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Features: Redear sunfish are often confused with bluegill, but differ by having a red or orange border around the black ear flap and by lacking the spot on the dorsal fin and the vertical bars on the side. Habitat: In Oregon, redear sunfish are found only in a few ponds in the Willamette Valley and the central part of the state. In their native range, redear sunfish prefer warm, large lakes and reservoirs and bayous with vegetated shallow areas and clear water. They feed primarily on the bottom and seldom take surface insects. The diet consists mostly of zooplankton, insect…

Features: Like all cutthroat trout, this species boasts bright red streaks on either side of its “throat.” You can tell it’s a westslope cutthroat by its spot pattern – the majority of the black spots are found on the back end of the fish with rather few ahead of the dorsal fin. Habitat: While westslope cutthroat trout was once the most widely distributed cutthroat in North America, its home in Oregon has always been limited to the John Day Basin. During the cooler months of summer you can find them in places like Strawberry Creek and upper Canyon Creek. As…

Features: The name “cutthroat” is derived from the two red slash marks or streaks on the underside of the lower jaw. Lahontans don't develop the intense crimson or gold coloration that other subspecies do, but the males can develop some red on their sides. Spots on the head can help distinguish this subspecies from other inland cutthroat subspecies. Habitat: This variety has adapted to the dry, highly alkaline waters and was once widespread throughout the Lahontan Basin of California, Nevada and southeast Oregon. Today, native populations can be found in the Whitehorse and Willow creek basins in the far southeastern…

Features: These fish are light silvery-white, dark on top, and have up to 8 dark, broken stripes running along the sides of their bodies. They are typically less than 10 lbs but can grow to 22 lbs. They have two dorsal fins, the front one with eight or nine spines and the rear one with one spine and 13 or 14 soft rays. Habitat: Hybrid bass were originally stocked in Tenmile Lakes on the south coast and in Ana Reservoir in Lake County. They have since been introduced into Thompson Reservoir, also in Lake County. The only established population is…

Features: Spiny dogfish are gray or brown with white spots on their back and a white belly. They can grow to be 5-feet long. They are called "spiny" as they have a spine behind each of the fins on their backs. Habitat: Spiny dogfish are widely dispersed, traveling from Alaska to Chile, and from intertidal waters down to 3,000 feet. They mostly eat small fish, squid, and octopus. Techniques: Being relatively small, spiny dogfish can be taken with light tackle. They tend to school around prey over soft bottoms. A good amount of weight will probably be necessary to keep…

Features: When in the ocean coho salmon can look very similar to Chinook salmon . However, coho will have a white gum line on the lower jaw with darker color both inside and outside of the gum line, and will only have spots on the upper lobe of their tails. When coho return to freshwater they become red on their sides and dark greenish on their backs, heads, and fins. Coho adults may reach 25 pounds or more, but rarely exceed 15 pounds. Habitat: Small, relatively low-gradient tributary streams with pea to orange-sized gravel for spawning and juvenile rearing. Coho…

Features: Warmouth have more of a bass-shaped body and a larger mouth than the other sunfishes, other than the green sunfish. Warmouth are yellowish brown in color with three or four brownish bars radiating back from the eye over the gill cover. They can be distinguished from the green sunfish by the absence of turquoise mottling on the gill cover and the lack of a dark spot at the rear base of the dorsal fin. Habitat: In Oregon, warmouth are present in a few coastal lakes and widely distributed in the Columbia basin, but are not commonly caught by anglers…