Help ID Lake Sumter fish
 

Just before the Riley Grove signature hole on #7 you have to cross two wooden bridges. If you look into the water you can see several circular clearings with each usually holding a fish. As a Northeast bluewater canyon fisherman, I am not familiar with the fish that reside in Lake Sumter. The fish I would like to ID at first glance looked like it had a bass type tail but a closer look suggests its in the carp family.... maybe. It has a reddish tail and body looks silver and bright blue with uniform scales. It appears to have a small mouth. I would guess they are 10-12 inches long.

I checked on line but can't find a match. Do any Village fishermen posters know what species the Sumter fish is?

Re: Help ID Lake Sumter fish
 

Dear Cabo, I walk over and look at them everyday. I think they are bass nests. The grasses are full of fry. I've been calling them calico bass but I don't think they are. They have a calico coloration with the reddish color closer to the tails. The lake between the bridges is full of the circular nests. My house is between the two bridges I and love walking over late in the day to see the fish. Someone else said they were a carp but I see no barbels on the mouth area. I guess they could also be bluegill, redear sunfish or crappie, but my guess is bass.