The average pumpkinseed is about 5 to 6 inches in length, although some may approach 10 inches. Their wide distribution, abundance, unhesitating tendency to bite on worms, and close proximity to shore have made them a favorite among youngsters. They make fine eating, but their small size limits their potential as sport fish. Distribution of pumpkinseed in NY state. Dark dots represent where actual samples of pumpkinseed were taken.
White dots represent historic distributions.
A 318 KB image of the pumpkinseed sunfish is also available for download .