Gigantic Sunfish Catch, Check Out The Size of This Thing

An angler from Lake Havasu City, Arizona caught a gigantic redear sunfish on Lake Havasu.  The gigantic catch measured 16 1/4 inches and weighed 5.07 pounds and we can say this size fish is not your normal average size or big fish you catch on your fishing trip.

This specific redear sunfish was so big and fat that he described it as “a freak of nature.” From his posts on social media, we assume Mickle has gained quite the knowledge and experience fishing for these lunker Redear sunfish.

Most redear sunfish weigh about a pound maybe a bit more in some lakes depending on where you fish for them. Some big boys have been reeled in over the years, but they are extremely scarce.

Thomas Farchione caught a 6-pound, 4-ounce redear sunfish at Havasu in May 2021, which is the Arizona state record, according to the International Game Fish Assn., this is the all-tackle world record.

The giant redear struck while Mickle was fishing near submerged timber with 4-pound-test line and a piece of nightcrawler as bait. “I casted to the timber and let it drop to the bottom,”

“Seconds later I felt just a couple little taps on my line, which is exactly how these fish hit. You never know if it’s 4 inches or 5 pounds. I set the hook with my ultralight rod and the fish didn’t move. I knew it was big! I just didn’t know how big.”

“She stayed deep for a long time not really doing much. With only 4-pound test I couldn’t do much. They usually go for runs but I think she was just so round that she couldn’t do that.

“When I finally started lifting her off bottom I saw that she was giant. I ran to the back of the boat to grab the net and luckily she went right in. This is when I could finally see exactly how big it was and I freaked out!”

He also said he releases most of his catches but this giant he decided to keep so he could have a replica made to hang on his trophy wall.

From Texas to Florida, including the entire Florida peninsula, and north to Indiana and North Carolina, this species is where you can find redear sunfish. The redear has been introduced northward to the Great Lakes, and transplanted populations are also found in the West.

Sources: UsaToday, Wired2Fish