The Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis Gibbosus)

The pumpkinseed sunfish has a slender, cylindrical body with a large head and mouth. The head is broad and flattened at the top with two small eyes on each side of the head. The mouth is large and protractile, meaning it can move outwards for feeding. They have five spines in the dorsal fin, one spine in the anal fin, seven soft rays in both dorsal fins, and six soft rays in the anal fin. They are typically orange to brown with dark spots on their back and sides.

Pumpkinseed sunfish are bottom feeders and eat a variety of small organisms, including snails, worms, mollusks, insects, small fishes, and bits of vegetation. They live primarily near aquatic vegetation or submerged logs or another cover to avoid predators such as larger fish or fish-eating birds.

How To Buy Pumpkinseed Sunfish

Smith Creek Fish Farm is centrally located in Western New York about an hour's drive from Buffalo and Rochester.  The hatchery and retail pond supply outlet have seasonal hours for fish pickup and walk-in customers. When you buy a pumpkinseed fish our expert fish packers will oxygen bag your live pumpkinseed sunfish for easy, safe, and stress-free transport.

We do suggest bringing coolers or totes to hold your bagged fish.  Truck delivery of trout, game fish, and forage is available in the WNY area when orders meet our delivery minimums. We also safely ship, by UPS Next Day Air, many of our fish species including triploid grass carp and crayfish. 

Unfortunately, we ONLY ship fish to New York addresses. All of our fish hold current NY DEC certified disease-free Health Certificates and have been for more than 15 years.

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