Redear Sunfish
Lepomis microlophus
No minimum length limit or daily bag limit for sunfish.
Identify your catch
A red or orange border on the ear flap helps identify this sunfish.
Habitat on Balmorhea
Dam-side rock, cobble, pondweed and bulrush provide cover; seasonally inundated shore plants add habitat.
Fishing approach
Lake guide guidance: TPWD describes bass lures around rock and plants, live or cut bait for channel catfish, and minnows or jigs for white crappie.
Fishing guidance describes documented approaches, not a promise of fish activity today.
No active lake-specific advisory or possession ban was named in the reviewed DSHS directory. This does not guarantee that fish are safe to eat.
Harvest permission and eating restrictions are separate.
General species guide
Often feeds near the bottom on snails and other small aquatic animals in warm, vegetated water.
General Redear Sunfish profile →Sources & lake evidence
TPWD lake guide and reviewed fisheries evidence establish the listed species or group. Historical survey records do not establish current abundance.
Lake harvest rules ↗Eating guidance ↗Lake habitat & fishing guide ↗Species identification ↗