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The first fish that I ever caught was almost certainly a common sunfish. It may have been a "blue-gill bream," but the small ones of these two are very similar and I can't recall exactly which one it was. I suppose it may have even been a "strawberry bream" or a "stump-knocker." A bluegill bream looks like a sunfish but has a blue spot on its gills. Bluegills also grow larger than common sunfish. "Stump-knockers" (AKA "Strawberry Bream" AKA "Redear Bream") also look like common sunfish except they have reddish or black spots along their sides. They're called "stumpknockers" because they like to hang out around tree stumps in lakes and ponds. I've caught a lot of bluegills and bass over the years. They are widespread in the South and they're commonly stocked in ponds and lakes, particularly bluegills. Other than bass, they're not really much sport to catch except on ultralight spinning rods or on fly-rods. Bait is commonly worms or crickets for bluegills and minnows and lures for bass. Another freshwater fish found in the South is the "crappie"or "sac-a-lait"(bag-of-milk) as they are called in South Louisiana. These are also in the sunfish family, but they get a little bigger and are a little tastier than bream, I think. Then there are "goggle-eyes" or "rock bass." These are similar to the other bream, but are yet another variety. Finally, there are bass, the sport-fishing kings of the family due to the fact that they get much larger than the others. I used to catch largemouth or "black" bass in the brackish southern rivers and bayous, where they are sometimes called "green trout." All of these "panfish" are edible, but it's not always easy to get all the bones. Panfish are usually fried, hence the name. We almost always just battered them with cornmeal and flour, but below are a couple of links to fish batter recipes. Panfish can be used in many recipes other than just frying them. You can find those with the "search." If you want a particular panfish recipe, send me a request with as much pertinent information as you can.
Phaed