighter colored sides in a variety of bright colors. The gill flap is black, but has an orange-red spot on the border.
Similar Fish:

Longear, bluegill
Feeding Habits:

Pumpkinseed will consume plankton and rotifers in smaller specimens. The larger fish also consume nymphs, small insects, scuds, freshwater shrimps, small snails, baby mussels, minnow fry, and worms.
Range:

The pumpkinseed can be found in the northern United States in the Mississippi River Basin and the Northern Appalachians.
Habitat:

The pumpkinseed sunfish enjoy cool, clear, spring fed lakes, ponds, and streams. It will seek out springs and small, clear, gravelly, feeder creeks of lakes and reservoirs.
Typical Size:

The average size of the pumpkinseed is 5 to 7 inches in length and 1 pound or less in weight. The lifespan of the pumpkinseed is 8 to 10 years.
World Record:

1 pound, 6 ounces (Source - IGFA)
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