Kansas State Record Redear Sunfish

Redear Sunfish Illustration | credit: USFWS

Great Bend resident, Jason Cavender was the last angler to set a Kansas state record for the 2023 fishing season.

Cavender landed a 1.725 pound redear sunfish while fishing at Cheyenne Bottoms Sportsman’s Club in Great Bend. 

The record-breaking sunfish measured a whopping 12 inches in girth and 12.125 inches long.

Cavender’s catch beats out the previous redear sunfish record set in 1995 by Larry Fox of Scott City. Fox caught a 1.69 pound redear from Finney Wildlife Area that measured 11.75 inches long.

The redear sunfish is the largest species of sunfish in North America. Also known as shellcracker and other nicknames, redears can attain weights of 5 pounds or more.

For more on fishing in Kansas, visit ksoutdoors.com