Largest panfish !

Whats are your largest panfish (in inches), just interested to see what some of you guys have caught ! Here are mine !
Bluegill  11"  (includes pumpinskeed, red ears, etc)
Crappie 17"
Perch 14"
Rock Bass 10"
 
 

I am gonna start measuring mine. I have never measured anything. I caught a few green sunfish that were around 10 inches. They had huge mouths. I wasn't even sure what they were.

Bluegill - 11.25"
crappie - 14.25"

Crappie- 17.25 Conneaut lake thru the ice
Perch- 13.75 Erie
Gill-  11.75 farm pond
Rock bass- 10-10.5 ??? never actually measured one.
Mike

Gill: 12"
Crappie: 15.75"
Perch: 15.5"
Rock Bass: 12"

Hybrid bluegills are gills crossed with green sunfish. Greenies seem more aggressive to me. That must be what makes the hybrids more aggressive. I don't think that the pafc stocks them. You can buy them from hatcheries for private stocking. I believe some natural hybridization occurs. I guess you just have to luck into them. I caught some nice greenies in Indian Lake in North Huntington. I caught some really big ones in the Yough River near McKeesport. The were bigger than any Rock Bass that I have ever caught and were as big as some small smallies that I have caught in streams.
 

We probably all have caught a hybrid at some point. They can have features of either species. Hybrids that are gills and greenies will usually have a larger than normal mouth. Markings can be of either fish. They do hybridize in the wild. In my opinion, greenies are the most fun to catch of the sunfish species. They have bigger mouths and will hit larger bait. hey don't get as big as big bull gills although I have never got into any of the huge gills that some people have. I have caught some really nice ones though. Pretty much any sunfish can hybridize. They list bass as the largest of the sunfish family. I have always wondered if bass could hybridize with sunfish or gills. Why do you ask? Have you caught something that has you wondering?

Sam, I've caught some really big gills in my time too. I don't think I'm catching hybrids either. I just think that you and I fish in places that most people don't think to fish. I still think you should have kept those big ones. Nice fillets. There are plenty of smaller fish full of eggs. I never feel bad about keeping big gills. LOL!

John, Did you get the picts that I sent in a e-mail?  sam

I tell you no lies, this is the honest truth. 
 
Crappie: 28 inches, caught in Otter Creek. It had a mouth so big, you could put a softball in it. It was released. 
 
Northern Pike: 39 inches-Otter Creek
 
Small Mouth Bass-25 inches-Pyme
 
Large Mouth Bass-29 inches-Lake Erie
 
Blue gill- 13 inches (Hempfield Pond)
 
Channel Catfish-34 inches-Pyme
 
Perch-15 inches- Shenango River
 
Wall eye- 38 inches- Lake Erie
 

There is an article in to-days Tribune -Review about the size of gills in Virgin run dam. I imagine there will be a bus scheduled to go there after people read this. btw I understand that the weeds are very bad already if you are planning to go.Also a nice pict. of a guy & his son Groundhog hunting without Orange hats on, or even in sight. I guess he will be getting a few calls on that.  lol  sam

It's because of the weeds that the gills are so big. It makes it hard to fish, but that's what you need if you want to grow big gills. My favorite lake is the same way.

My largest PA perch, 13"& fat, through the ice (farm pond)

tippecanoe

how hard did the foot long rock bass hit?  I always thought pound for pound they were some of the harder fighting fish.

It didn't hit very hard, but it definitely put up a great fight. I caught it out of the Mahoning Creek about 15 years ago. I was fishing for smallmouth in a pile of brush that had built up around the leading edge of a pier, under a RR bridge. I assumed that I had a big smallie on, because I was using 3" grubs on a 1/16oz jig. I have pics of it somewhere. All I had back then was a 110 camera. It's still the biggest rock bass that I've ever seen. It was almost as deep from back to belly as it was long from head to tail.

Mall ? We don't even have a red light  ! LOL The Boro is only 4 blocls by 3 blocks. small little town, but a cool place to grow up...  Look me up next time your coming into town. Shoot me a PM..... I'll show you a few of my secret fishing holes.. LOL