Flier
Type: Panfish
Appearance: A small sunfish with a deep, round body and small mouth. Coloration is greenish to brown on back and sides with a creamy belly and a brown dot on each scale giving the appearance of numerous rows of dots. A dark streak is present below the eye. Dorsal and anal fins are nearly symmetrical.
State record: 1.35 lbs.
BigCatch: To qualify your catch needs to exceed the listed weight OR length (not necessarily both).
Habitat: Fliers range from the northern part of the state to central Florida. They inhabit dark, acidic waters of coastal swamps, creeks, ponds, and canals. They prefer heavily vegetated water and are often found under floating vegetation. Fliers can tolerate waters too acidic for other sunfish.
Behavior: Nesting may be solitary or in small colonies. Fliers prefer insects, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, and small fish supplemented with phytoplankton.
Tips: Fliers can be caught on dry flies, tiny poppers, worms, insect larvae or minnows. Fish around cypress trees and stumps, near brush piles.