Freshwater Fish Species
Find species and varieties, by state in the USA
Last updated on .
Locate information by clicking the species images below. Or, choose a state below to find information about fresh-water fish species in that state. This site focuses primarily on freshwater lakes, but also provides some information about ponds, rivers and streams.
Largemouth bass
This is the most sought after sport fish in the USA.
Smallmouth bass
Native to northern waters, very feisty.
Spotted bass
Found primarily in the south eastern region of the US.
Shoal bass
Found in Florida, Georgia and Alabama waters.
Redeye bass
Native to the Coosa River in FL, GA, NC, SC and TN
Channel catfish
These are the most popular catfish species.
Flathead catfish
Grows to over 100 pounds.
Blue catfish
The biggest species of cats in the US.
White catfish
Resides in one third of the states.
Black crappie
The larger of the two crappie species.
White crappie
Slightly smaller than black crappie..
Walleye Fishing
This great tasting fish is found in three fourths of the states.
Sauger
These are also excellent table fare.
Saugeye
Mix of sauger and walleye.
Bluegill
The most popular of all panfish is found in all the states.
Flier sunfish
Found in the southeast sector of the country.
Green sunfish
Grows to over 2 lbs.
Hybrid sunfish
Grows to over two pounds.
Longear sunfish
Found in seven southern and eastern states.
Pumpkinseed sunfish
Prefers coldish waters.
Redbreast sunfish
Found in less than ten states, and has very colorful males.
Redear sunfish
One of the larger panfish.
Rock bass
Generally under three pounds.
Spotted sunfish
Rarely exceeds one-half pound.
Tilapia
Plant-eating sunfish found in over a half-dozen states.
Warmouth
Grows to over two pounds.
White Bass
The largest of sunfish, white bass tend to travel in schools.
White perch
Excellent tasting sunfish which grows to over four pounds.
Yellow bass
This schooling fish averages less than one-half pound.
Yellow perch
Grows to well over three pounds.
Rainbow trout
Great tasting, and swims in cooler waters.
Cutthroat trout
Cutthroat can grow to over forty pounds.
Brook trout
The brook is found in cold streams and creeks.
Brown trout
This fighter is a favorite of many trout anglers.
Lake trout
The largest of the trouts, can exceed seventy pounds.
Golden trout
Found in a few western states, is the smallest of the trouts.
Steelhead
These sea-run rainbow trout are strong fighters.
Atlantic salmon
Can grow to around eighty pounds.
Chinook salmon
Grows to over 30 pounds.
Chum salmon
Found in AK, OR and WA the chum is aka dog salmon.
Coho salmon
This popular salmon grows to around thirty pounds.
Kokanee salmon
These are landlocked sockeye salmon.
Pink salmon
Grows to over a dozen pounds.
Sockeye salmon
Averages five to six pounds,
Stripers
Landlocked stripers can exceed sixty pounds.
Hybrid striped bass
A cross between a striped bass and a white bass.
Chain pickerel
Less than ten pounds with nasty teeth.
Muskie
This aggressive fighter grows to over sixty pounds.
Northern pike
Native to cold water in the north.
Tiger muskie
Grows to over fifty pounds.
By clicking on the images and links above, you will be taken to a page offering more information about each selected fish. Find details about the life cycle, plus tips on how to locate and catch them. Each page also provides links to state pages with a list of lakes where each species reside.
Fish species and fishing opportunities by state
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Fishing Information
