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Robust redear sunfish are moving the needle in Michigan panfishing

Chris Freiburger holds a healthy redear sunfish he recently caught on a southern Michigan inland lake. Redears tend to grow bigger than bluegills and sunfish, and they’re a hit with anglers on the lakes they inhabit. (Photo by Bob Gwizdz)

There are hundreds of lakes in Michigan where anglers can enjoy good to very good bluegill fishing.
But when Chris Freiburger and I met up for a couple of hours of worm dunking recently, we chose a small Jackson County lake that has solid bluegill fishing, but also has a bonus attraction: redear sunfish. Redears are similar to ’gills with one additional characteristic: They generally get bigger – they‘re longer and more shouldery.

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