There are two groups of bass: Black Bass and True Bass.

Black Bass: They are members of the sunfish family. It's a freshwater fish. There are six species of Black Bass: Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, Redeye, Guadalupe, and Suwannee. They all have long yellowish-greenish bodies.

Largemouth Bass live in lakes, ponds, and rivers of the U.S. and Canada. It's a favorite fish of fisherman. They are very strong and make a good meal. They're famous for their fighting ability. Adults usually weigh from 1-4 pounds, but they can grow to 20 lbs. and two feet long.

Smallmouth Bass are especially strong for their size. They only weigh 1/2 to 4 pounds. They live in streams and large lakes of the United States and parts of Canada, Europe, and South America.

Spotted Bass are also known as Kentucky Bass live in southern regions of the United States. They are found in deep clear reservoirs. They're usually smaller than smallmouths.

Guadalupe live in streams in south-central Texas.

Redeye live in streams of the southeast.

Suwannee Bass are found in rivers of Northern Florida

True Bass are divided into two categories temperate bass and sea bass. Most species live in the ocean.

Temperate Bass are silvery fish with two fins on the top of the back. They have six or seven bold stripes along their body. There are four species in North America, White Bass, Yellow Bass, Striped Bass, and White Perch. White and Yellow Bass live only in freshwater but Striped Bass and White Perch are native of the Atlantic Ocean. Both have been forced to live in freshwater because people damned inland waters. Striped Bass are common in the Atlantic regions and in the south. They weigh anywhere from 2-20 pounds.

There are over 370 species of Sea Bass the Jewfish is the largest. It can grow to 8 feet long and 700 pounds.

To the top of the page

Fisherman catch millions of salmon each year. Most of the fish that are caught are one of the five species in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest. The Atlantic salmon is not closely related to the Pacific Salmon. Salmon are born in freshwater and spend half their life in saltwater they return to freshwater to spawn. After they spawn they usually die. Atlantic Salmon may spawn three or more times.

Most salmon spawn in the summer or autumn. They swim as far as 2000 miles from the ocean. It may take them several months. The female lays her eggs in a shallow stream with a gravely bottom. The male stands guard while the female digs a saucer shaped nest. Then the female lays her eggs and the male fertilizes them. They repeat this many times. The female lays anywhere from 2,000 to 17,000 eggs. The eggs hatch in about four months; they lay under the gravel for many more months. Some leave the freshwater immediately for the ocean. Others spend three to four months in freshwater. Some are eaten by other fish and birds. When they reach the ocean they live from 6 to 7 years. They feed mainly on fish, shrimp, squid and small fish.

Salmon can travel thousands of miles to the lake of stream they were born in. They stop eating when they reach freshwater. They live off stored food and fat. As they travel upstream their bodies start to change. For example males grow a hooked snout. Many fish don't complete their spawning journey because commercial fisherman catch enormous amounts of salmon.

There are six kinds of salmon. The Amago, the Atlantic, the Cherry, the Chinook, the Chum, the Coho, the Pink, and the Sockeye.

After salmon enter freshwater their flesh loses flavor and color. Most fisherman catch salmon as they leave the ocean as they enter freshwater.

To the top of the page

Pike is the common name of a family of freshwater fish known for their greedy appetite and fighting quality. Members of the Pike family have long, skinny bodies and a duck bill shaped snout. Two other members of the Pike family are the Pickerel and Muskellunge or Musky. The Northern Pike and Muskellunge are the two most important fish in the Pike family. They are often displayed as trophy fish.

Northern Pike live in the northern waters of Europe and Asia, in the Great Lakes , smaller lakes in Canada, and in the upper Mississippi Valley of North America. They can grow to be four feet long and weigh more than 40 pounds. But they usually weigh 2 to 10 pounds. It has a bluish-greenish body, with irregular rows of whitish or yellowish spots. The Northern Pike's flesh is good to eat.

Muskellunge is the largest fish in the Pike family. It may reach a length of six feet and weigh 100 pounds. Most Muskellunges are from 3 to 4 feet long and weigh anywhere from 5 to 36 pounds. The life span of a Muskellunge is about twenty five years. They look much like the common Pike, but the Muskellunge has no scales on the lower half of it's head. They may be brown, gray, green, or silver. Most have dark bars on their side, but some are plain. The Muskellunge lives in the lakes and quiet rivers of southern Canada. It is also found in the upper Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence and Ohio Rivers. Many people consider the Muskellunge among the best eating fish.

Pickerel is the name given to three small members of the Pike family. Like all Pikes, Pickerels have large mouths and greedy appetites. They fight stubbornly when caught on a hook. Pickerels are a freshwater fish. They usually eat smaller fish. The three kinds of Pickerel are the Redfin Pickerel, which lives from Maine to Florida; the Grass Pickerel, which is found in the Mississippi Valley; and the Chain Pickerel, which lives from Maine to Florida. The Redfin and Grass Pickerels hardly ever grow to be more than a foot long but the Chain Pickerel grows to be two feet long. The Chain Pickerel weighs up to ten pounds. It is a popular game fish and it's flesh is good to eat.

 To top of page

Trout are closely related to the Salmon, the Whitefish, and Chars. Most species live in freshwater streams and lakes. All trout have strong teeth and streamlined bodies with small scales

True Trout have dark spots on their bodies. The best known is the Rainbow Trout. It has black spots on it's upper body and a reddish band on each side. They are also known as Steelhead. The Cutthroat Trout get it's name from the reddish-orange slash on each side of the lower jaw. Other species of True Trout are Golden Trout, Apache Trout,Gila Trout, Brown Trout, and Brook Trout.

Most Trout spawn in streams or rivers, but some spawn in lakes with gravel bottoms and good water flow. They spawn in spring and fall.

The Trout move up to a spawning area. The female chooses a good spot. (usually in a shallow, gravel area) Then she beats her tail up and down to make a nest called a redd. The male fertilizes the eggs as the female releases them. Then the female covers the eggs with gravel. The eggs hatch in about two months. Trout feed on other fish and crayfish.

To top of page

Catfish have two pairs of whiskers called "barbells." Unlike most fish, they don't have any scales. Several species have sharp spines on their back. They give off a poison when they get into other animals' bodies.

There are more than 2,000 different species of Catfish. Most live in freshwater, but some live in the ocean. Channel Catfish live in rivers, and can weigh up to 70 pounds. Catfish eat frogs, insects, and smaller fish. They vary in size. The largest is the European Catfish. It can grow to 10 ft and 400 pounds. The Glass Catfish only grows to be four inches.

About 45 species of Catfish are native to North America. Many catfish are raised on farms. The U.S. produces more than 300 million pounds of Catfish, mostly Channel Catfish. Most of these farms are located in Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

These fish are called catfish because of the whiskers that grow out of their face like those of a cat. Bullheads are the best to eat. Catfishes account for about half of the aquaculture in the United States.

To top of page

Bluegill: Found throughout the United States. If you're an inexperienced fisherman, it's a good fish to start with. It's a member of the sunfish family. It travels and feeds in schools. So, if you find one, you're probably in for a good day of fishing.

The best times to catch bluegill are during sunrise and sunset, when they will eat any kind of small bait. A tiny piece of worm and a small hook are your best bet. Bluegill have a very tender mouth area, so you don't want to set the hook too hard. They are among the largest in the sunfish family and can weigh a pound or more.

It's freshwater fish. They have a gold underbelly and the rest of the body is a bluish-green color. Dark bars appear on the dull parts of the body. The reason they are called panfish is because they will fit in a pan. Bluegill are a very thin fish.

Sunfish: Common sunfish are also called Pumpkinseeds. The males build nests in the shallow water and guard the nest until the eggs hatch. Their long dorsal fin is spined in the front.

Ocean sunfishes belong to a different family. They have a huge head with large fins on the top and bottom of the fish, and can grow to be 11 feet long. They float near the surface of the water and appear to be sunning themselves.

There are two groups of sunfishes: 1.) True sunfishes or panfishes; and 2.) Pygmy sunfishes. Panfish are very common. They are brightly colored and rarely grow over 10 inches long. They can be found in all kinds of bodies of water, but are native to the area east of the Rocky Mountains.

Males become very bright during mating season.

Pumpkinseed is another kind of sunfish found from Maine to Missouri. It is bright orange in color, and grows up to 8 inches. It's a good fish to catch, because it bites so often.

Pygmy sunfish are smaller and only found in marshy areas in the southeastern U.S. They only grow to about 2 inches long, are never eaten, and are not very closely related to true sunfish.

See pictures

To top of page

Walleye are a very popular game fish. Walleye have very well-defined sharp canine teeth on their jaws and on the roof of their mouthes. They have large almost oversized eyes that seem to glow in the dark. These allow them to hunt at night, and walleye are mainly a nocturnal predator. Walleye vary in color depending on the water they live in. Generally they are yellow to olive brown on the back and sides, with a white belly. The back has six to eight dark blotches on it. The tail has brownish bands and a milky white patch on the lower tip.

Walleye and sauger look alot alike. Sometimes walleye and sauger mate with each other. Their babies are called "Saugeye."

You can catch walleye at most any good-sized body of water. Spawning occurs between March & May, at night, and in shallow water. Walleye are generally 12-20 inches long and weigh up to 5 pounds. Some grow up to 8 pounds. The world record walleye weighed 25 pounds. It was caught in 1960 by Mabry Harper at Old Hickory Reservoir in Tennesse.

State	Weight	Water	Angler	Date
TN	25 pounds	Old Hickory Reservoir	Mabry Harper	8 / 2 / 60
AR	22 lbs.11 oz.	Greer Ferry Reservoir	Al Nelson	3 /14 / 82
ON (Canada)	22 lbs. 4 oz.	Niagara River	Patrick Noon	5 / 26 / 43
KY	21 lbs. 8 oz.	Lake Cumberland	Abe Black	10 / 1 / 58
MO	21.01 lbs.	Bull Shoals Lake	Gerry Partlow	3 / 26 / 88
OR	19 lbs. 15.3 oz.	Columbia River	Arnold Berg	2 / 20 / 90
CO	18 lbs. 13 oz.	Standley Lake	Scott Regan	4 / 7 / 97
PQ (Canada)	18 lbs. 12 oz.	Ottawa River	Gordie Kingsbury	1983
WA	18.76 lbs.	Columbia River	Mike Jones	4 / 9 / 90

To the Top of the Page

Fishing Around