Fish Species Guides
Know how to identify, find, and catch America's most popular gamefish — with the size, habitat, and tactics that actually work.
Freshwater
Black Crappie
Black crappie is a deep-bodied panfish of the sunfish family, marked by irregular black speckles scattered across a silvery-green body.
Blue Catfish
Blue catfish is the largest catfish species in North America, a scaleless river giant with a slate-blue body and a deeply forked tail.
Bluegill
Bluegill is a small, deep-bodied panfish of the sunfish family, named for the blue sheen on its gill cover and lower jaw.
Brook Trout
Brook trout is a small char of the salmon family, marked by pale worm-like markings on the back and red spots ringed with blue along the flanks.
Channel Catfish
Channel catfish is a large, scaleless freshwater fish of the North American catfish family, distinguished by a deeply forked tail and dark scattered spots.
Flathead Catfish
Flathead catfish is a large, solitary river predator distinguished by a broad flattened head, a protruding lower jaw, and a squared tail.
Lake Trout
Lake trout is the largest char of the salmon family, a deep, cold-water fish marked by pale spots on a dark body and a deeply forked tail.
Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass is a large freshwater predatory fish of the sunfish family, distinguished by an upper jaw that extends past the rear edge of the eye.
Muskie
Muskie is the largest member of the pike family, a long, toothy freshwater predator renowned as one of the hardest gamefish to catch.
Northern Pike
Northern pike is a long, aggressive freshwater predator of the pike family, marked by light bean-shaped spots scattered across a dark green body.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbow trout is a cold-water fish of the salmon family, recognized by the broad pink-to-red stripe running along each silvery flank.
Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass is a bronze-colored freshwater gamefish of the sunfish family, prized for a fighting strength that far exceeds its modest size.
Walleye
Walleye is a large freshwater predator of the perch family, named for its cloudy, reflective eyes that let it hunt in low light.
Yellow Perch
Yellow perch is a golden-bodied panfish of the perch family, easily known by six to eight dark vertical bars crossing its yellow sides.
Saltwater
Albacore Tuna
Albacore tuna is a medium-sized, warm-blooded species of the mackerel family, prized worldwide as the only tuna that may be labeled canned white meat.
Cobia
Cobia is a large, solitary coastal gamefish with a broad flat head and dark brown body, often mistaken at a distance for a shark or remora.
King Mackerel
King mackerel is a fast, migratory member of the mackerel family, built as a streamlined open-water predator with a steeply dropping lateral line.
Mahi-Mahi
Mahi-mahi is a fast-growing offshore gamefish famous for brilliant blue-green and gold coloration and one of the quickest growth rates of any fish.
Red Snapper
Red snapper is a deep-bodied reef fish of the snapper family, prized for its brick-red coloration and firm, white, highly valued flesh.
Redfish
Redfish is a coastal gamefish of the drum family, easily identified by the copper-red body and one or more black spots at the base of the tail.
Snook
Snook is a warm-water coastal gamefish marked by a sharp black lateral line running the full length of its yellow-tinged silver body.
Speckled Trout
Speckled trout is a coastal member of the drum family, not a true trout, recognized by silvery sides scattered with distinct round black spots.
Striped Bass
Striped bass is a large migratory fish of the temperate bass family, named for the seven or eight dark horizontal stripes running along its silvery sides.
Summer Flounder
Summer flounder is a flat, left-eyed bottom fish that lies camouflaged on the seafloor with both eyes on the upper side of its body.
Tarpon
Tarpon is a large, prehistoric coastal gamefish clad in massive silver scales, renowned as one of the greatest fighting fish in the sea.
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