Red Eye

(Ambloplites rupestris)

A sedentary and secretive fish spending much of its time passively hiding in the shadows of underwater structures. These fish are known for their pure strength.  Their pulling power will amaze you. Reds are one of the hardest fighting fish you will ever catch (At Least for the first 5 Seconds). I love seeing someone who has never caught one take on one of these beautiful, powerful, good eating fish. They love live bait, they will also take artificials such as jigs.  They are found offshore around some kind of structure. Beaver Dams hold the most fish and they can be found on these dams most of the year. What fishermen like about them is that they never give up and fight during the first five seconds they are hooked, after that, you can just drag them to the boat.. We use 6 lb tackle and lighter rods, which have some flexibility to them so your arms will not take so much punishment for those five seconds. Reds have to be 5 inches to the fork of the tail to be a keeper. We have caught them up to 1.2 lbs. They are great on the grill with your favorite spices.

Often caught incidentally, the red eye are fairly easy to catch from a variety of locations with several different types of bait. The fish strike the bait hard and put up a fight, but according to George Becker in Fishes of Wisconsin, "it tires easily."

Description:

A stout and heavy-bodied sunfish

Length:

seldom exceeds 10"

Weight:

to one pound

Lifespan:

to 13 years.

Identification:

Field Marks
red eye
dark gill flap
jaw extending beyond midpoint of eye
Distinguished from other sunfish by 6 anal fin spines and 12 dorsal fin spines.

Habitat:

Prefers streams and lakes with clear, well-oxygenated, hard water, and boulder and sand bottoms.
Generally found under cover of rocks, ledges, logs, or overhanging branches.
Shares the same environment with Smallmouth Bass, and their food habits are quite similar, except smallmouth are far more piscivorous.

Food:

Minnows and other small fish; aquatic and terrestrial insects, crayfish, mollusks, and other invertebrates. Extremely opportunistic.
Young consume zooplankton as primary forage, adding aquatic insects and small fish as they grow larger.
Moves and feeds most actively at twilight, or at all hours on overcast days.

Uses:

True to name, often caught in streams close to the rocks near the current.
Seldom achieves remarkable size and usually caught when fishing for other species.
Considered a pest by most fisherpersons for damaging baits intended for more desirable species.

Reproduction:

Spawns in spring, when the water temperature ranges from the high 60ºs into the 70ºs. Spawning coincides with that of smallmouth bass.
Male fans out a nest in coarse sand or gravel and guards the eggs and fry.
Females contain an average of 5,000 eggs, but one or several fish may deposit part or all of their eggs in a single nest.
After hatching, the young fish are found only in quiet water areas protected from waves and strong current. Grow 1½"-2" first year, reaching 5"-7" after 3 years.