Wisconsin Game Fish Identification Fish External Anatomy Bluegill

Wisconsin Game Fish Identification

Fish External Anatomy

Bluegill

Bluegill • 1/2 as deep as long • under 1” thick • blue color on lower portion of both the jaw and operculum • Color is NOT a good way to identify • Dark round spot on the rear dorsal fin • 5 -9 dark vertical bands running down their sides.

Pumpkinseed

Pumpkinseed • Lateral facial markings • Very colorful, but color is a poor ID • Scarlet spot on opercle indicator. flap • 7 -8 dark vertical bands • Very similar to bluegill

Red Eared Sunfish

Red Eared Sunfish • Produced from a Bluegill and Pumpkinseed crossbreeds. • Looks very similar to Bluegill or Pumpkinseed, but slight differences.

Crappie

Crappie • Both Black and White (black = 7 -8 dorsal spines, white = 6 dorsal spines. ) • Mottled Markings • Color is not a good identification indicator • Very thin, perhaps the thinnest of all sunfish • 8 -10 inches is common

Yellow Perch

Yellow Perch • Golden Yellow Coloration on their sides. (may vary) • 6 -8 dark vertical bands along their sides • have two dorsal fins, membrane between the two is black • caudal fin is slightly rounded and forked • 3. 5 times as long as deep • unlike walleyes, they do not have canines

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth Bass • • • Upper jaw extends beyond the eye Deep notch in dorsal fin Caudal fin is forked and rounded Golden-brown eye Dark, irregular horizontal stripe along lateral line

Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass • Upper jaw does not extends beyond the eye • Slight notch in dorsal fin • Caudal fin is not forked and not rounded • Red eye • Dark, vertical stripe along sides

White Bass

White Bass • Brown eye • Silver color • many dark, horizontal lines along the sides

Rock Bass

Rock Bass • Brown eye • Brown coloration, with light vertical stripes along the sides

Walleye

Walleye • Canines along the lower jaw • irregularly-shaped vertical blotches along sides • Upper half of body has mottled vertical stripes • Dark blotch on back of anterior dorsal fin, no spots on dorsal fin • Silvery, opaque marble eyes that glow in the dark • White tip on lower edge of caudal fin

Sauger

Sauger • Very similar to a walleye • spots on the anterior dorsal fin, no black blotch at the back of anterior dorsal • no white tip on low caudal fin

Northern Pike

Northern Pike • Hard-muscled, tube-shaped fish with elongated body and a flat, duckbill snout • light, bean-shaped markings that run the length of the body in horizontal rows • Tiger-striped fins • Rounded caudal, pelvic and pectoral fins • Scales cover the cheek and upper half of the operculum • 5 -7 pores on each side of lower jaw

Muskellunge

Muskellunge • Hard-muscled, tube-shaped fish with elongated body and a flat, duckbill snout • vertical stripes along each side of the fish • Tiger-striped fins • Pointed caudal, pelvic and pectoral fins • No scales on the cheek and upper half of the operculum • 6 -9 pores on each side of lower jaw

Brook Trout

Brook Trout • • Has an elongated and compressed body squared-tail wormlike markings on back and head red spots along the side of their bodies with blue halos. • Lower fins have a white leading edge, followed by a black border

Brown Trout

Brown Trout • “X” shaped markings on back and upper half of their body • squared tail • numerous small spots on the head • inside of the mouth is white • 10 -12 anal rays

Rainbow Trout

Rainbow Trout • Many small spots on the body • Distinctive pink horizontal stripe down each side of the body • squared tail with spots • 10 -12 anal rays

Lake Trout

Lake Trout • Silvery color with irregular wormlike markings on back and dorsal fin • Light spots in body and tail • deeply forked tail with spots on edge leading to the body • 10 -11 rays in their anal fin • inside of mouth is white

Chinook Salmon

Chinook Salmon • Some black spots on upper half of body • grey-black mouth, with teeth set in black gums • squared tail with spots on both halves • 15 -19 anal rays

Coho Salmon

Coho Salmon • Small black spots on backs, sides above the lateral line, base of dorsal fin, and upper half of caudal fin. • Inside of mouth is grey or black, with teeth set in white gums • Slightly forked tail • 12 -15 anal rays

Lake Sturgeon

Lake Sturgeon • Torpedo-shaped body, turned up tail • Resembles a shark • Five rows of shell-shaped plates along back • notochord instead of backbone • Mouth is on underside of body with barbels

Channel Catfish

Channel Catfish • Scaleless, tough skin • 8 barbels • Three sharp spines, (1 dorsal, 2 pectoral) • Black spots on lower side of body • Deeply forked caudal fin

Flathead Catfish

Flathead Catfish • • Scaleless, tough skin 8 barbels Three sharp spines, (1 dorsal, 2 pectoral) No spots on lower side of body squared caudal fin flattened head lower lip protrudes past upper lip

Yellow Bullhead

Yellow Bullhead • • • Black, Brown or Yellow species Scaleless, tough skin 6 barbels Sharp spines (1 dorsal, 2 pectoral) Caudal fin is slightly notched and squared

Carp

Carp • • Rough fish Very scaly Barbels Much like a sucker