Fish ID

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• Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• American Shad (Alosa sapidissima)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Large pink/red spots (bigger than the pupil)
• Silvery to dark body
• Far-northern range

Why it matters here: Char limits vary sharply by area; the char complex is the hardest ID in the book. Confirm the spot size before keeping.

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• Arctic Grayling (Thymallus arcticus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Deeply forked tail
• Dark X or cross marks, few spots below the lateral line
• Upper jaw reaches to the rear of the eye, not past

Why it matters here: Where Atlantic salmon are stocked or wild, they carry their own season and limits distinct from trout.

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• Dark irregular blotches on grey body
• Very low-set eyes
• Keel only behind the pelvic fins

Why it matters here: Invasive; illegal to transport live in most states. No release.

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• Weak pectoral spine serrations
• Pale bar at the tail base
• Dark chin barbels

Why it matters here: Bullheads usually follow the general catfish limit; identity rarely changes the rule but the guard keeps the pair honest.

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• Seven or eight dorsal spines
• Scattered irregular speckles
• Deep body

Why it matters here: Usually a combined crappie limit; some slot or length rules apply.

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• Long straight-edged anal fin (30-36 rays)
• Deeply forked tail
• Never spotted

Why it matters here: Trophy blue catfish are often protected by a one-over-a-length rule; count the anal fin rays.

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• Blue Tilapia (Oreochromis aureus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Solid black ear flap
• Dark blotch at the rear of the dorsal fin
• Small mouth

Why it matters here: Panfish usually share a combined limit; identity rarely changes the rule.

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• Short anal fin
• Bony plate under the throat
• Long dorsal fin, dark tail eyespot on males

Why it matters here: Native and usually unregulated; important not to kill it as a misidentified snakehead.

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• Worm-like marks on back and dorsal
• Red spots with blue halos
• White-edged lower fins

Why it matters here: Brook trout are often liberalized (no limit in streams) while the near-identical bull trout is closed; this is the costliest mix-up in the region.

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• Strong sawtooth pectoral serrations
• Mottled brown sides
• Dark chin barbels

Why it matters here: Follows the general catfish limit on most waters.

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• Buttery brown body
• Large dark spots, some red with pale halos
• Nearly spotless square tail

Why it matters here: In several Oregon zone streams brown trout have no size or bag limit while other trout are protected; identity changes everything.

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• Pale cream-to-pink spots on olive body
• NO markings on the dorsal fin
• Broad flat head

Why it matters here: Closed to fishing almost everywhere; the Skagit allows limited retention in windows. If the dorsal fin is unmarked, release it without removing it from the water.

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• Burbot (Lota lota)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Butterfly Peacock Bass (Cichla ocellaris)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Dark chain-like net pattern
• Fully scaled cheek
• Small for a pike

Why it matters here: Pickerel usually follow a general pike/pickerel limit; the chain pattern separates it from a young pike.

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• Rounded, shorter anal fin (24-29 rays)
• Deeply forked tail
• Dark spots on young fish

Why it matters here: Channel and blue catfish limits often differ, and some waters cap the number of large blues.

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• Black gum line
• Spots on both tail lobes
• Large; silver to bronze

Why it matters here: Many rivers here are coho-only right now; a chinook in hand where 'release all salmon other than coho' applies goes back immediately.

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• No spots on back or tail
• Calico purple-green bars when maturing
• White tips on anal and lower fins

Why it matters here: Release-all-chum is common in fall river rows here (the Puyallup says exactly that).

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• Terminal mouth, lower jaw equal or projecting
• Forked tail
• Slender silver body

Why it matters here: Cisco (lake herring) can carry its own limit distinct from whitefish.

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• Pale gums, black tongue
• Tail spots on upper lobe only
• Wild coho keep an intact adipose

Why it matters here: Fall fisheries often allow hatchery coho only; the adipose fin is the legal difference.

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• Two barbels at each corner of the mouth
• Long dorsal fin base
• Brassy scales

Why it matters here: Often unregulated as a rough fish, but some waters restrict carp gear (bowfishing) or protect against release.

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• Red-orange slashes under the jaw
• Spots continue below the lateral line
• Teeth on the back of the tongue

Why it matters here: Several rivers set a higher cutthroat minimum (14 inches on the Hoh) or require release; check this water's rows.

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• Small pink/cream spots (smaller than the pupil)
• Slightly forked tail
• Smaller head than bull trout

Why it matters here: Char are closed or tightly limited across the PNW and North; if you cannot separate it from a bull trout, release it in the water.

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• Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Gila Trout (Oncorhynchus gilae)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Golden-orange sides, red belly
• Dark oval parr marks retained
• High-mountain fish

Why it matters here: Golden trout waters often carry their own reduced limits; do not count one against a rainbow limit.

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• No barbels
• Short dorsal fin
• Large even scales, torpedo shape

Why it matters here: Stocked triploids are legal on some waters and illegal to possess on others; several states require release unless permitted.

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• Grass/Redfin Pickerel (Esox americanus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• green-sturgeon
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Green color extends below the midline
• Rows of small spots, no bold lateral blotch
• Texas Hill Country endemic

Why it matters here: Texas state fish and range-limited; some waters protect it. The jaw stops under the eye, unlike largemouth.

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• Silver with fine speckling, no big spots
• No spots on tail
• Fine long gill rakers

Why it matters here: Kokanee limits are often separate from and larger than trout limits, but only where the water's rows say so.

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• Rows of bony scutes
• Barbels closer to the mouth
• Mississippi/Great Lakes range

Why it matters here: Sturgeon are protected or catch-and-release on most waters; several require you never remove one from the water.

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• Deeply forked tail
• Light spots everywhere including fins
• Big lake fish

Why it matters here: Odell Lake (OR) runs a 1-per-day, 24-inch minimum; elsewhere often no limit.

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• Snout overhangs a small mouth
• Deeply forked tail
• Silver, large scales

Why it matters here: Whitefish and cisco limits are sometimes separate in the Great Lakes; the mouth position is the tell.

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• Jaw extends past the eye
• Dark horizontal blotchy band
• Deep notch between dorsal fins

Why it matters here: Lake Washington's largemouth and smallmouth rows differ from each other and from statewide; the jaw line is the legal pivot.

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• Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Small downturned mouth
• Large silver scales
• Adipose fin present

Why it matters here: Winter whitefish-only seasons with dedicated gear rules exist on the Yakima and others.

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• Dark bars or spots on a light body
• Lower half of cheek scaleless
• Pointed tail lobes

Why it matters here: Muskellunge almost always carry the strictest single-fish, long-minimum rule in the book.

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• Light bean-shaped spots on a dark body
• Fully scaled cheek
• Duck-bill snout

Why it matters here: Pike and muskie limits differ sharply (muskie often one fish, long minimum); the light-on-dark pattern is the tell.

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• Very long anal fin
• No throat plate
• Long tubular body, small head

Why it matters here: Invasive; illegal to possess alive or release in most states. Kill and report if required.

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• Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Huge oval spots on tail and back
• Tiny scales
• Odd-year runs; males hump

Why it matters here: Pink limits run separately (Puyallup's 4-per-day) and only in odd years.

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• Red/orange spot on the ear flap
• Wavy blue lines on the cheek
• Small mouth

Why it matters here: Combined panfish limit on most waters.

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• Pink lateral stripe
• Small black spots over body and whole tail
• White mouth, no jaw slashes

Why it matters here: Wild rainbows and steelhead are release-only on many waters here; hatchery fish show a clipped, healed adipose scar.

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• Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Redeye Bass (Micropterus coosae)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Rows of dark spots on the spiny dorsal fin
• No white tail tip
• Blotchy brown sides

Why it matters here: Sauger and walleye limits are often combined but sometimes separate; the tail tip and dorsal spots are the tell.

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• Shoal Bass (Micropterus cataractae)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus platostomus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Uniform bright silver, no blotches
• Very low-set eyes
• Keeled belly from throat to vent

Why it matters here: Invasive; live transport is illegal in most states and there is no minimum size. Never release one.

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• Bronze with vertical bars
• Jaw ends below the eye
• Shallow dorsal notch

Why it matters here: Rivers statewide have no bass limits; lakes do. Same fish, different water, different law.

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• splake
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Rows of spots below the lateral line
• Tooth patch on the tongue
• Jaw stops under the eye

Why it matters here: Spotted bass often carry no minimum length while largemouth do; the jaw and tongue are the legal pivot.

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• Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Long streamlined body
• Two distinct tongue tooth patches
• 7-8 bold unbroken stripes to the tail

Why it matters here: Striped bass carry their own season, slot, and often anadromous rules distinct from white bass.

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• Suwannee Bass (Micropterus notius)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Glassy reflective eye
• White tip on lower tail lobe
• Canine teeth

Why it matters here: Lake Washington liberalizes walleye to 16 a day while statewide lakes allow 8; the water decides.

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• Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Deep, high-backed body
• One tooth patch on the tongue
• Faint broken stripes

Why it matters here: White bass and striped bass (and hybrids) carry different limits on many waters; body shape is the quick tell.

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• White Catfish (Ameiurus catus)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Six dorsal spines
• Regular dark vertical bars
• Silvery body

Why it matters here: Crappie limits are usually combined, but a few waters set a minimum length that makes the count worth knowing.

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• Faint or no stripes
• Deep body, no tongue teeth
• Silvery to olive

Why it matters here: White perch can be an invasive with no limit in some inland waters; distinct from the striped/white bass rules.

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• Rows of bony scutes
• Barbels midway between snout tip and mouth
• Pacific/Columbia range

Why it matters here: Strict slot limits and catch-record cards apply where retention is allowed at all; often no removal from the water.

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• Yellow Bass (Morone mississippiensis)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus natalis)
• Detailed field marks for this species are not in the key yet - match it by name and shape.

Why it matters here: No special statewide rule for this species, so it follows the general limit for its group - but that limit still varies by water, so check the rule where you stand.

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• Gold with bold dark vertical bars
• Orange lower fins
• Schools

Why it matters here: No limit in most lakes here, but consumption advisories apply on Lake Washington for large perch.