Sunfish/Bluegill in the UK??

[Ladiesman217]

So I have just been reading up on Sunfish aka "Bluegill" being in UK waters. I have caught them before in florida but have never heard of them being in the UK, does anyone have any infomation on where I might find them and are they common at all?

 

[mikench]

Not common at all as I understand it. They are a rare sighting brought here by errant currents , jelly fish and wind. They are not the ablest of swimmers. Cornwall is your best bet.

Ocean Sunfish in Cornwall | Wildlife Species Guide

Discover the beauty of Ocean Sunfish in Cornwall with our informative guide! Learn about their habitat, behavior, and unique characteristics

www.padstowsealifesafaris.co.uk

 

[Steve Arnold]

So I have just been reading up on Sunfish aka "Bluegill" being in UK waters. I have caught them before in florida but have never heard of them being in the UK, does anyone have any infomation on where I might find them and are they common at all?

This is the fish I presume.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluegill

I don't know about the UK but we have them here in France, this is one I caught in the river Lot....

 

[mikench]

I think he means this one.

sunfish - Google Search

A much bigger fish. In fact the largest bony fish.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Sunfish are the large fish Mike mentions and eat jellyfish I believe and are probably seen a similar amount of times as leatherback turtles and in similar places....

 

[Mark Wintle]

Freshwater sunfish which include bluegill and crappies are only found in the UK in the form of the smallest member od the group i.e. pumpkinseeds which are present in a few waters in the south of England. Two Christchurch AC waters hold them and a few years ago a couple of Dorset waters held them though no longer tyhe case. Also still found in in a few Surrey/Sussex/Hampshire waters.

Attempts to establish other American fish eg large and small-mouth black bass mostly foundered though a water I've fished for over 50 years did have large mouth black bass from 1935 to circa 1980 - I caught half a dozen back in the 70s.

 

[Philip]

Here is one I caught a few weeks ago, lovely looking little fish. Very territorial. I am supposed to bash them on the head as they are an invasive species where I am but for some reason they always slip from my grasp and fall back into the water before I can dispatch them..

 

[@Clive]

They are very widespread in our region. I've had them from 3 local rivers and 3 lakes and seen one in a small pool that is spring fed and not connected to any other water. I nail them and do the same with the Sth American poison chats and signal crayfish.

For reasons unknown the fishery departments are stocking black bass everywhere and providing nesting boxes for them. Now, bass might be a fine sport fish and I do enjoy fishing for them. But given that frogs are now an endangered species I do wonder of the reasoning behind the program to increase the stocks of the frog's greatest predator?

 

[waldi]

Seen them off the South Devon coast years ago.
They tend to flip sides and roll on the surface.

Looks like the fin of a big shark from a distance

 

[Mark Wintle]

Seen them off the South Devon coast years ago.
They tend to flip sides and roll on the surface.

Looks like the fin of a big shark from a distance

I think you're confusing the oceanic sunfish with the subject of the thread which is a freshwater species commonly found in North America.

 

[waldi]

Ah Ah!
We call that sonnenbarsche (Sun Perch)
They are an invasive species here and should be killed if caught , although a lot of people catch them for aquariums apparently.
They supposedly gorge on the eggs of other species, in particular perch (which is considered fine eating) and commercially quite valuable.

Tiny hook and single maggot is the way to catch them, although I've had them on small artificials.
00 meps is generally quite productive

 

[@Clive]

I think you're confusing the oceanic sunfish with the subject of the thread which is a freshwater species commonly found in North America.

The confusion is caused by our very own Mr Google in two earlier posts.

The spread of the perche solei in France is just one of the non native species causing problems for anglers. A much more numerous immigrant is the poisson chat, a small catfish originating from Sth America. They swim in massive shoals and once in your swim you will catch little else. They only grow to a pound or two but will devour any carp or barbel bait. Another is the gobie that has spread throughout tne north-east of France from the Rhine system. Around the size of gudgeon they swarm all over the place and ruin normal angling. Both these species also predate on fish eggs and fry.

 

[mikench]

And if the OP doesn’t respond we shall never know.