SOME SAY a big shellcracker is the most mysterious fish in freshwater. Properly called a redear sunfish, it’s three times the size of a keeper bluegill, on average, and just as delicious. But it’s ...

Among our native fish species, two are standouts — bluegill, or bream, and redear sunfish, or shellcracker. Lake county anglers of all ages seek these panfish year-round. Bream are cooperative.

Some years, panfish fans find that there is a brief lull in catches during late March and early April. During this period, the speckled perch that had recently inhabited the shallow spawning cover in ...

Most fishermen target bluegills solely in farm ponds and other small bodies of water. But these scrappy fish are abundant in sprawling lakes and reservoirs as well and are a fun alternative when ...

Largemouth bass and shellcrackers recently have been the most reported freshwater catches, but striped bass are becoming more active and are being caught with some regularity. Here’s a look at this ...