Flier

Body Type & Identification: Deep-bodied, strongly compressed sunfish with a distinctive pattern of rows of dark spots on the sides and a characteristic dark spot at the base of the soft dorsal fin. Silvery-olive coloring. A swamp and backwater sunfish of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain — found in habitats too acidic or tannic for most other sunfish.

Preferred Water Temperature: 65°F–80°F. Tolerates the acidic, tannin-stained water of coastal plain swamps and backwaters. Spawn in late spring in shallow nests near vegetation.

Habitat: Swamps, cypress ponds, backwaters, and acidic blackwater streams of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain from Maryland to Texas. Associated with dense aquatic vegetation and woody debris in dark-water systems. Often found alongside Warmouth and Mud Sunfish.

Best Lures: Small poppers produce surface strikes. Small jigs near cover work well. Tiny weedless soft plastics are effective in heavy vegetation.

Best Baits: Live crickets are the top bait. Small nightcrawler pieces work well. Wax worms produce results. Small live minnows are effective. Light tackle with small hooks near vegetation in coastal plain swamps.

Top 5 Destinations: Okefenokee Swamp GA/FL, Santee Cooper SC, Atchafalaya Basin LA, Dismal Swamp VA/NC, Lake Waccamaw NC.

Deep-bodied, strongly compressed sunfish with a distinctive pattern of rows of dark spots on the sides and a characteristic dark spot at the base of the soft dorsal fin. Silvery-olive coloring. A swamp and backwater sunfish of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain — found in habitats too acidic or tannic for most other sunfish.

Swamps, cypress ponds, backwaters, and acidic blackwater streams of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain from Maryland to Texas. Associated with dense aquatic vegetation and woody debris in dark-water systems. Often found alongside Warmouth and Mud Sunfish.

65°F–80°F. Tolerates the acidic, tannin-stained water of coastal plain swamps and backwaters. Spawn in late spring in shallow nests near vegetation.

Best Lures: Small poppers produce surface strikes. Small jigs near cover work well. Tiny weedless soft plastics are effective in heavy vegetation. Best Baits: Live crickets are the top bait. Small nightcrawler pieces work well. Wax worms produce results. Small live minnows are effective. Light tackle with small hooks near vegetation in coastal plain swamps.

Okefenokee Swamp GA/FL, Santee Cooper SC, Atchafalaya Basin LA, Dismal Swamp VA/NC, Lake Waccamaw NC.