This Redbreast was missing a flap.

It's a Hybrid Sunfish! I sent several pictures of these to TPW and they identified them as Hybrid Sunfish. Been catching a lot of these this year. Fred (Rionator) caught one last week that was 11" in length. He is going to submit it for the Dunlap Catch&Release Hybrid Sunfish Record for lake Dunlap. They are a cross between a Redbreast and Bluegill and a Redbreast and Longear!

That's interesting.

I did not see any traits for it being a hybrid, the colors and mouth were the same for all the Redbreast I caught, but this one just had a flap missing.

Do you have any pics you can post?

I would have just assumed it was a redbreast, too. Great info, Banker, and nice photo Fitz!

This is a Hybrid that Fred caught on Dunlap and will be submitted for the Catch&Release Record. The fish was 11". Notice the ear flap with the upward point. I had also caught one with an missing ear or what I thought was a deformity and it was identified as a Hybrid as well by TPW! I am still trying to figure em out myself. All I know is that the ear flaps appear to be lighter and have that upward point. The ears are sometimes not that long also. I have submitted 12 fish as Hybrids to TPW and have been wrong on only two. The two I was wrong on were identified as Redbreast. Like I said. Still learning.

Side Note: Over the past several years Hybridization has really picked up in the Sunfish family according to experts I have been talking with.

Been catching a lot of those Hybrids this year! Friend of mines who Dad is a fish Biologist told us that sunfish love to mix with others in the sunfish family!.

Out of all the fish families seems that the sunfish inner breed the most? Just say en.

Both of those are Redbreasts. Definitely.

Beg to different Parks&Wildlife identified em as Hybrids! Redbreast/Longear or Redbreast Bluegill! Been sending them a lot of these pictures over the year.

Current Live Oak Creek Hybrid Sunfish Record. To me the ears are defiantly different than a Redbreast. Just my two cents. I also had one that had only one ear just like the one Andrew posted. Sent pictures of the fish to Parks&Wildlife and they identified it as a Hybrid. Anyway for each their own. I have a feeling that a few Bluegill I have been catching are Hybrid as well.

I have caught thousands and thousands of Sunfish.

The only hybrid sunfish I have caught are Bluegill X Green and Longear X Green. So in my experience, it's Greens that "get around and mix it up"

In my pic above I believe that something happened to one flap and it is not a hybrid. There were lots of gar in the river, maybe one bit it off in its younger years. I see no characteristics from another species-genus. Im sure there are hybrid redbreast's out there just don't think this is one of them.

Just my

I agree with you Andrew as far as my dealings with em. Bluegill/Redear and Bluegill/Green have been my only experience with hybrids. However after catching tons of what I thought were Redbreast or even calling em juvenile Redbreast I was wrong. I showed numerous photographs of these fish to both Parks&Wildlife and to Marine Biologist in the private sector and they have identified them as hybrids. I also have 8 "Hybrid Records" in the books that two years ago I would have called em Redbreast. Anyway for each their own. I do know one thing for certain. They are super good fighters no matter what we call em. Stay dry out there. We got some more heavy rain coming in this upcoming weekend.

Not being that all experienced with the sunfish family I get confused on the identifications on some of the sunfish I have been catching lately. I have caught a lot that appear to be Redbreast but have what looks like to me deformed ears. I have a very good friend of mine who lives on Lake Mcqueeney who I fish with a lot and his father is a Marine Biologist Professor at a Major University. I showed him this post and he told me that the fish looked hybrid. He also said that a sunfish,bass included tend to hybridize a lot. Like has already been said. I am going to call em what I think and keep catching fish. Love threads like this. Really learn a lot.