How To Fish
Freshwater Fish Identification
Acipenseridae |
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Name: Shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) Length: 43 inches Weight: 20 pounds Range: Rivers and coastal waters along east coast Diet: Invertebrates, mollusks and small fish |
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Name: Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) Length: 170 inches Weight: 1100 pounds Range: Rivers and coastal waters along east coast Diet: Invertebrates, mollusks and small fish |
Polyodontidae |
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Name: Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) Length: 60 inches Weight: 160 pounds Range: Mississippi and Missouri River drainages Diet: Plankton |
Lepisosteidae |
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Name: Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) Length: 7-9.5 Feet Weight: 150-300 pounds Range: Large rivers along the Gulf Coast Diet: Fish |
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Name: Spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) Length: 3 Feet Weight: 28 pounds Range: Coastal plains of Texas and Louisiana, lowlands of Oklahoma, Missouri Diet: Fish |
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Name: Longnose gar (Lepisostevs osseus) Length: 40 inches Weight: 15 pounds Range: Eastern half of United States along major river ways Diet: Fish |
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Name: Shortnose gar (Lepisosteus platostomus) Length: 2 Feet Weight: 3.5 pounds Range: Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio River drainages Diet: Fish, crayfish, insects |
Amiidae |
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Name: Bowfin (Amia calva) Length: 3 feet Weight: 20 pounds Range: Southern Canada to Florida Diet: Fish and invertebrates |
Anguillidae |
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Name: American eel (Anguilla rostrata) Length: 54 inches Weight: 16 pounds Range: Newfoundland, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Diet: Omnivorous |
Clupeidae |
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Name: Blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) Length: 15.7 inches Weight: 3 pounds Range: East Coast of United States and Canada Diet: Copepods, insects, shrimp, worms and fish |
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Name: Alabama shad (Alosa alabamae) Length: 18 inches Weight: 3 pounds Range: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, Illinois Diet: Small fish, aquatic insects |
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Name: Skipjack herring (Alosa chrysochloris) Length: 21 inches Weight: 3.5 pounds Range: Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri Rivers Diet: Small fish |
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Name: Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) Length: 5-17 inches Freshwater, 14 inches Saltwater Weight: 1 pound Range: Diet: Zooplankton |
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Name: American shad (Alosa sapidissima) Length: 30 inches Weight: 4 pounds Range: Coastal waters from Newfoundland to Florida Diet: Fish and invertebrates |
Cyprinidae |
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Name: Goldfish (Carassius auratus) Length: 16 inches Weight: 3 pounds Range: Sporadic distribution in United States Diet: Zooplankton, aquatic insects, plants |
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Name: Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) Length: 48 inches Weight: 80 pounds Range: Widespread throughout United States. Diet: Omnivorous |
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Name: Mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio) Length: 48 inches Weight: 60 pounds Range: Domesticated common carp Diet: Aquatic vegetation, aquatic insects, crustaceans, and small mollusks |
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Name: Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) Length: 12 inches Weight: 1.5 pounds Range: Newfoundland to south of Everglades, Diet: Fish |
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Name: Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) Length: 1.5-3.6 inches Weight: Several ounces Range: Widespread from the Rockies Diet: Omnivorous |
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Name: Creekchub (Semotilus atromaculatus) Length: 12 inches Weight: 1.5 pounds Range: Mid Atlantic region, Eastern and adjacent United States and Canada Diet: Aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, algae and small fish |
Catostomidae |
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Name: River carpsucker (Carpoides carpio) Length: 24 inches Weight: 10 pounds Range: Great Plains from northern Mexico to Montana and Minnesota Diet: Worms, crustaceans and algae |
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Name: Creek chubsucker (Erimyzon obhmgus) Length: 14 inches Weight: 2 pounds Range: Widely distributed in United States from Gulf Coast to Great Lakes Diet: Small crustaceans, insects, algae |
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Name: Northern hogsucker (Hypentelium nigricans) Length: 15 inches Weight: 2 pounds Range: Mississippi, Ohio, Great Lakes drainage from New York to North Georgia Diet: Aquatic insects |
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Name: Smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) Length: 3 feet Weight: 51 pounds Range: Below Great Lakes, mid-central states, south Texas Diet: Small crustaceans, aquatic insects |
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Name: Bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) Length: 40 inches Weight: 50 pounds Range: Mississippi River dunnage Diet: Zooplankton, insects, algae |
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Name: Black buffalo (Ictiobus niger) Length: 40 inches Weight: 50 pounds Range: Diet: Zooplankton, insects, algae |
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Name: Spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops) Length: 19 inches Weight: 4.5 Pounds Range: Diet: Aquatic insects, algae |
Ictaluridae |
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Name: White catfish (Ameiurus catus) Length: 24 inches Weight: 15 pounds Range: Coastal States from New York to Florida Diet: Aquatic plants, insects, fish |
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Name: Black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) Length: 12 inches Weight: 2 pounds Range: Central United States Diet: Insects, crustaceans |
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Name: Yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis) Length: 12 inches Weight: 2 pounds Range: Eastern half of United States Diet: Detritus plant matter, crayfish, insects, mollusks, fish |
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Name: Brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) Length: 20 inches Weight: 5 pounds Range: Eastern United States Diet: Crustaceans, insects, worms, algae, mollusks, fish |
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Name: Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) Length: 50 inches Weight: 60 pounds Range: Mississippi River Basin, Gulf Coast drainages Diet: Detritus insects, mollusks, crayfish, fish |
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Name: Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) Length: 50 inches Weight: 60 pounds Range: Widely distributed throughout the United States Diet: Insects, crayfish, fish |
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Name: Albino Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) Genetic variation of Channel Catfish |
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Name: Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) Length: 60 inches Weight: 90 pounds Range: Rio Grande, Pecos, and Gila watersheds, introducted into many western streams. Diet: Insect larvae, crustaceans, and fish |
Esocidae |
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Name: Redfin pickerel (ESOX americanus americanus) Length: 14 inches Weight: 2 pounds Range: Canada through coastal drainage, Coastal plains from Maryland to Georgia Diet: Small fish and aquatic insects |
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Name: Chain pickerel (Esox niqer) Length: 31 inches Weight: 9 pounds Range: Canada to Florida Atlantic Coast, east Ttexas Diet: Carnivorous |
Salmonidae |
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Name: Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Length: 3 feet, 9 inches Weight: 30 pounds Range: Widely distributed through United States, originally north Mexlco. Western United States north to Alaska Diet: Small fish and invertebrates |
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Name: Brown trout (Salmo trutta) Length: 3 feet, 4 inches Weight: 35 pounds Range: Originally from Europe, widely established in northeast and western united States Diet: Small fish, insects, invertebrates |
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Name: Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) Length: 21 inches Weight: 3 pounds Range: United States, Canada, South America. Originally north east United States, Arctic to Georgia, to Mississippi River. Diet: Aquatic insects, other invertbrates |
Poeciliidae |
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Name: Mosquitofish (Gambusia addinis) |
Moronidae |
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Name: White perch (Morone americana) Length: 12 inches Weight: 3-4 pounds Range: Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia to Georgia Diet: Small fish and invertebrates |
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Name: White bass (Morone chrysops) Length: 18 inches Weight: 3-4 pounds Range: Great Lakes, eastern central United States Gulf of Mexico to Missouri river Diet: Minnows and small invertebrates |
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Name: Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) Length: 50 inches Weight: 70 pounds Range: Gulf of St. Lawrence to north Florida, Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana Diet: Fish |
Centrarchidae |
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Name: Mud sunfish (Acantharchus pomotis) Length: 8.6 inches Weight: 0.75 pounds Range: Atlantic Coastal Plain from New York to Florida Diet: Saids, crustaceans and aquatic insect larvae |
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Name: Flier (Centrarchus macropterus) Length: 7.5 inches Weight: 0.5 pounds Range: Coastal Plain from South Maryland to Florida and Gulf to lower Mississippi Diet: Insects, crustaceans and small fish |
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Name: Redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) Length: 10 inches Weight: 2 pounds Range: East of Allegheny Mountains from New Brunswick to Florida Diet: Aquatic crustaceans and invertebrates |
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Name: Green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) Length: 12 inches Weight: 2.5 pounds Range: Tributaries of Mississippi River from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico Diet: Aquatic insects, insects and small fish |
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Name: Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) Length: 15 inches Weight: 1-2 pounds Range: Every state, originally form Great Lakes and from Rio Grande of Florida Diet: Aquatic Insects |
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Name: Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus) Length: 12 inches Weight: 2 pounds Range: Primarily southern United States Diet: Minnows, insects, |
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Name: Orange spotted sunfish (Lepomis humilis) Length: 3-5 inches Weight: 0.26 pounds Range: Eastern North Dakota, South Minnesota, East Texas, Louisiana, Ohio Valley and Central High Plains Diet: Small crayfish, and aquatic insects |
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Name: Bluegill (Lepomis macrochims) Length: 16 inches Weight: 4 pounds Range: Great Lakes to south Florida, Gulf States to Arkansas Diet: Small fish, invertebrates |
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Name: Longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) Length: 10 inches Weight: 2 pounds Range: Great Lakes to upper St. Lawrence River, west Florida, Texas Diet: Insects, small invertebrates |
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Name: Redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) Length: 15 inches Weight: 4 pounds Range: Mid Atlantic states to central Florida, Gulf of Mexico Diet: Small mollusks |
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Name: Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) Length: 27 inches Weight: 11 pounds Range: Originally from central United States, east of Great Plains and Quebec. Now throughout United States. Diet: Fish, insect larvae, crayfish |
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Name: Suwannee bass (Micropterus notius) Length: 14 inches Weight: 3-4 pounds Range: Suwannee River drainage, Ochlockonee River drainage Florida and Georgia Diet: Crayfish, fish and shrimp |
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Name: Largemouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) Length: 38 inches Weight: 20 pounds Range: Every state, originally from Great Lakes and from Rio Grande of Florida. Diet: Fish |
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Name: White crappie (Pomoxis annularis) Length: 16 inches Weight: 5 pounds Range: Great Lakes, Texas, Louisiana, east coast Diet: Small fish |
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Name: Black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) Length: 16 inches Weight: 5 pounds Range: South Canada, Great Lakes, southern United States to east Texas Diet: Small fish |
Elassomatidae |
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Name: Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma sp) Length: 1.3 inches Weight: Several ounces Range: Coastal Plains of the Carolinas Diet: insects |
Percidae |
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Name: Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) Length: 24 inches Weight: .25 to .75 pounds Range: Diet: Small fish and invertebrates |
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Name: Sauger (Stizostedion canadense) Length: 18 inches Weight: 4 pounds Range: Central North America Diet: Fish and crayfish |
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Name: Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) Length: 36 inches Weight: 5 pounds Range: Widely distributed through northern United States and Canada Diet: Fish |
Pomatomodae |
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Name: Bluefish (Pomatomous saltator) Length: 48 inches Weight: 45 pounds Range: East Coast of United States Diet: Fish |
Sciaenidae |
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Name: Freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) Length: 35 inches Weight: 54 pounds Range: Canada, Great Lakes, Mississippi Drainage to Alabama, east Mexico. Diet: Invertebrates |
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Name: Spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) Length: 36 inches Weight: 16 pounds Range: New York to Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico Diet: Shrimp and fish |
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Name: Red drum (Sciaenops ocellata) Length: 61 inches Weight: 90 pounds Range: New York to Texas coast Diet: Crustaceans and mollusks |
Cichlidae |
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Name: Tilapia Length: 5 inches Weight: 1.5 pounds Range: Widely introduced in southern United States south of North Carolina, Missouri and central California Diet: Aquatic insects, small fish and quatic weeds |
