Freshwater Fish Species
Freshwater fish inhabit the lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds that stretch across North America. From the bass-heavy reservoirs of the South to the cold trout streams of the Rockies, freshwater fishing draws more anglers than any other discipline. Species in this category range from fast-growing panfish to trophy largemouth that can top 20 pounds. Knowing the habitat preferences, seasonal patterns, and feeding habits of each species is the difference between a slow afternoon and a memorable day on the water.
116 species in this category
Alligator Gar
Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) inhabits large rivers, reservoirs. Popular …
American Eel
American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) inhabits rivers, streams, lakes. Popular techni…
Apache Trout
Apache Trout (Oncorhynchus apache) inhabits white mountains streams, az. Popular…
Arctic Char
Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) inhabits arctic lakes and rivers. Popular techn…
Arctic Grayling
Arctic Grayling (Thymallus arcticus) inhabits cold arctic rivers. Popular techni…
Bantam Sunfish
Bantam Sunfish (Lepomis symmetricus) inhabits cypress swamps. Popular technique:…
Bighead Carp
Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) inhabits large rivers, reservoirs. Pop…
Bigmouth Buffalo
Bigmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) inhabits warm shallow lakes. Popular tec…
Bigmouth Shiner
Bigmouth Shiner (Notropis dorsalis) inhabits clear sandy streams. Popular techni…
Black Buffalo
Black Buffalo (Ictiobus niger) inhabits large rivers. Popular technique: bowfish…
Black Bullhead
Black Bullhead (Ameiurus melas) inhabits muddy ponds, turbid lakes. Popular tech…
Black Crappie
Schooling panfish prized by anglers for excellent table fare. Spring spawn is pr…
Blacktail Shiner
Blacktail Shiner (Cyprinella venusta) inhabits rocky streams, se. Popular techni…
Blue Catfish
Giant freshwater predator. Largest North American catfish species.
Blue Sucker
Blue Sucker (Cycleptus elongatus) inhabits large fast rivers. Popular technique:…
Bluegill
America's favorite panfish. Kids' first catch and dependable eating size.
Bowfin
Bowfin (Amia calva) inhabits swamps, weedy lakes. Popular technique: heavy tackl…
Brook Trout
America's native char. Small but beautiful fish of high-elevation streams.
Brown Bullhead
Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) inhabits lakes, slow rivers. Popular techniq…
Brown Trout
European import that grew into a legendary American gamefish. Wary and large.
Bull Trout
Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus) inhabits cold mountain streams, pnw. Popular…
Burbot
Burbot (Lota lota) inhabits cold deep lakes. Popular technique: ice fishing usin…
Chain Pickerel
Chain Pickerel (Esox niger) inhabits weedy lakes, slow streams. Popular techniqu…
Channel Catfish
Most popular US catfish. Whiskered bottom-feeder available in rivers and lakes e…
Cisco
Cisco (Coregonus artedi) inhabits cold deep lakes. Popular technique: trolling u…
Common Carp
European import and world's most pursued fish. Powerful fighter on light tackle.
Creek Chub
Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) inhabits rocky streams. Popular technique: …
Dollar Sunfish
Dollar Sunfish (Lepomis marginatus) inhabits se coastal plains streams. Popular …
Dolly Varden
Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) inhabits cold mountain streams, alaska. Popular …
Emerald Shiner
Emerald Shiner (Notropis atherinoides) inhabits large lakes, rivers. Popular tec…
Flannelmouth Sucker
Flannelmouth Sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) inhabits colorado river system. Popu…
Flathead Catfish
Solitary ambush predator. Only eats live bait — trophy catches come from snags a…
Flier
Flier (Centrarchus macropterus) inhabits swamps, cypress ponds. Popular techniqu…
Florida Gar
Florida Gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus) inhabits florida lakes, swamps. Popular t…
Freshwater Drum
Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) inhabits large rivers, lakes. Popular te…
Gila Trout
Gila Trout (Oncorhynchus gilae) inhabits gila wilderness streams. Popular techni…
Gizzard Shad
Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) inhabits lakes, rivers. Popular technique: us…
Golden Redhorse
Golden Redhorse (Moxostoma erythrurum) inhabits clear gravel rivers. Popular tec…
Golden Shiner
Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) inhabits weedy lakes, ponds. Popular tec…
Golden Trout
Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita) inhabits high sierra streams, lakes. Popu…
Goldeye
Goldeye (Hiodon alosoides) inhabits northern rivers. Popular technique: light ta…
Grass Carp
Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) inhabits lakes, rivers, canals. Popular tec…
Grass Pickerel
Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) inhabits weedy streams, ponds. Pop…
Greater Redhorse
Greater Redhorse (Moxostoma valenciennesi) inhabits large clean rivers. Popular …
Green Sunfish
Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) inhabits streams, ponds. Popular technique: li…
Guadalupe Bass
Guadalupe Bass (Micropterus treculii) inhabits clear streams, texas. Popular tec…
Headwater Catfish
Headwater Catfish (Ictalurus lupus) inhabits spring-fed streams, tx/nm. Popular …
Koi
Koi (Cyprinus rubrofuscus) inhabits ponds, park lakes. Popular technique: bottom…
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi) inhabits nevada high de…
Lake Sturgeon
Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) inhabits large lakes, rivers. Popular techn…
Lake Trout
Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) inhabits deep cold lakes. Popular technique: t…
Lake Whitefish
Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) inhabits deep cold lakes. Popular techni…
Largemouth Bass
North America's most popular gamefish. Found in lakes, ponds, and slow rivers ac…
Longear Sunfish
Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) inhabits clear rocky streams. Popular techni…
Longnose Dace
Longnose Dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) inhabits fast rocky streams. Popular tech…
Longnose Gar
Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus) inhabits warm slow rivers, lakes. Popular tech…
Longnose Sucker
Longnose Sucker (Catostomus catostomus) inhabits cold mountain streams. Popular …
Mirror Carp
Mirror Carp (Cyprinus carpio haematopterus) inhabits lakes, ponds. Popular techn…
Mooneye
Mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) inhabits clear rivers. Popular technique: light tackle…
Mountain Whitefish
Mountain Whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) inhabits cold mountain rivers. Popula…
Muskellunge
The fish of 10,000 casts. Largest freshwater predator in North America.
Northern Hogsucker
Northern Hogsucker (Hypentelium nigricans) inhabits rocky riffles, streams. Popu…
Northern Pike
Aggressive apex predator of cold lakes. Strikes big lures and ambushes prey.
Orangespotted Sunfish
Orangespotted Sunfish (Lepomis humilis) inhabits muddy streams, small lakes. Pop…
Ozark Bass
Ozark Bass (Ambloplites constellatus) inhabits ozark plateau streams. Popular te…
Paddlefish
Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) inhabits large rivers. Popular technique: snaggin…
Pallid Sturgeon
Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) inhabits missouri/mississippi rivers. Pop…
Peacock Bass
Peacock Bass (Cichla ocellaris) inhabits florida canals, tropical lakes. Popular…
Pumpkinseed
Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) inhabits weedy lakes, ponds. Popular technique: b…
Quillback
Quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus) inhabits clear lakes, rivers. Popular technique: …
Rainbow Trout
Stocked and wild rainbow trout. Aggressive striker and acrobatic fighter when ho…
Redbreast Sunfish
Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus) inhabits clear streams. Popular technique: f…
Redear Sunfish
Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) inhabits weedy lakes, ponds. Popular techni…
Redeye Bass
Redeye Bass (Micropterus coosae) inhabits mountain streams, se. Popular techniqu…
Redfin Pickerel
Redfin Pickerel (Esox americanus americanus) inhabits coastal plain streams. Pop…
Redhorse Sucker
Redhorse Sucker (Moxostoma anisurum) inhabits large clean rivers. Popular techni…
Rio Grande Cichlid
Rio Grande Cichlid (Herichthys cyanoguttatus) inhabits tx/nm streams, ponds. Pop…
Rio Grande Sucker
Rio Grande Sucker (Catostomus plebeius) inhabits rio grande headwaters. Popular …
River Redhorse
River Redhorse (Moxostoma carinatum) inhabits large clean rivers. Popular techni…
Roanoke Bass
Roanoke Bass (Ambloplites cavifrons) inhabits roanoke river drainage. Popular te…
Rock Bass
Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris) inhabits rocky streams, lakes. Popular techniq…
Round Whitefish
Round Whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum) inhabits cold lakes, rivers. Popular te…
Sacramento Perch
Sacramento Perch (Archoplites interruptus) inhabits central valley lakes, ca. Po…
Sauger
Sauger (Sander canadensis) inhabits large rivers, reservoirs. Popular technique:…
Saugeye
Saugeye (Sander vitreus x canadensis) inhabits reservoirs, lakes. Popular techni…
Shadow Bass
Shadow Bass (Ambloplites ariommus) inhabits ozark streams. Popular technique: dr…
Shoal Bass
Shoal Bass (Micropterus cataractae) inhabits shoal areas, se rivers. Popular tec…
Shorthead Redhorse
Shorthead Redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum) inhabits clear rivers. Popular tec…
Shortnose Gar
Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus platostomus) inhabits backwaters, slow rivers. Popula…
Shovelnose Sturgeon
Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) inhabits large rivers. Popular…
Silver Carp
Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) inhabits large rivers. Popular techniq…
Silvery Minnow
Silvery Minnow (Hybognathus nuchalis) inhabits large muddy rivers. Popular techn…
Skipjack Herring
Skipjack Herring (Alosa chrysochloris) inhabits large rivers, tailwaters. Popula…
Smallmouth Bass
Bronze warrior of northern rivers and clear lakes. Pound-for-pound fights harder…
Smallmouth Buffalo
Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) inhabits rivers, reservoirs. Popular techn…
Splake
Splake (Salvelinus fontinalis x namaycush) inhabits cold deep lakes. Popular tec…
Spotted Bass
Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus) inhabits lakes, reservoirs, rivers. Popul…
Spotted Gar
Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) inhabits swamps, warm sloughs. Popular techni…
Spotted Sucker
Spotted Sucker (Minytrema melanops) inhabits sandy streams, rivers. Popular tech…
Spotted Sunfish
Spotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus) inhabits swampy streams. Popular technique: …
Stonecat
Stonecat (Noturus flavus) inhabits rocky streams, riffles. Popular technique: bo…
Suwannee Bass
Suwannee Bass (Micropterus notius) inhabits suwannee river system. Popular techn…
Tahoe Sucker
Tahoe Sucker (Catostomus tahoensis) inhabits lake tahoe basin. Popular technique…
Tiger Muskie
Tiger Muskie (Esox masquinongy x lucius) inhabits lakes, reservoirs. Popular tec…
Walleye
Great Lakes and northern prize with exceptional eating quality. Low-light feeder…
Warmouth
Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus) inhabits swamps, weedy lakes. Popular technique: stil…
Westslope Cutthroat Trout
Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) inhabits clear mountain …
White Bass
White Bass (Morone chrysops) inhabits rivers, reservoirs. Popular technique: jig…
White Catfish
White Catfish (Ameiurus catus) inhabits tidal rivers, estuaries. Popular techniq…
White Crappie
White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis) inhabits lakes, slow rivers. Popular technique…
White Perch
White Perch (Morone americana) inhabits tidal rivers, coastal lakes. Popular tec…
White Sucker
White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) inhabits streams, lakes. Popular technique…
Yellow Bass
Yellow Bass (Morone mississippiensis) inhabits rivers, lakes. Popular technique:…
Yellow Bullhead
Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus natalis) inhabits muddy ponds, slow streams. Popular t…
Yellow Perch
Gold-and-green striped panfish. Great Lakes favorite and year-round catch.
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) inhabits yellowstone…
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