How to Catch Sunfish

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: August 31, 2022 References

Fishing for sunfish can be a fun experience for seasoned anglers or those new to fishing. Sunfish are often the first fish caught by kids. They are small fish found in almost all freshwater bodies in the United States. To catch sunfish, make sure you have the right equipment and bait, find the right area, and try different techniques.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Fishing with the Right Equipment

1
Use simple, light tackle. You don’t need anything special or fancy to catch sunfish. Cane poles, fiberglass poles, flycasting tackle, and ultralight spinning tackle can all be used to fish for sunfish. A 4-pound line and small hook is also good for catching sunfish.^{[1]
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- You may also attach a float and sinker weight.
2
Use a small hook. Sunfish are typically small fish. You won’t catch a sunfish with a large hook because it will be too large for their mouth to close around it. To ensure that you catch your fish, use a small hook.^{[2]
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- Hook sizes number six to ten work well.
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3
Use worms and small insects for bait. Sunfish are not picky and will bite just about anything. The easiest and most common types of bait used to catch sunfish are crickets, earthworms, red wigglers, and grubs. Though you can use dead or thawed bait, live bait is better.^{[3]
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- You can also use other species of worms or even balls of bread.
- When using worms, only use part of the worm because you only need a small amount on the hook. Too much of the worm on the hook can make it difficult to catch the fish. They may nibble part of the worm and avoid the hook.
4
Try artificial bait around dense areas. When you are fishing around brush, weeds, or rocks, you shouldn’t use live bait. Instead, use small flies or other artificial bait. You can also try small spinners, spinnerbaits, and jig-spinners.^{[4]
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- Sunfish are usually caught on small lures because they are small fish with small mouths.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Fishing in the Right Conditions

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Try lakes and rivers. Sunfish can be found around the United States in most lakes, ponds, and rivers. One isn’t necessarily better than the other for catching sunfish. Many people prefer to lake fish, but rivers can yield some great catches, too.^{[5]
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- Fish around different bodies of water in your area to figure out where you can find the most sunfish.
2
Fish during the day. Most sunfish are more active during the day than at night. They also feed by sight and get curious about things they see in the water, and they can see in the water more easily during the day. For the best chances at catching sunfish, fish while the sun is out.^{[6]
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- During the summer, morning and evening fishing is most effective. During the fall, fish in the middle of the day.
3
Fish in shallow water with cover. Sunfish can be found just about anywhere, but they tend to really like shallow areas that have some kind of cover. Look for sunfish around brush, weeds, and rocks.^{[7]
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- For example, lake coves are a common place to find sunfish.
- In the winter, you can also find sunfish in deeper waters.

Method 3

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Choosing the Right Technique

1
Place the bait under a cork. Sunfish don’t like to chase their food. Try placing the bait on a hook under a cork. Make sure the float is small because if the cork is too large and heavy, the sunfish will detect it and avoid the bait. Keep the line still because they like motionless bait.^{[8]
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- Put one to three feet between the cork and the hook. Try different depths if you are having trouble catching anything.
2
Fish without a cork in clean areas. Your line doesn’t have to have a cork if the bottom of the body of water doesn’t have a lot of cover. You can let the hook sink to the bottom of a gravel or sandy bottom, especially when you are bed fishing in early spring or after a cold snap.^{[9]
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- After a few minutes, recast the line.
- Make sure that you use light weight so the bait can fall to the bottom slowly.
3
Drift across the lake in a boat. Another way to catch sunfish, especially in late summer when they are more readily found in open water, is to drift the bait through the water with a boat. The hook should be suspended around 10 to 15 feet down into the water. Drift across the lake, dragging the bait through the water.^{[10]
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- You may want to try drifting in areas where you know fish have been before.
4
Wait about five minutes after you cast. If the line doesn’t tug or the bobber move by then, reel in about a foot and repeat the process. Try a different bait and cast again. Then, cast in a different place.
- If there are no bites where you cast and you use the right bait, then there may not be any hungry fish in the area.
5
Hook the fish. When the sunfish bites, you will see ripples and the cork might go under then up over the water with a loud plop. Don’t move your rod. This is difficult and infuriating, but the fish is probably just nibbling and smelling the bait.^{[11]
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- When they bite, the bobber will go under and to the side. Jerk your rod up lightly in the opposite direction of the bobber to set the hook. If the bobber moves to one side but not down, then the sunfish hasn’t bitten the hook.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I use sausage to catch sunfish?

Community Answer

Yes, just to make sure that they can fully get their mouths around the bait.
Question

Will beef jerky work as bait for sunnies?

Community Answer

Beef jerky is great for sunnies, as they love a wide variety of meat, and jerky is harder for them to "steal" off the hook because of the firmness of the bait.