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
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