Maryland Department of Natural Resources

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Maryland Fish Facts

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Pumpkinseed

Pumpkinseed
Lepomis gibbosus
Pond perch, sun perch, sunny
Key Distinguishing Markings:
  • Dark, olive-green on its back, with mottled sides. 
  • Base color of sides, yellowish, spotted with orange, red and blue. 
  • Its belly is yellow to bright orange.  
  • Cheeks and gill covers marked  with alternate worm-shaped bands of blue-green and yellow. 
  • Bluish-black gill cover flaps are edged with white, yellow, orange or blue, with a small half moon spot of red. ​
Pumpkinseed
See our Album of Pumkinseed photos on Flickr

Distribution:
  • Common in freshwater tributaries throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.​


Size:
  • Average 4 to 6 inches.​

Habitat:
  • Prefer shallow weedy waters, often in the sunniest openings, in lakes, ponds and large streams.
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Spawning:
  • Spawning takes place in late spring or early summer, after the bluegills. 
  • Fans out circular spots over gravel near shore in 6 to 12 inches of water. 
  • Very prolific, it may spawn more than once a year. 
  • Occasionally hybridizes with bluegills and green sunfish.

Fishing Tips:
  • Found in most lakes, ponds and rivers. 
  • Best time to catch them is in spring and early summer when they move into the shallows to spawn, but are cooperative even in the hot summertime and is commonly caught near shore throughout the warmer months.
  • Relatively easy to catch. 
  • Small garden worms, red wigglers, various grubs and crickets are good live baits.  
  • An ultra light spinning or spincast rod and reel is ideal rigged with 4  to 6 lb. line, lightly weighted and fitted with a small bobber is the best outfit for sunfish. 
  • Simply cast to openings in aquatic vegetation, the edges of aquatic vegetation or gravel clearings near shore. 
  • They will hit artificials, such as wet flies and nymphs, but fish them a little slower than other sunfish species.



Fun Fact:
  • They often build nests close to one another, creating colonies, and the males will aggressively guard and defend the nest until the fry have left. 
  • Pumpkinseeds are considered an invasive species in Western Europe, where they out-compete native fish. 
  • Pumpkinseeds live 6 to 8 years in the wild and longer in captivity. 
  • If the fry leave the nest prematurely, the male will return them to the nest in his mouth. 
  • Pumpkinseeds are effective at destroying mosquito larvae. ​


Family: Centrarchidae (Sunfishes)
Order: Centrarchiformes
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Illustration by Duane Raver

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