Adult Warmouth are dark, with mottled brown coloration. Ventral areas are generally golden, and males have a bright orange spot at the base of the dorsal fin. Lepomis, the generic name, is Greek and means scaled gill cover , and the species epithet gulosus is Latin, meaning large-mouthed . Biology Warmouth may spawn from spring through the summer, with a peak in May or June. As with other sunfish they are nest builders.
Males guard their nests vigorously until fry swim away.
In general, warmouth prefer complex habitat with aquatic vegetation, sunken logs, stumps, etc. Young fish feed on insect larvae and switch to small fish, snails, and crayfish as they grow. The warmouth ranges from Wisconsin to south Texas, and from the east coast of the U.S. to west Texas. The species is found throughout Texas with the exception of plains streams in the Panhandle. Angler Importance Warmouth are most abundant in the eastern regions of the state, hence that is where goggle-eye fishing is concentrated.