Pumpkinseed Sunfish

(Lepomis gibbosus)

A picture of a pumpkinseed sunfish
A picture of a pumpkinseed sunfish. Those little orange dots sure do look like pumpkinseeds, don’t they?

This is a species that seems to be on the increase during our seining surveys at King’s Landing.  They are being caught several times per season compared with early surveys in which they were seen only rarely, if at all!  The pumpkinseed is a member of the sunfish family, a large group of fish that are favorites of young anglers.  The pumpkinseed is a beautiful fish with bright orange and green coloration on the body.

Pumpkinseeds will feed on almost any small animal that they can catch, including insects, small shrimp, worms and other fish.  These fish spawn in the spring and early summer, the male of this species defends a circular nest built on the bottom of the river or creek.

While most of the pumpkinseeds caught locally reach a length of about 4-5 inches, they can actually reach a length of 15 inches and weigh close to a pound!

A graph of the amount of pumpkinseed sunfish caught between 1997-2015
A graph of the amount of pumpkinseed sunfish caught between 1997-2015