7 – 9"
3 – 4 years
Olive to black with white to bright yellow belly; light band at base of slightly notched tail fin
Insects, crayfish, worms and small fish at night; tolerates muddy waters, soft bottoms and pollution more than other catfish
Black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) Image © Arco Images GmbH
6 – 10"
5 – 6 years
Mottled head, back and sides with dusky or black blotches; seven or eight dorsal spines
Insects, larvae and small fish in clear water; less tolerant of silt and turbidity than white crappie
Black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) Image © Roderick Paul Walker
5 – 7"
5 – 6 years
Short black gill cover; black spot at posterior end of dorsal fin; bluish lower cover of dorsal fin
Seeds, fruits, insects, crayfish, snails and worms in lakes, ponds and streams
Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) Image © Roderick Paul Walker
14 – 15"
7 – 8 years
No scales; eight barbels; deeply forked tail; rounded anal fin; single hard spine in pectoral and dorsal fins
Seeds, fruits, insects, crayfish, snails and worms in lakes, ponds and rivers
Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) Image by Ryan Somma/CC BY-SA 2.0
20"
15 – 20 years
Flattened head; tiny eyes; squarish tail; protruding lower jaw
Bass, bream, shad, crayfish and other catfish in deep pools, lakes, and large, slow-moving rivers
2 – 6"
4 – 5 years
Dark green-blue fading to light green on sides; yellow to white along belly; faint vertical bars on sides; some turquoise spots
Insects and fish in slow-moving pools, moderate-grade streams or rivers
Green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) Image © blickwinkel
12 – 18"
6 – 8 years
Upper jaw extends beyond eye when mouth closed (versus smallmouth); dorsal fins separated by deep notch; dark lateral stripe length of body
Fish and crayfish in lakes, ponds and streams
Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) Image by Jeff Bailey/CC BY-ND 2.0
2 – 5'
8 – 14 years
Silver, brown or green with dark vertical spots (versus northern pike); dark on light background (versus northern pike); no scales on the lower half of gill cover
Mostly fish; also crayfish, frogs, ducklings, snakes, muskrats and small mammals in clear waters along weed edges, rock outcrops or other structures
Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) Image by Andy Sloane/CC BY-SA 2.0
20 – 60"
8 – 14 years
Olive back; yellowish or whitish belly; short, horizontal spots (versus muskie); scaleless lower half gill cover (versus muskie); light markings on dark background (versus muskie)
Mainly fish but also water voles and ducklings; other northern pike in sluggish streams and shallow, weedy places in lakes; cold, clear, rocky waters
Northern pike (Esox lucius) Image by Travis S./CC BY-NC 2.0
8 – 9"
3 – 5 years
Dark along back; yellow-green along belly; red edge on male’s gill cover, orange on female’s
Snails and other shelled creatures along lake beds in deep-water, mollusk-feeding niches
6 – 10"
3 – 4 years
Similar to smallmouth bass but usually a bit smaller
Smaller fish, insects and crustaceans in clear, rocky and vegetated stream pools and lake margins
Rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris) Image © Roderick Paul Walker
10 – 20"
8 – 10 years
Upper jaw extends mid eye when mouth closed (versus largemouth); dorsal fins nearly continuous; lines radiate from nose and eye; vertical stripes on sides
Insects, crayfish and fish in lakes, streams and rivers
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) Image by Andrew Reding/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
14 – 15"
10 – 12 years
Large glassy eyes; olive-brown body with greenish yellow reflections; dark spot at back of first dorsal fin; lower tail fin often with white tip
Fish and insects in rivers, streams and lakes
Walleye (Sander vitreus)
6 – 10"
5 – 6 years
5 – 10 vertical bars (versus spots on black crappie); dorsal fin starts further back than on black crappie
Insects, larvae and small fish in clear water with aquatic vegetation; rivers
White crappie (Pomoxis annularis)
6 – 10"
7 years
Dark olive-brown back; yellowish belly; nonmottled sides; dusky to olive fins
Tiny crustaceans, insects, larvae and fish in warm pools and backwaters in ponds, lakes, reservoirs and rivers
7 – 9"
7 – 8 years
Yellow body with six to nine dark bars or rings running top to bottom; hump just behind head
Fish and insects in rivers and lakes
Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) Image © Roderick Paul Walker
Black Bullhead
Black Crappie
Bluegill
Channel Catfish
Flathead Catfish
Green Sunfish
Largemouth Bass
Muskellunge
Northern Pike
Redear Sunfish
Rock Bass
Smallmouth Bass
Walleye
White Crappie
Yellow Bullhead
Yellow Perch
Birds
Fish
Frogs, Turtles, Snakes & More
Insects, Spiders, Crayfish & More
Mammals
Mussels & Snails
Banner image by Andrew Reding/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
3S580 Naperville Road
Wheaton, IL 60189
630-933-7200
forest@dupageforest.org
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Forest Preserve District is committed to making its facilities accessible to all visitors. Contact 630-933-7683 or TTY 800-526-0857.