Guide To Freshwater Fish Species In America

Bass

Largemouth bass

This is the most sought after sport fish in the USA and can be found in all states except AK and HI.

Smallmouth bass

Native to northern waters, smallies can be found in all state except Alaska and Hawaii.

Spotted bass

Found in 23 states, primarily in the south eastern region of the US, spots are feisty fighters.

Shoal bass

Found in Florida, Georgia and Alabama waters.

Redeye bass

Native to the Coosa River system redeye are found in FL, GA, NC, SC and TN

Fishing for catfish

Channel catfish

These are the most popular catfish species, and is available in all but five states.

Flathead catfish

Grows to over 100 pounds and exists in two thirds of the states.

Blue catfish

The biggest species of cats in the US, it is available in more than half the states.

White catfish

Resides in one third of the states and prefers backwaters and muddy ponds.

Crappie

Black crappie

The larger of the two crappie species, they are found in all but two states.

White crappie

Found in all states other than Alaska and Hawaii.

Walleye

Walleye Fishing

This great tasting, white-meat fish is found in three fourths of the states.

Panfish

Bluegill

The most popular of all panfish is found in lakes, rivers and ponds in all the states.

Flier sunfish

Found in less than ten states in the southeast sector of the country.

Green sunfish

Found in over half the states, the green sunfish grows to over 2 lbs.

Hybrid sunfish

Grows to over two pounds and found in more than a dozen states.

Longear sunfish

Found in seven states in the southern/eastern sectors of the US.

Pumpkinseed sunfish

One third of the states harbor these sunfish which prefer coldish waters.

Redbreast sunfish

Less than ten states house this hefty sunfish with very colorful males.

Redear sunfish

One of the larger panfish, the redear is available in about half the states.

Rock bass

Generally under three pounds, rock bass are found in about half the states.

Spotted sunfish

Found in less than ten states, they rarely exceed one-half pound.

Tilapia

This plant-eating sunfish is only found in over a half-dozen states.

Warmouth

Located in almost half the states, the 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

The second most popular sunfish grows to well over three pounds, and makes for a great fish fry.

Trout

Rainbow trout

Great tasting, and swims in cooler waters in all but a few states.

Cutthroat trout

A favorite in almost twenty states, the cutthroat can grow to over forty pounds.

Brook trout

The brook is found in cold streams and creeks in nearly forty states.

Brown trout

Found in over forty states this fighter is a favorite of many trout anglers.

Lake trout

The largest of the trouts, lake trout can exceed seventy pounds.

Golden trout

Found in a few western states this is the smallest of the trouts, and a protected species in some waters.

Steelhead

Steelhead

These sea-run rainbow trout are strong fighters, and found in less than ten states.

Salmon

Atlantic salmon

Found in over a dozen states, they can grow to around eighty pounds.

Chinook salmon

Less than ten states sport the chinook, which grows to over 30 pounds.

Chum salmon

Found in AK, OR and WA the chum is aka dog salmon or blue backs.

Coho salmon

This popular salmon grows to around thirty pounds.

Kokanee salmon

These landlocked sockeye salmon seldom reach ten pounds.

Pink salmon

Found in AK and WA the pink salmon grows to over a dozen pounds.

Sockeye salmon

Averaging five to six pounds, the sockeye is found in AK, ID and WA.

Striped bass

Stripers

Landlocked stripers can exceed sixty pounds and reside in over forty states.

Hybrid striped bass

A cross between a striped bass and a white bass, they can grow to over 25 pounds.

Other species

Alligator gar

Found primarily in southeastern states this gar comes in large sizes.

Bowfin

Great fighter but poor tasting, the bowfin prefers warmer waters.

Chain pickerel

Less than ten pounds with nasty teeth, they eat any smaller fish.

Longnose gar

Grows to over twenty pounds and lives in close to half the states.

Muskie

This aggressive fighter ives in northern, cooler waters and grows to over sixty pounds.

Northern pike

Native to cold water in the north, they now reside in over forty states.

Paddlefish

Bring heavy tackle as these guys grow to over six hundred pounds.

Sauger

Found in over a dozen mid-western states, they are excellent table fare.

Saugeye

Mix of sauger and walleye are also found in over a dozen states.

Spotted gar

Up to ten pounds, it is found in the Mississippi River drainage system.

Sturgeon

Found in nine states, this prehistoric fish grows to monster size.

Tiger muskie

More than half the states offer them, and they grow to over fifty pounds.