Pumpkinseed

Lepomis gibbosus

The pumpkinseed is a bright, beautiful sunfish with a compressed, saucer-shaped body that is mottled orange, blue and green. Adults have:

• Wavy blue and orange lines on cheeks.
• An orange belly.
• Black earflaps with a bright red or orange crescent-shaped border.
• A slightly forked tail fin with rounded lobes.
• A dorsal fin with about 10 spines in the front portion and a rounded back portion.

Pumpkinseeds can grow to about a foot long, but are typically 4 to 6 inches long.

Where does the pumpkinseed live?

Pumpkinseeds are freshwater fish, but are often found in brackish waters as well. They prefer quiet, slow-moving waters, such as lakes, ponds, streams and river coves, with lots of aquatic vegetation. Pumpkinseeds live in shallow, protected areas in summer, while in the winter they often school in deeper river channels.

What does the pumpkinseed eat?

Pumpkinseeds eat a variety of small organisms, including snails, worms, insects, mollusks, small fishes and bits of vegetation.

How does the pumpkinseed reproduce?

Pumpkinseeds spawn from May through July, once water temperatures warm to about 68 degrees.

• Males build nests in shallow-water areas by making a round hole in the sand or gravel at the bottom. Pumpkinseeds will often build nests close to one another, creating colonies.
• The female lays several hundred eggs in the nest.
• The male fertilizes the eggs, then guards them from other fish and predatory insects. He uses his tail fin to fan away any particles or detritus that could smother the eggs.
• The eggs usually hatch in three to five days.
• Once hatched, the young fish (called "fry") swim into the shallows, where they feed on plankton and are protected by underwater grasses.

Other facts about the pumpkinseed:

• The pumpkinseed can be confused with the bluegill, another sunfish. You can distinguish a pumpkinseed by the wavy stripes on its cheeks and the bright red or orange border on its earflap. However, bluegills and pumpkinseeds are able to interbreed, resulting in some confusing hybrids.
• Pumpkinseeds can live as long as 10 years.
• The pumpkinseed is a favorite of young anglers because it is playful and very easy to catch. It will eagerly bite onto nearly any small natural or artificial bait.
• Pumpkinseeds are well-known for being a delicious fish to eat!
• Other than its young human predators, pumpkinseeds are hunted by hawks, raccoons and waterfowl.