Read the article with FishingTheSpot: the pumpkinseed fish
Keep an eye on this subject!
Thousands of species spotlights and techniques but also all the local information about your city!
Meet other anglers near you and share your fishing fishing trips, afoot or on a boat, at sea or in freshwater
See the fishing tripsThe Pumpkinseed fish
all year
15 cm
Did you fish
this species this month?
The Pumpkinseed fish belongs to the Centrarchidae family. It is a migratory fish that can reach a weight of 40 g to 50 g for a length of 20 cm. But the largest specimens can reach a weight ranging from 3 kg to 4 kg for a maximum size of 40cm. The life span of the sun perch is 8 to 10 years. Breeding takes place in the months of May to August. A female can lay between 1500 and 3000 eggs. It is fished all year round, but the best times are in spring and autumn.
Its high body is very flat laterally. Its mouth is terminal, small and slightly oblique. The caudal fin is slightly forked. The two dorsal fins are united, giving the impression of being one. The pectoral muscles are long and pointed. The anal fin has 3 sharp spines. The coloring is brilliant with green and blue touches on the back and rust colored spots on the flank. The cheeks are crossed by bright blue lines, particularly marked in males. The operculum is wide and has a black spot bordered by a scarlet red spot in the male, which may be absent or less marked in the female. The male is larger and more colorful than the female.
The Pumpkinseed fish lifestyle
The Pumpkinseed fish is omnivorous, it is a voracious fish that can feed on almost anything: insects, dragonfly nymphs, small crustaceans, fish eggs, fry, young fish, shellfish and zooplankton. It hunts by sight during the day, eats less in Winter and sleeps at night.
Spawning takes place from May to August. It takes place in shallow water (15 to 30 cm) with submerged aquatic vegetation. The substrate does not matter: mud, sand, gravel or stones. The water temperature is between 13 and 28 °C.
The male becomes more colorful and very aggressive. It builds a nest, which is a slight depression in the bottom with a diameter equal to twice its own length. It then makes an elaborate yard for the female: it chases her for a while to make sure it will be a good sire and then guides her to the nest. Pushing and small reciprocal bites stimulate spawning. They swim in a circle in the nest and the female lays her eggs while the male ejects her milt on it. It lays between 1500 and 3000 eggs that attach themselves to the bottom of the nest. As soon as they have laid eggs, they leave the nest and several females can spawn in the same nest to reach 8000 to 11000 eggs per act of laying. Supervised by the male, they hatch 3 to 10 days after laying. During the same season, the male may breed several times in the same nest with the same or different females. Sexual maturity is reached at around two years of age.
The Pumpkinseed fish habitat
The Pumpkinseed fish originates from North America and was then introduced in Europe and Japan. It lives in warm waters, closed to slow currents, with strong vegetation such as lakes, ponds or rivers. It acclimatizes very easily.
The Pumpkinseed fish angling
It is easy to fish with a rod at a time, equipped with a small line. The sun perch is voracious and it is not difficult for the choice of lures as long as they are small in size.
The earthworms will be perfect. There is no specific equipment for fishing, but it is generally possible to use an English rod, a feeder rod or a knock rod. You have to be careful with your backbone.
