Suncatch

FFI Gulf Coast Council Suncatch Challenge

Links

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Link to the Entry Form

Email to submit the photo:   gccffi+suncatch@gmail.com

View the Submissions Received

Overview

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Do you love catching bluegill, redear, warmouth, or other sunfish species on fly rod? If so, the Suncatch Challenge is for you!

The Suncatch Challenge is an initiative by the FFI Gulf Coast Council to highlight the value of species diversity among sunfish in our geographic area, and the importance of conserving the places they reside and their individual habitats. It mimics the Fly Fishers International Cuttcatch and Basscatch Projects in that it encourages FFI members to document the different species they catch and release, and, in return, receive recognition for those fish.

Suncatch Mission

  • To enhance fly fisher knowledge of our native sunfish, their habitats, and their conservation needs.
  • To secure and improve the recreational opportunities and enjoyment of these warmwater species for further generations.

The Suncatch Challenge program encourages FFI members within the Gulf Coast Council to learn more about all native sunfish species and subspecies by visiting the waters they reside in and fly fishing for them.

Qualifying Species

Nineteen (19) species of the family Centrarchidae have been selected for focus. The native range of each of these species occurs within the boundaries of the Gulf Coast Council.

• Banded Sunfish – Enneacanthus obesus
• Bantam Sunfish – Lepomis symmetricus
• Black Crappie – Pomoxis nigromaculatus
• Bluegill – Lepomis macrochirus
• Bluespotted Sunfish – Enneacanthus gloriosus
• Dollar Sunfish – Lepomis marginatus
• Flier – Centrarchus macropterus
• Green Sunfish – Lepomis cyanelius
• Longear Sunfish – Lepomis megalotis
• Mud Sunfish – Acantharchus pomotis
• Orangespotted Sunfish – Lepomis humilis
• Redbreast Sunfish – Lepomis auratus
• Redear Sunfish – Lepomis microlophus
• Redspotted Sunfish – Lepomis miniatus
• Rock Bass – Ambloplites rupestris
• Shadow Bass – Ambloplites ariommus
• Spotted Sunfish – Lepomis punctatus
• Warmouth – Lepomis gulosis
• White Crappie – Pomoxis annularis

There are three levels of awards for participants in the Suncatch challenge. Any FFI member can participate by submitting, according to rules, at least eight (8) of the selected species to qualify for the first Suncatch award, twelve (12) species to qualify for the second award level, and sixteen (16) species to qualify for the final award. Suncatch award recipients will be recognized on the GCC website, in the Suncatch Facebook group, and receive a recognition award at the appropriate level.

• Suncatch Fanatic – 8 species – winners will receive a custom personalized sunfish mug
• Suncatch Expert – 12 species – winners will receive a custom personalized wooden fly box
• Suncatch Master – 16 species – award TBD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Suncatch Award recipients:

Chris Williams – Suncatch Expert – 13 species – Warmouth, Redear Sunfish, Redspotted Sunfish, Green Sunfish, Bluegill, Dollar Sunfish, Orangespotted Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Bantam Sunfish, Flier, Black Crappie, Redbreast Sunfish, and Spotted Sunfish

Ben Roussel – Suncatch Expert – 13 species – Bluegill, Longear Sunfish, Green Sunfish, Warmouth, Orangespotted Sunfish, Redspotted Sunfish, Dollar Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Flier, Redbreast Sunfish, Spotted Sunfish, White Crappie, and Shadow Bass

Brian Roberts – Suncatch Master – 16 species – Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Dollar Sunfish, Bluegill, Green Sunfish, Redspotted Sunfish, Orangespotted Sunfish, Flier, Shadow Bass, Redbreast Sunfish, Rock Bass, Mud Sunfish, White Crappie, Black Crappie, and Spotted Sunfish

Bill Morrison – Suncatch Expert – 12 species – Redspotted Sunfish, Warmouth, Orangespotted Sunfish, Bluegill, Dollar Sunfish, Green Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Redbreast Sunfish, Black Crappie, White Crappie, and Flier

Kirk Dietrich – Suncatch Fanatic – 10 species – Redspotted Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Bluegill, Orangespotted Sunfish, Green Sunfish, Warmouth, Dollar Sunfish, Flier, and Black Crappie

Brad Dunne – Suncatch Fanatic – 10 species – Bluegill, Black Crappie, White Crappie, Redear Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Green Sunfish, Redspotted Sunfish, Warmouth, Orangespotted Sunfish, and Dollar Sunfish

Jim Johnson – Suncatch Fanatic – 10 species – Warmouth, Redspotted Sunfish, Redbreast Sunfish, Flier, Bluegill, Longear Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Black Crappie, Dollar Sunfish, and Green Sunfish

Tim Jones – Suncatch Fanatic – 10 species – Bluegill, Redspotted Sunfish, Warmouth, Dollar Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Sunfish, Green Sunfish, Black Crappie, and Bluespotted Sunfish

Nick Williams – Suncatch Fanatic – 8 species – Black Crappie, Bluegill, Dollar Sunfish, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Redspotted Sunfish, Spotted Sunfish, and Redear Sunfish 

David Rogers – Suncatch Fanatic – 9 species – Green Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Bluegill, Dollar Sunfish, Redspotted Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Shadow Bass, Orangespotted Sunfish, and Spotted Sunfish

Rules and Procedures


General rules

  • Must be a current FFI member
  • There is no entry fee for the Suncatch Challenge
  • All fish must be caught on single-hook flies and fly fishing equipment, and in accordance with all state, local and other applicable laws.
  • All fish must be caught in public water (no private water submissions please)
  • Only one entry per species per angler accepted. You may request having a previous entry replaced should you catch a bigger or more representative version of a prior caught species.
  • Submissions for each sunfish must be entered within 30 days after the catch or be disqualified.
  • The program began on April 1st, 2021 and will continue until perpetuity (or such time as program is terminated).
  • All fish must be caught within the following boundaries: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Florida west of the Appalachicola River.

  • Proper handling of fish is a must! Each qualifying fish must be photographed with minimal stress (see photo requirements below).
  • The Suncatch Challenge Committee will have final decisions on all entries.

Submission

  • All fish must be entered through the online form link on this webpage.
  • Every entry logged is required to include the common name of the fish (choose from selection), date on which you caught the fish, the fly the fish was caught on, the watershed of the catch (location), and state where the fish was caught.
  • Optionally you can add information about the nearest city, your FFI member number, and any additional comments on the submission.
  • An original photograph of the fish may be submitted on the form or can be submitted to the email address above.  Put “Suncatch” in the subject line, and include your full name and the species common name in the body.
  • The photograph must meet ALL the photo requirements listed below
  • In the event that the species is not easily identifiable, the Suncatch Challenge coordinator will review the submission and attempt to identify the species. If they are not able to identify the fish, it may be submitted to a fisheries biologist or other expert for identification.

Photo requirements

  • The photograph must include the fish -and- either the fly rod or the fly used.
  • It should be taken alive, and at the time it was caught. Photos of fish lying in dirt or sand are discouraged. Photos of fish in an ice chest, driveway or on a cleaning table will -NOT- be accepted!
  • The fish should be positioned so that an entire side, lips to tail, dorsal fin to belly, are visible. It should encompass a significant part of the photo, so that when enlarged or cropped, no detail is lost.
  • Photos should be clear/sharp. Avoid taking the photo with strong light in the background (fish gets too dark), or using a strong flash (fish gets too bright).
  • Make sure your camera/phone has the correct date stamp as the photo metadata will be used for validation.
  • Please use safe handling and release techniques while photographing the fish. Please try and wet your hands prior to handling the fish. The website keepfishwet.org has best practices on handling fish and taking fish photos safely.
Helpful Resources


Species identification help

Check the following links for help in identifying your catch:

Koaw’s Guide to Common Sunfishes

Outdoor Alabama – Bream(Sunfish) in Alabama

Florida Museum – Fishes in the Freshwaters of Florida

This poster quickly identifies most of the qualifying species:

Suncatch Challenge Facebook Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/145536634129115/

To promote the program, accommodate participant questions, post reports, and share experiences or knowledge of fly fishing for sunfish, the Council has created a Facebook group for such purposes. It is a private group – admission only to FFI members on request. Moderators will insure that group rules are strictly adhered to.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Over the course of the event, we’ll be receiving questions from Sunfish Challenge participants. The ones we find most appropriate will be posted here, along with answers.

Q. Can I submit entries from catches prior to April 1, 2021 (start of the Challenge) or prior to my being a member of FFI?
A. No. That is why the original photo must be submitted. We will use the metadata of the photo to validate date of catch. For that reason, it is very important that the date function on your camera be correct!

Q. What if I catch a hybrid sunfish, what species do I register it as?
A. In the past we have accepted hybrids, however starting 5/1/2023 we will not. Sunfish readily hybridize and determining what species of sunfish that fish came from can be a problem. Please try and submit fish that are good representatives of the species you are targeting.

Q. What if I catch a spotted or redspotted sunfish from the zone of introgression?
A. We recognize that the range for spotted sunfish within the Gulf Coast Council boundaries overlaps with the range of redspotted sunfish and as such intergrades of the two species will commonly be caught. Please do your best to turn in a good representative member of each species if you plan to fish within the contact zone. These fish are common enough that this should not be an issue.

Q. Will the photos be used elsewhere?
A. Selected photos will be used strictly for promotion of the Sunfish Challenge, either on our website or Facebook page. You may request that we not use your photo in the “Comments” of the entry log.